It was definitely one of those special moments, when I had the energy to work for a week straight. No doubt, when you do the things you love, you never measure the time you spend working.
A couple of Sundays ago, I was invited by my good friend, Giselle Tongi, to be the costume designer for Pinoy Grease—a short film she was doing. My excitement was comparable to the kick of morning coffee. I was wide-awake, eager to get to the set, even with only 4 hours of sleep.
I met an awesome group of actors and young students from UCLA. They were all bursting with passion and talent.
During our lunch break, I got to talk to one of the lead actors, Michael Copon, a Filipino-American actor and singer who has done mainstream TV and movies.
“What does the tattoo on your right arm say?” I asked.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. It’s an Einstein quote.” Michael replied. “In an imaginary world anything is right. Everything starts with imagination,” he added
“So it made quite an impact in your life?” I further asked, sounding surprised.
“It has, because now I never allow myself to stay the same! I always evolve and grow. Staying the same is like becoming a swamp. We should all be flowing rivers!” Michael reasoned.
I never thought Michael—a six-foot-plus hunk whose personality is as big as his physique—is in fact very passionate and humble despite his continuing success.
He can be a model / poster boy for organic truthfulness. And seeing how he lights up when he talks about this just confirmed how serious this guy is when it comes to his craft.
It made me ponder a lot. Most of us are in awe of people who have master’s degrees and Ph.Ds from Ivy League universities. But do they actually have the imagination to elevate knowledge to the next level? Or because of knowledge, is their imagination limited?
So I reached out to another passionate dreamer and friend, Priya Sher, who has a master’s degree and is a feng shui and face reading consultant. She is also a teacher at the Hale Clinic in London. She combines the wisdom of the east with the logic of the west.
“Is imagination more important than knowledge?” I asked.
“Yes I believe that imagination is very important to success and joy. The more vivid our imagination, the more we bring to our reality. When we bring imagination into our reality, our reality improves,” Priya shared.
I have utmost respect for knowledgeable people, but this article is in praise of people who have let their imagination run without letting knowledge limit its potential. Sometimes, when we know nothing or little of something, it becomes the driving force which inspires us to keep on gunning for our dreams.
I asked Priya again about her take on this.
“Knowledge, of course, is important, but knowledge without imagination is very limited. All successful people have great imaginations—from a business entrepreneur to a creative genius. We use imagination in all our daily tasks without even being conscious of it,” she said.
“I am a firm believer as Einstein said that our imagination is a preview of our life’s forthcoming attractions,” Priya further explained.
There is great power in imagination. To me, it’s actually a virtue, an act of bravery to step outside of our comfort zones. It’s a great, inexpensive tool in pursuing and achieving our dreams.
Priya, who has been an inspiration and who has introduced me to making dream boards, said, “Without our imagination we do not dream and without our dreams we do not live the life that we were born to live. When we visualize our dream we bring it closer to our reality, when we bring it closer to our reality we are more likely to make it a reality. Slowly, things fall into place and we get inspired to make our dream come true.”
I began to realize how the Einstein quote truly made an impact on my life.
And boo me. I have not been giving credit to my imagination. Of course, I have to thank Michael, the passionate artist and performer who would never cease being stuck, for reminding me how something free like imagination can take me to greater heights.
So free your mind. And imagine something that you really want to do. Whether you’re an artist, a homemaker or a businessman, let your mind wander. You have the right to imagine anything—dreams and even love!
It’s the Einstein quote! It gives us the courage to try new things and to stay true to our selves. I dare you to imagine.
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Elgin Zulueta is the Business Development Director for the International Academy of Film and Television / Bigfoot Entertainment. She finds simple pleasures in the daily grind and turns them into interesting topics for her column. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on twitter @elginz.
