Salvador Dali

Yes, we all know and love the work of the famous Surrealist painter, Salvador Dali. Ever wonder how he comes up with the crazy ideas for the images in his paintings?

No, it's not drugs. In fact, it's said that Dali never really used drugs and only drank alcohol on occasion.
So how was he able to be so...surreal?

Dali was a big fan of the philosophies and teachings of Sigmund Freud. He believed, like Freud, that dreams and imagination were central to human thought, rather than marginal. Accessing one's subconscious is a very achievable feat. For the sake of his artistic genius, Dali wanted to remain in his most creative mind-set as much as possible.

So alas, we have the Dali spoon technique.

Perhaps you have heard of it. It is quite simple really. What Dali would do is, place a metal pan or bowl  in his lap during the afternoon of a warm, sunny day. He would lean back comfortably in his chair after his meal, holding onto a spoon. Once he began to drift into sleep, his muscles would start to relax and he would lose his grip on the spoon. Thus, the spoon would fall from his grasp into the pan or bowl, with a clatter. The abrupt clank would wake him.

He would continue to do this several times, drifting in this semi-awake, semi-asleep, dream-like state. It is in this state-of-mind where you see your most "surreal" images/dreams. Your imagination runs wild and you see things that the conscious mind would not deem real or appropriate.

Cool right? Feel free to try it at home. But don't feel discouraged. Dali was a master of the technique and it took him years of time to perfect, resulting in his ability to slip in and out of his semi-conscious mind.

('Birth of Man' is my personal favorite Dali piece)