"It has been said that when the establishment oppresses and stifles individual rights, the outlaw in us will always find a place to reside. When it has come to individual thought and intellectual boundaries, I have always been a rebellious creature. I have always refused to suffer the constraint of conventional thinking patterns or to have my rationale ruled without the immense benefit of a searching imagination and a belief system that has served my purpose at the time.
Ever since the age of twelve, I have made use of my imagination to cut myself and prevailing thoughts off from the problems of the world whenever I have taken time out on a creative holiday. Even today, when I attend hospital to have a platelet transfusion, my mind will wander away from any pain or discomfort that my body may be experiencing with the side effects of any chemo treatment my body is having. I will spend half my day mentally switched off as I find this practice the most relaxing. During my 'switch off' period, I will undoubtedly take the opportunity to revisit places of my youth when the rebel in me was firmly taking root and I could easily believe that I ruled the world; not necessarily 'your world' I might add, but 'my world!'
And therein lies the secret to all imaginative and creative processes; we are the architects of our own thoughts, the sole arbiter of our own beliefs and controllers of our intended action.
When I was young, I often visited a nearby wood that I was King of. I fashioned a magic throne from the stump of an old tree and by simply lying back and closing my eyes, I was able to make myself the 'Master of the Universe' through thought alone. My mental energy would be instantly transformed into cosmic power and my mind would transport me across land and sea within seconds. I possessed the combined power of all creation. I could bring tears to the sun, make thunder whisper silent rage or turn off the stars if I so desired and place the Milky Way in a heavenly blackout. I was able to fill the sky above with every type of insect and bird that was capable of occupying my imagination and make angels fall from behind the clouds at the clap of first command. Indeed, so long as it didn't rain on me and the forest keeper stayed away with the threat of his shotgun, I could hold onto my dream until tea time when the aroma of buttered muffins beckoned me back home to boring humanity, stifling domesticity and three stinky brothers and three smelly sisters." William Forde: March 30th, 2017.