1. a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep
2. experiences of waking life having characteristics of deep imagination or releases from reality
3. something notable for its beauty, excellence, or enjoyable quality
4. a strongly desired goal or purpose; something that fully satisfies a wish
"weaver" is defined by merriam-webster as:
1. something that makes a complex story, pattern, or cloth from a number of interconnected elements
i dream allot, both at night in my sleep, but also during the day with my imaginations and visions..i'm lucky to remember my dreams...my dreams embody my hopes and my aspirations mixed in with my experiences and memories. these dreams are really a bridge teleporting my past into my future, fusing me with my present, weaving me into the love of here and now...my mind becomes the dream weaver, creating the complex story of me, woven from all the interconnected elements in my life--my memories, thoughts, and my emotions...
but like all my other impressions, the meaning of this image goes deeper, much deeper in the case here, because this location mixed with the stars is something very personal for me...
i chose this spot for this photographic creation because it's home. this place is part of me, as i'm part of it. i belong here. i belong under the stars. forever looking up into the heavens, a simple dream weaver connecting the celestial to the terrestrial, with my feet on the ground and my head in the stars...
unfortunately the reality of the problem is that you cannot ever see the stars and milky way over the o'side pier like this. there's too much man-made light, a.k.a. "light pollution" on the pacific coast of southern california. the bright lights create glare in the atmosphere which blocks out our ability to see the beautiful dark night sky like this. mankind and his drive to create civilization beside the majestic sea has seen to that impossibility. there would need to be a massive power outage and blackout at the right time to be able to see anything remotely like this in oceanside, ca...
so this image is a fantasy of mine. all those times spent fruitlessly wishing i could see the stars and milky way out over the pier, i've instead created my vision in a photograph..."i dream my photograph, and i photograph my dream"...
it's be no means any coincidence that i chose this spot for my dreamy composition here...
i'm emotionally and spiritually connected to the pier in oceanside, california, which is also the city of my birth. i've so many fond memories of this beach and this pier throughout my life. pretty sure this spot is where i took my first steps in the pacific ocean, and just to the right of the pier is where i learned to surf. i've spent many a night here contemplating life, the universe, and everything. sharing time with girls, or friends, or just hanging out all alone by myself. it holds a special place in my heart, always. it's home, pure and simple, always was, always will be...
and oh how i love the stars! i fell in love with the stars while spending time in a car on trips across the desert, staring out the back window as i was laying and riding in the cubby hole of my parent's volkswagen beetle. i loved how no matter where we went and travelled, the stars were always there for me, all i needed to do was just look up to them to feel loved and at peace...
i would weave the stars into my dreams, visioning travels to distant places, but always being comforted in those same dreams with coming home to oceanside, ca...and my life now as an adult does not change much...i still dream of the stars, and i travel the world to places i've dreamed of visiting. and i always love coming back home to the unique smell of sage brush and salt in the air, coming back to the simple comforts of my home in southern california...
i'm a dream weaver of my passions. putting the things i love most into one dream. looking past the impossibilities and limits of reality, looking into my visions and fantasies. wrapping magical realism into a photograph...all i can do is smile, and love, and exist, and create art, and keep dreaming my inspirations...hope you love my image today as much as i do, because it's truly a huge part of me, a huge part of who i am...
"i'm love. i dream of love. i write of love. i listen to love. i see love. i feel love. i photograph love. i weave love into everything. i love, love. i live love. i'm in love all day and all night, especially when i dream. love is everywhere" ― bodhinku, dream weaver
this tune is by far the most perfect accompaniment for my impression and blog today, for multiple reasons, plus the song also has the exact same tile as my photo here..."dream weaver" by gary wright ... (just click on any of words in the powder blue links to listen to the song)...
"i've just closed my eyes again, climbed aboard the dream weaver train. driver take away my worries of today, and leave tomorrow behind. ooh, dream weaver, i believe you can get me through the night. ooh, dream weaver, i believe we can reach the morning light...fly me high through the starry skies maybe to an astral plane. cross the highways of fantasy, help me to forget today's pain. ooh, dream weaver, i believe you can get me through the night. ooh, dream weaver, i believe we can reach the morning light...though the dawn may be coming soon, there still may be some time. fly me away to the bright side of the moon, meet me on the other side. ooh, dream weaver, i believe you can get me through the night. ooh, dream weaver, i believe we can reach the morning light...dream weaver, dream weaver" ― gary wright, dream weaver
"i dream, to
breathe, to
sigh, to
float, above
clouds, over
raindrops, through
sunrise and sunset, across
the starry sky, beyond
the milky way, into
my every atom, throughout"
"no single other artist has had a deeper, more of a profound affect on my photography than vincent van gogh...not only his paintings, but also who vincent was as a man, a loving yet troubled and misunderstood man, lost in a tragic world he was trying to express in his artwork..." ― bodhinku, vincent
vincent van gogh is easily the one artist with the greatest influence on me and my artistic expressions. the impact of his artwork can be clearly seen and discovered within all my photo impressions...
this image of mine, “dream weaver” was inspired by one of vincent’s most popular paintings, a work of art that is also one of my own personal favorites of his, named "starry night over the rhone." which he painted almost two years before painting his masterpiece, "the starry night"...and i created my impression today in a way that reflects the deeply profound influence vincent has on this photograph as well as my style of photography...
