The Dreams B-Side

Mina Tobya sticks a “Dreams B-Side” paper to a mirror.

I had the strangest dream last night. I was standing in a darkened room, across from everything I’ve ever wanted. Though the image was foggy, I could just make out its silhouette. I woke up before I could reach it, but the shape of it remained in my mind. I tried to claw it into existence. Every night, I see it a little clearer. Every day, I make it a little more real. 

That’s the power of a dream. It’s a fantasy that keeps us going until we learn to embrace our reality. It’s an indulgence in sweet possibilities. It’s the escape we need into our own minds where we can find ourselves. Everything that has ever existed or ever will starts out as a dream. A foggy, intangible dream. 

Where will they take us? What do they reveal about our innermost fears and desires? Who will they help us become? 

The dreamers at Arts endeavor to answer.

Senior Arts Editor Mina Tobya can be reached at mtobya@umich.edu.

Mina Tobya sits at a table at the Lab with objects scattered around her.
Chasing a dream of Ithaka
Window curtains hang open during a sunrise.
Was it all just a dream?
A pool table next to a sign that reads “BAR.”
The dream people I remember
A blurry photo of a stained glass window.
‘Twin Peaks’ and when dreams become nightmares
A telephone hangs across a sofa.
It’s not a situationship — it’s nothing
A heron stands across from a fisherman.
In defense of dreamers (and my Chris McCandless tattoo)
A car drives into the sunset.
‘Lady Bird’ and the messy, wild ambition of a teenage girl