study dream awakening

day dream job

and some remarks.

Day dream job: Little boys, especially those of preschool age, often aspire to become firefighters or police officers. However, I’m not sure about girls’ future career aspirations. I’m also not sure what my vision was as a 5-year-old. Probably a demolitionist, since my father was one at the time. When I came across the Surrealists at the age of 17, my dream job shifted towards sleeping. The well-known photos of Robert Desnos, who always seemed to be sleeping, Andre Breton‘s book Communicating Vessels, which helped me to be able to partially control dreams, or Sigmund Freud with his The Interpretation of Dreams. All of this awakened the desire to one day earn my living through dreams. As is so often the case in life, I had neither developed a business plan nor put any effort into its implementation. And so it remained with dreams during the night hours.

deep sea dream
deep sea dream

Closer to daydreaming now

Now that I no longer have to think exclusively about how to fill my fridge or how to please the tax office, dreaming is gaining more meaning in my life again. I’ve already posted some work about my dreams, but after my last article, “Between Here and There,” I reflected on them even more. Because the time of awakening is the perfect example of a point between the here, the so-called reality, and the there, the dream world. Of course, this period looks different if we slide from there to here because of the fine smell of coffee or because of some noise.

dream wakeup

We all know pictures that have dreams or the dream world as their content, and of course, it was primarily the Surrealists like Giorgio de Chirico who set milestones in this area. But in general, they are always snapshots. An image recreates a specific scene from a dream. What appeals to me at the moment is not that kind of static look, like a photo captures a moment. Rather, I would like to show a dynamic aspect. So the time period, however short it may be, in which fragments of dreams disappear and make way for so-called reality.

study dream awakening


I will spare us the individual attempts to comment, but I wanted to show them because I have always intended with my blog to involve readers in certain processes of my work or approach to a topic. And as it seems, many people like it, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you once again for the friendly feedback.

painting aboot napping
napping

Extra: Remarks on Google & Co.


Even if the topic of AI is not relevant to some, I would like to say something about the visibility of blog posts. Not everyone operates their blog for the same reasons. What I am going to mention next is therefore not relevant to many. However, discoverability through search engines has always been and will remain a primary goal for me. For those who share this goal, some developments in this area can be of interest or importance.


First: Google is introducing new parameters for ranking. An article on this topic can be found HERE and HERE and everywhere on the net. In a nutshell: Among other things, pages with their own content are preferred, i.e., ranked higher. And above all – a development that I like very much – AI detects AI-generated pages. And does not index them or at least does not give them any significance. YouTube also follows this example.

As I have already mentioned in the past, I do not have any fundamental reservations about AI. Rather, I try to integrate it into my work. To give a concrete example, a very early article of mine, a marginal topic that did not interest many people, was about Mu Qi’s Six Persimmons. When I realized that I had a passable ranking on Google for this, I became aware of my poorly written article. (Since my English is not very good, I sometimes make embarrassing mistakes or stylistic calamities). So I corrected the errors with the help of AI, and the number of views increased rapidly.

stats for Mu Qi article

It’s not impressive per se, but it’s a side topic, and the number mainly reflects the recent period. I don’t want to go into too much detail since we know that opinions on this topic vary widely. I just wanted to point out these new google changes.


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Comments

61 responses to “day dream job”

  1. J M Negi avatar

    Enjoyable and very informative as always, thanks.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much! I’m happy about that because there isn’t that much else that’s enjoyable at the moment πŸ™‚

      1. J M Negi avatar

        πŸ™πŸ™

  2. Gerda Kazakou avatar

    First of all, I feel very much at home with your dream like paintings. Than I would like to be ask you why you write in English. I suppose for reasons of larger visibility. I would like to learn more about this subject and the Google ranking. Where can I v see the ranking of my site? Thank you for your information.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Hello Gerda and thank you very much for your kind words!

      Among other things, I write in English because gendering in German-speaking countries annoys me and I stay away from it.

      As far as Google ranking is concerned: There are a number of SEO sites about it. The best known is probably semrush. But I think if you’re not that familiar with the matter, the following link is more helpful: https://www.thehoth.com/search-engine-rankings/
      Have a nice weekend! f

  3. swabby429 avatar

    Your dream works are relatable in that my dreams are often ethereal visions that are not easily translatable into words. I also find inspiration from my own dreams. I must promptly summarize them onto paper before they become forgotten. It is the act of outlining the dream after awakening that often segues into the creative process.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Many thanks! Yes, you are absolutely right, you have to write down the dream immediately. At first it wasn’t that easy for me. But, as with many things you learn new, it gets better each time. For me the result was that my dreams were structured like a film or novel. With a structured framework and everything a well composed story needs πŸ™‚

      1. swabby429 avatar

        This sort of structure happens only rarely for me. I’m delighted whenever it does.