"starry night over the rhone" by vincent van gogh (september 1888)
and, what you see here is another one of my dreams, a magical realism from the depths of my mind that is heavily inspired by the idea of what i think maybe vincent van gogh dreamed about at night: the stars...so this is my fourth humble attempt to do just that, put together a composition representing both his dreams and mine, and a scene that would be difficult at best to see in “real life“…
"i don't know much of anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream" ― vincent van gogh
"i experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful. i am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream" ― vincent van gogh, vincent's letters
many times, people ask that silly question "if you could meet one person in the world and have a conversation with them, who would you chose?" i truly wish that i could have met vincent in person, and talked all night with him about life, art, nature, the stars, and sunflowers...
this impression of mine is totally inspired by vincent, not just his paintings of stars, but also the artist behind the work as well, his story, so inspiring even though it is both joyful and sad at times, i can relate to his thoughts, writings, his expressions in his paintings, and how he felt and lived...i can relate to all of it and truly know how he felt, i can empathize as there are so many similarities to my life and his...so as such, i've always felt such a deep empathy for vincent...i'm very much able to relate to everything i've come to understand about him, and his work will always be a huge influence on each an every single artistic impression i capture and create...
"one of the most beautiful things to do is to paint darkness, paint the void which nevertheless has light in it, just like the starry night" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo
"be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. then life seems almost enchanted after all" ― vincent van gogh
"when i have a terrible need of - shall i say the word - religion, then i go out and paint the stars" ― vincent van gogh
"you can feel the stars and the infinity of the sky...since life, in spite of everything, is like a fairytale.” ― vincent van gogh
van gogh was far from being viewed as normal, he walked his own path of eccentricity. vincent was often lost, lonely, and up and down with his emotions and moods. often questioning his artworks and his meaning in the art world, as well as in the world of life (similar to myself)...a person could look into his bright blue eyes and never fully understand what exactly was going on behind those blue eyes (just like me)...but always he had his love of nature around him & his desire to paint that beauty as he saw it with those blue eyes. his passion for his artwork was there for him to turn to, to give him meaning, purpose, and raise his spirits (like me too)...
"i thought i would be understood without words" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo
he had no children (like me), he was seen as a loner (like me as well)...usually misunderstood, and all too often off the beaten path doing his own thing (very much like me as well), regardless of what anyone else said, but he did care about what others thought of him, even though he often wrote that he didn’t (same as me). he was a deeply sensitive being, and so often got his hopes up, only to have them dashed, and he then turned to drinking absinthe all too often in excess to help him cope with his doubts and worries (just like i did for many years with beer). he seemed tormented all too often, but then extremely happy at other times...but even in his deepest melancholy states, he always held his hopes and dreams, and positivity (once again, i can relate!)
"what am i in the eyes of most people? i'm a nonentity, an eccentric, or seen as an unpleasant person...somebody who has no position in society and will never have; in short, the lowest of the low. all right, then...even if that were absolutely true, then i should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart. that is my ambition, based less on resentment than on love in spite of everything, based more on a feeling of serenity than on passion. though i am often in the depths of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony and music inside me. i see paintings or drawings in the poorest cottages, in the dirtiest corners. and my mind is driven towards these things with an irresistible momentum" ― vincent van gogh, vincent's letters
vincent van gogh was not trying to make an exact copy of reality in his paintings. he did not use his choices of colors merely to imitate nature, but to express emotion...and through his inspirational guidance, this is something that i've also always done in all of my photographic impressions…
"i exaggerate, i sometimes make changes to the subject, but still i don’t invent the whole of the painting; on the contrary, i find it ready-made, but to be untangled, in the real world" ― vincent van gogh
"i must continue to follow the path i take now. if i do nothing, if i study nothing, if i cease searching, then, woe is me, i am lost. that is how i look at it...keep going, follow the stars, keep going, come what may, keep going" ― vincent van gogh
it's a shame he lived only 37yrs, just an epic tragedy...no single other artist has had a deeper, more of a profound affect on my photography than vincent van gogh...not only his paintings, but also who vincent was as a man, a loving yet troubled and misunderstood man, lost in a tragic world he was trying to express in his artwork...
