Sometimes I wish my head would detach itself and float free like a helium balloon, enabling a bird eye view of the world that puts life in perspective. While taking in the view a little bird will fly by and peck my head, releasing the gas, popping my mind. As I whistle around the sky all the crap, stress, anxiety and junk in my dreams and thoughts will be pushed out with great force. Floating back to reality my head reattached and I am refreshed, revitalised and inspired.
This week has been one of those weeks, where if the technology existed my head would be coming off. However, without the option of head removal as a real possibility, I have looked for some inspiration to channel some of my dreams. I think I am slowly rekindling a love for developing characters and drawing stories. When I was a kid I developed an illustrated story, everyday I would get an A4 bit of paper and draw the scene for the tale, I would cellotape each A4 piece together creating this scroll. Probably what someone now would call storyboarding i suspect. I did this for 1 year, everyday 1 piece of A4, a 365 page illustrated story. I never wanted it to end, in my head it would never end.
I was 8 and loved getting lost in this mythical world I was creating. 
I was inspired by the film Flight of Dragons, a wonderful animated film I still hold close to me. I wanted to create the world of wizards, dragons and with cartoons filling my head full of possibility, creativity, I did. It was OK to imagine.
I carried the scroll, my bible, my comfort blanket with me everywhere. It was taken from me, ripped from my body, and callously shredded by a monster bully. I had no concept of death at 9, no relatives had died, none of my pets had passed away. My story was murdered that day along with it my love of creating and living in my imagination. I was traumatised and withdrew into my shell for a while after that and its only recently, 20 so years later, that I have been opening doors in my mind. It is a slow process, one I fear at times which means I stutter and hold back.
Like Flight of Dragons inspired me when I was 8, two things have triggered a similar reaction. Earlier in the year I went to the see Warhorse. A unbeliveable and emotional theatre production, with the focus being on life-like puppets. I was instantly lost in this production, the puppets were incredibly real and the puppetering was a masterclass. I was in love with what had been created in front of me. More recently I watched a film called the Science of Sleep. This blew me away. One of the most creative films I have ever seen, and pretty much describes what my mind must look like. Written and directed by Michel Gondry. Everyone should watch this. These two experiences and a friend of mine have helped awake the 8-year-old boys dreams and might help me manage my thoughts now. I’m excited and inspired again.
Aquaglass
[...] taking the “piss”, but no, he is angry pointing his massive hands at me. If you have seen the Science of Sleep, hands that big. Bearing in mind that I am locked in the car, in an unfortunate position, drunk, [...]