  4. acrylicphil avatar

    Thank you very much, Friedrich. I enjoyed this and I am glad you have more time to devote to dreaming: I sense some people stop doing it for some reason. All the fun they are missing out on!

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you Phil πŸ™ Indeed, sometimes I think, some people should consider this as alternative to senseless activity 😎 And bye and bye it can become a very creative process.

  5. muz4now avatar

    Wonderful artwork and dreamwork. It was reading Carl Jung that got me more interested in my own dreaming and dreams in general.
    Regarding the Google changes, the one thing I’m suspect about is what amounts to: if your page is not already popular, Google won’t rank it. This boils down to keeping big sites big and small sites small. Spotify is doing a similar thing with royalty payments. I don’t like it.

    All the best,
    Stan

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you, Stan! Yes, Carl Jung is/was very important to me too. In recent years I have become more involved with him again.
      You are of course absolutely right about the status quo regarding rankings. I think Google & co simply had to focus more on original texts again, otherwise any search would be pointless due to the large number of pages generated. I also see it as a transition phase and this step could lead to better search results again.

  6. luisa zambrotta avatar

    I love your work and all the interesting information you provide❣️

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you so much Luisa! When old fools start dreaming….πŸ€£πŸŒΉβ˜€οΈ

      1. luisa zambrotta avatar

        Thanks a lot for your lovely replyπŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™
        Wishing you a wonderful weekend

      2. luisa zambrotta avatar

        Thanks a lot for your lovely reply πŸ’™πŸ’™πŸ’™
        Wishing you a wonderful weekend

  7. Traum(A)Kinder avatar

    Wieder ein sehr spannendes und interessantes Thema! Vor Jahren habe ich mich mit luziden TrΓ€umen befasst. Da ich finde, dass TrΓ€ume uns zu Erkenntnissen verhelfen kΓΆnnen, hatte ich lange Zeit ein Traumtagebuch neben dem Bett liegen. Inzwischen kann ich mich oft auch so erinnern.
    Den Moment zwischen Traum und Erwachen in Bildern festzuhalten, ist vermutlich herausfordernd.
    Ein schânes Wochenende und Grüße nach Wien!

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Danke, liebe Marie! Ja, luzides TrΓ€umen kann m. E. nicht nur zu neuen Erkenntnissen fΓΌhren, sondern auch beim Aufarbeiten belastender UmstΓ€nde helfen. Ob es sich lohnt, mit dem Moment zwischen Traum und Wachzustand auseinander zu setzen weiss ich nicht. Bei mir ist es einfach ein Spiel mit “RealitΓ€t”, zu der wir gerade in einigen Punkten neue Erkenntnisse geliefert bekommen. Wobei mich dazu vor allem die Quantenphysik immer wieder ΓΌberrascht. Ebenfalls ein schΓΆnes Wochenende und eine friedliche Adventszeit. f

  8. Spira avatar

    Friedrich, your art/words today brought to my mind by association two lectures by C.G. Jung from 1935/36, Individual Dream Symbolism in Relation to Alchemy.
    Allow me to quote the ending, as it is, in my humble opinion, highly relatable to your dream art:

    ” …There are people, of course, who think it unscientific to take anything seriously; they do not want their intellectual playground disturbed by graver considerations. But the doctor who fails to take account of man’s feelings for value commits a serious blunder, and if he tries to correct the mysterious and well-nigh inscrutable workings of nature with his so-called scientific attitude, he is merely putting his shallow sophistry in place of nature’s healing processes.
    Let us take the wisdom of the old alchemists to heart: “Naturalissimum et perfectissimum opus est genesrate tale quale ipsum est. *” ”
    (* The most natural and perfect work is to generate its like.)

    Your art, Friedrich, for me is not naturalistic but alchemical(y) natural.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much, Nick, for your kind words and the quote from C. G. Jung! If I read it, I forgot it again and so I am very grateful to you for that.

      Although I essentially follow Daoist concepts in my work, there is also an area of alchemy in Daoism (which I am not very familiar with, even if I find it very exciting).

      How accurate your quote is! Many bright minds throughout history who were dedicated to the natural sciences become spiritual in one way or another as they grow older. Or at least recognize that there is still room above the sciences.

  9. 6qsite avatar

    β€œΓ‰s quan dormo que hi veig clar” J. V. Foix, poeta catalΓ .

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Β‘Gracias! Esa es una declaraciΓ³n de mi agrado πŸ™‚

      1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        Β‘Gracias por el hermoso poema! Me gusta mucho y veo fuertes paralelos con los poemas chinos del perΓ­odo Tang, especialmente con Li Bai.

