Wishcraft

"When you wish upon a star...your dreams come true."

Jiminy Cricket

           

Dreams do come true, of course.  It happens all the time.  Some good ones, some miserable.  The problem for creative types is that there is no vending machine.  We can put the quarter in, but we cannot choose just which dreams come down the chute.  There is a random selection at work or maybe an unseen hand.

Wishing on a star, enchanting though it may be, is therefore not the best way to proceed.  Not because it does not work…who knows?  Even now some brilliant physicist may be coming up with the definitive theory of wishicles, the subatomic particles that cluster around distant stars and dreams.

No, the real problem with wishing is that you have to be so careful.  Every angle must be covered, every nuance of disaster taken into account.  Or else you might end up with precisely what you wish for and live to regret it.  Tales of genies thrive on the lessons of fools who wished recklessly.  Like that wish for a long cruise that places you on the poop deck of the Titanic. 

We do need to include some wishcraft in the Ingenarium, but not the sappy sort proposed by Jiminy’s cricketary theory.  

Instead, to wish effectively, you first you have to figure out exactly what you want.  Exactly.  You have to be as clear and precise as possible.  Second, you have to plan out your wish, break it down into steps.  You cannot shoot for the whole enchilada at once because nothing comes easily.  Wishing takes work.  You have to do your homework, your brainwork.  Think it through, have a plan, take it step by step.

This is the kind of wishcraft that turns wishes into goals and it is crucial to all creative work.

The difference between a wish and a goal is that while a wish may come true, a goal can come true.  Creative visualization is one way to manage this.  Effective daydreaming is simply reviewing and ruminating over the specifics of a wish.  In doing this we are working out the details, though in a dreamy way.  Jules Feiffer once said that he felt strange having an office to work in because every time someone barged in, he was staring out the window like a lazy bum.  It’s not that he wasn't working; he simply was not moving.  Visitors took these moments of daydreaming for laxity whereas they were actually his most productive time. 

So here is some good creative news…you do not have to feel bad about lazing about.  Snoozing is not ideal but ruminating is part of the job of being creative.  Feet up, jaw slack, droopy eyes…even better.  Of course, there are also some guidelines worth keeping in mind.

Good wishcraft means focusing on possibilities not impossibles.  The closer a vague wish is to a possible goal, the more likely your efforts are to make it come true.  Keep in mind the distinction between things you can only affect by wishing (like getting rich quick) and those you can affect by doing something (like getting rich quick by inventing a new phone app).

Second, be precise.  Think about all the ramifications, snafus, and errors that may result from the wish, and rework it to avoid problems.  Use your daydreaming time, your visualizing time, to elaborate your wishes.  Turn them into a movie in your head.  Tell yourself the story.  Every change you make to specify and focus turns the wish further into a goal.

Third, rehearse the steps.  Like an athlete, go over the plan of action to make the wish come true.  Visualize the sequence, imagine the procedures, think about the pitfalls, rehearse the corrections.  Envision and revise.

Jiminy Cricket’s colleagues at Disney are called Imagineers and I am sure they know all about this.  After all, they are not just dreamers but makers.  But don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with wishing on a star too.  You can always take the cricketary approach and hope for the best.  Keep trying…why not?  You might even find a star that works.  And if you do, send the precise location to me. 

The Ingenarium is a practical whizbang…but it could always use a little starry help.