"i hope to depart in no other way than looking back with love and wistfulness and thinking, oh the paintings that i would have made..." ― vincent van gogh, dear theo
“vincent van gogh used to eat yellow paint because he thought it would get the happiness inside him. many people thought he was mad and stupid for doing so because the paint was toxic, never mind that it was obvious that eating paint couldn't possibly have any direct correlation to one's happiness, but i never saw that....because, if you were so unhappy that even the maddest ideas could possibly work, like painting the walls of your internal organs yellow, then you are going to do it. it's really no different than falling in love or taking drugs. there is a greater risk of getting your heart broken or overdosing, but people still do it everyday because there was always that chance it could make things better. everyone has their own yellow paint" ― alexandra timmer
and if you get the chance to go and experience the "beyond van gogh" exhibit when it comes to a venue close to your town, i highly recommend it! (i got to go to the one here in san diego a couple times: beyond van gogh san diego LINK)
this is a short video of me standing in the van gogh masterpiece, "starry night over the rhone (1888)": bodhi van gogh experience
the above video and portrait of me below were both captured by bo syrotiak and here are some of her words describing her experience..."i accompanied bodhi on a magical journey through the universe filled with van gogh masterpieces. i saw bodhi light up like one of the swirly stars that van gogh so beautifully captured. bodhi carried that light with grace and compassion as we meandered through the beyond van gogh exhibition. together, we got lost in the mystery of van gogh's life. it was a special treat to partake in the synchronous merger of bodhi with the spirit of vincent. we and many others, in absolute awe, became one of the stars in van gogh's starry night..."

on a side note...four and a half years ago in october of 2017, dorota kobiela created a motion picture animated magically using vincent's oil paintings entitled "loving vincent"...the film took 10 years to create the director/writer's vision, and is beyond genius in my humble opinion. it's about vincent's emotions and thoughts at the end of his life, and the controversy surrounding van gogh's mysterious death...it's absolutely a resoundingly beautiful movie, if you ever get the chance to watch it, i would high recommend and encourage it...click on vincent's self portrait here, or on the link below the image and it will take you on a magical journey through the movie's trailer:
...and if you like to read behind the scenes stuff from "loving vincent", especially ones related directly to works painted by vincent, this blog is nothing less than exceptional: http://lovingvincent.com/blogs,203,pl.html
"at present i absolutely want to paint a starry sky. it often seems to me that night is still more richly coloured than the day; having hues of the most intense violets, blues and greens. if only you pay attention to it, you will see that certain stars are lemon-yellow, others pink or a green, blue and forget-me-not brilliance. and without my expatiating on this theme, it is obvious that putting little white dots on the blue-black is not enough to paint a starry sky" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo
"how rich art is, if one can only remember what one has seen, one is never empty of thoughts or truly lonely, never alone" ― vincent van gogh, dear theo
and here is a cover of don maclean's beautiful song, "vincent (starry, starry night)", this was a highlighted song in the movie "loving vincent": "vincent" by ellie goulding ... (just click on any of words in the blue links to listen to the song)...
"starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and grey. look out on a summer's day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul. shadows on the hills sketch the trees and the daffodils, catch the breeze and the winter chills in colors on the snowy linen land...now i understand what you tried to say to me. and how you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free. they would not listen, they did not know how, perhaps they'll listen now...starry, starry night, flaming flowers that brightly blaze. swirling clouds in violet haze reflect in vincent's eyes of china blue. colors changing hue, morning fields of amber grain, weathered faces lined in pain are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand...now i understand what you tried to say to me. and how you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free. they would not listen, they did not know how, perhaps they'll listen now...for they could not love you, but still your love was true. and when no hope was left in sight on that starry, starry night, you took your life, as lovers often do. but i could have told you, vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you...starry, starry night, portraits hung in empty halls. frameless heads on nameless walls with eyes that watch the world and can't forget, like the strangers that you've met. the ragged men in the ragged clothes, the silver thorn, a bloody rose lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow...now i think i know what you tried to say to me. and how you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free. they would not listen, they're not listening still, perhaps they never will" ― ellie goulding, vincent (don maclean cover)
"i have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?" ― vincent van gogh
"everyone said to vincent van gogh, "you can't be a great painter, you only have one ear." and you know what he said? "i can't hear you" ― steve carell, comic
"the night cafe and the starry night still emit such pathos, density, and intensity that they send shivers down the spine. whether vincent [van gogh] thought in color or felt with his intellect, the radical color, dynamic distortion, heart, soul, and part-by-part structure in these paintings make him a bridge to a new vision and the vision itself" ― jerry saltz
"when van gogh painted the starry night as a swirling mass of cosmic energy, he may have been painting what he saw with neurotic eyes, but he was also painting what he saw with transcendent eyes. the first gave his painting mere form, the second gave it formless, universal emotion that connects directly to the viewer" ― amit goswami, quantum creativity
"when you see a paul gauguin [painting], you think: this man is living in a dream world. but when you see a vincent van gogh [painting], you think: this dream world is living in a man" ― adam gopnik
"this place is part of me, as
i'm part of it. i belong here.
i belong under the stars. forever
looking up into the heavens, a simple
dream weaver connecting the
celestial to the terrestrial, with
my feet on the ground and