      2. 6qsite avatar

        J. V. Foix és un dels millors poetes catalans del segle XX. Efectivament, la seva estètica té a vegades un aire oriental.

        J. V. Foix ist einer der besten katalanischen Dichter des 20. Jahrhunderts. In der Tat hat seine Γ„sthetik manchmal einen orientalischen Touch.

  10. Ashley avatar

    I’m no philosopher but the further away I am from the day I retired from having to earn a living, the more I’m aware of my dreams! Perhaps now, I don’t have to worry about the spreadsheets, the agendas of business, the timetables or the commuting (thank goodness).

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you, Ashley πŸ™ I can hear you 😊 No matter how good a spreadsheet might be, it’s only half as good as an inspiring, relaxing dream 🀣

  11. babsje avatar

    I’m glad you posted more about dreaming, thank you for your images and commentary, too. I especially like your paintings “deep sea dreaming,” the 3rd one that you display (no title) evokes a sense of birds taking flight to me, and the image called “napping.” There is something warm and reassuring about “napping” to me – as though we are free to abandon into the world of dreams with that pink-red presence you show at right there to keep us safe in dream land. Wonderful post.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Many thanks indeed! I’m very happy that you like the work. Representing dreams is of course a very individual thing and not that easy. But I wanted to show some work on this, even if it might not be perfect. Best regards from Vienna

  12. Martha Kennedy avatar

    Friedrich, have you used YinMin blue on Deep Sea Dream? I’m curious because I haven’t seen it painted with yet — at least as far as I know.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      No, Martha, I wanted to buy it. It’s very expensive and I’ve only found it as a powder. But I work almost exclusively with inks. And then I found such beautiful shades of blue in Marokoo… But maybe I’ll wish it from Santa Claus πŸ™‚

      1. Martha Kennedy avatar

        The blues in your painting are beautiful. Really, what could be better? I found it as a watercolor for $100 a pan. Shudder. πŸ˜€

      2. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        Exactly! $100+ and shipping for a few grams. But, as we know, artists earn so much, they can afford it πŸ™‚

      3. Martha Kennedy avatar

        Right! I got invited to participate in a show in Denver. The entry fee is $595 and $150/day (3 days) for a spot plus buying and conveying my own temporary “room” and finding a place to stay. It would easily be $2000 just to show up. 🀣 I’m laughing as I type this.

      4. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        Who earned the most during the gold rush era? The sellers of shovels and sieves. 🀣

      5. Martha Kennedy avatar

        🀣

  13. Rosaliene Bacchus avatar

    Your attempt to depict the dynamic aspect of awakening from the dream state to so-called reality is quite a challenge. Love the disjointed effects of the painting “napping.”
    Google’s latest development in ranking to detect AI- generated pages is news to me. Hopefully, it will also include the misappropriation of literary works.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you so much, Rosaliene! As for literature: “…While AI can help identify and track instances of copyright infringement, it is not a substitute for human creativity and judgment.
      ….The use of AI in copyright law is still in its early stages, and it remains to be seen how it will affect the protection of literary works in the future…..” (source. bing-chat)

  14. Cindy Georgakas avatar

    Always love your introspection and this is no exception Friedrich. Beautiful dreams of YinMin blue. I’m a sceptic of AI but I’m slow to grow in technology. πŸ’•πŸ’™πŸ’•πŸ’™

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you so much, Cindy! We all have a good reason to be sceptical πŸ˜‚ No Idea where this will get us.

  15. The Sicilian Storyteller avatar

    I close my eyes and envision your art hanging on the walls in my house. Wonderful, Fred!

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much πŸ™ I hope they won’t disturb your dreams then πŸ˜‚πŸŒΉπŸŽΆβ˜€οΈ

  16. Monkey's Tale avatar

    I wish my job was sleeping πŸ™‚ Although I sleep very well, I rarely remember a dream, so instead I day dream. Interesting information about Google not indexing A1. It makes sense, and makes me a little pleased, although we still don’t rank very high in their system. Maggie

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you, Maggie! Neither dreams nor indexing in search engines is easy. I spend quite a bit of time on it, but I’m not always sure whether it’s worth the effort. WP actually has very good toolsI (yoast). I’m going to revise some parts of my blog to reflect the changes and test new things on a few pages.

      1. Monkey's Tale avatar

        Let us know. I don’t have a Business plan so can’t add Yoast but would consider it if people say it’s worth it. Maggie

  17. Edith avatar

    Lieber Friedrich, du weißt, meine Seite hier hieß ja TagtrÀumereien. Um sie aufzuschreiben, musste ich nicht schlafen. Es ist die Fantasie, die mich so oft *umwâlkt* und dann heraus will.
    Deine TrΓ€ume gefallen mir sehr – allein im Haeder-Bild sehe ich WΓΌtendes, ein Aufeinanderlosgehen. Aber auch alle anderen GemΓ€lde gefallen mir außerordentlich gut. Fein, dass du dich diesem Thema nun im *Alter* ,grins, mehr widmen willst.
    Es gibt gute und weniger gute TrΓ€ume, dies werden wir dann in deinen GemΓ€lden erfassen kΓΆnnen.
    Danke, ich konnte wieder dazulernen, abspeichern.
    Mit herzlichsten Grüßen zu dir von mir,
    Edith
    Ich hoffe,dir geht es so richtig gut wieder…

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Danke, liebe Edith! Eine Traumfrau bist Du also bzw. Tagtraumfau – da bringe ich nun Tauben nach Venedig. Danke, Grippe hat 5 Wochen gedauert πŸ™ Deswegen die viele Traeume :). Geniesse den Advent, verwoehn’ Deine Lieben mit denen Kochkuensten! LG f

      1. Edith avatar

        … Tauben nach Venedig lΓ€sst mich lΓ€cheln…
        Ach, duuu, auch ohne Krankheit kannst du trΓ€umen, dies beweist du immer wieder in deinen wundervollen GemΓ€lden, ja, sie sind allesamt traumhaft schΓΆn, nein, nicht nur schΓΆn, auch gut, denn sie haben immer etwas zu sagen…
        Ich wΓΌnscht dir alles Gute weiterhin,
        herzlichst, Edith

      2. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        Vielen Dank, wie immer, Edith! MΓΆge der Krampus einen weiten Bogen um Dein Haus machen und der Nikolaus Deinen Gedichten und Tagtraeumereien lauschen. lg f

      3. Edith avatar

        Der Krampus ist hier gar nicht gelΓ€ufig, aber Nikolaus und Weihnachtsmann dafΓΌr um so mehr. An Heilig Abend ist bei uns die ganze Familie zusammen. Ich schreibe jedesmal einen neuen Text zu einem Weihnachtslied. Gemeinsam singen wir dann, wenn der Weihnachtsmann in der TΓΌr steht und um Einlass bittet. Darauf freuen sich in jedem Jahr Klein und Groß, lach… Vormittags fahren wir gemeinsam in den Wald zu zwei Futterkrippen, in die wir ΓΌbers Jahr gesammeltes Futter legen oder dran hΓ€ngen – Kerne, KΓΆrner, Heu, NΓΌsse usw. Dieses Ritual stammt noch aus der Zeit, als ich Kind war. Nun habe ich es an die Kinder und Enkel weitergegeben. Und wir fahren auch alle gemeinsam zum Friedhof. Am Grab singen wir dann: Stille Nacht… Glaubs, ich bin ein wenig stolz drauf, dass meine Kinder solche Geflogenheiten verinnerlicht haben.
        Wir lesen uns noch ganz sicher, bevor die Adventszeit beginnt.
        Alles Liebe und Gute dir
        von mir.

      4. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

        Den Krampus wird es bei uns auch bald nicht mehr geben – der laesst sich so schwer gendern πŸ™‚ Das ist grossartig, liebe Edith, dass Du Deine Kinder auf diesem Weg der Tradition mitgenommen hast. Das klingt nach einer sehr guten Tradition, die einem das Herz waermt. Bei mir gibt es keine Weihnachten mehr, was mich aber nicht stoert. In der Stadt hat die Verkommerzialisierung ihm jede Bedeutung genommen. Aber vielleicht kommt ja der Krampus πŸ™‚

  18. Naomi Martin avatar

    A very informative and helpful article.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much πŸ™πŸ˜Š

  19. Priti avatar

    Our dream changes according to age well shared πŸ‘Œ

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      Thank you very much πŸ™

  20. rabirius avatar

    Excellent pictures. I especially like “napping”. I had to look at it for a very long time. There is so much to see in the picture, and all the time looking I see other things. Fantastic!

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      How kind of you to say so 😊 All the best πŸ™β˜€οΈπŸŽΆπŸΈ

  21. pk 🌎 avatar

    NICE POST πŸ’šπŸ’―

    Greetings from Spain πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Έ

    Blessings πŸŒ„

  22. […] I recently reported on Google’s new algorithms and essential changes to searches and ranking, I was asked to […]

  23. courtleymanor avatar

    When I was a little girl I wanted to be an astronaut. Then the Challenger disaster happened.

    1. Zettl Fine Arts avatar

      That was a shock indeed πŸ˜• I hope you found an attractive alternative!

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