I'm helping to set up conference displays for my colleagues. There are tables throughout what looks like halls around cafés/cafeteria and a school library. Some colleagues are taking care of themselves but one is offended to see that she/we are getting to her things later. As we're going back and forth with her items, we stop by the English dept. We admire the little magazines and literary journals where their work is published. To see them, I think I mau have broken into the English chair's office, because when we leave his old-fashioned oak door doesn't close properly. The first display that I set up for the faculty colleague looks really nice. Her work in theater and visual narrative, a lot of which is published in Spain, Mexico, and Argentina, makes for a visually attractive display (colors, illustrations, paper and book sizes). She seems annoyed by some of the placement and says it's fine while spending a lot of time redoing the table display. Later she gets worried that there aren't many tables left (it's like we never set up the first complete display) and we find a few still empty tables several halls away, in the corner of a little food court nook (the restaurants are closed). We try one table, but she only has scraps of colored copy paper left, and she doesn't like the display and hates the location. So we try one of the other tables. Same thing, but the people at the neighboring tables are someone I know, and they have toys or other activities and my colleague has a better variety of items to place. She still doesn't have the same things that we were able to set up at her first table, and we are setting her up in a much less visible spot. Nobody is happy, and I leave when the job is finished wondering what is the point
Dreams about setting up conference displays and helping colleagues can symbolize your desire to be of service and contribute in a positive way in your waking life. The various locations in the dream, such as the school library and English department, may represent different aspects of your own intellectual or creative pursuits.
The colleague who is offended in the dream may represent feelings of inadequacy or rivalry that you may be experiencing in your professional or personal life. The emphasis on the colleague's work being published in Spain, Mexico, and Argentina may suggest a sense of longing for recognition or success in a broader, international context.
The English chair's office symbolizes authority and tradition, and the fact that the door doesn't close properly after you leave may suggest feelings of guilt or unease about your actions or choices in waking life.
The repeated attempts to set up displays that are not satisfactory and the sense of frustration and lack of fulfillment in the dream could point to feelings of dissatisfaction or disillusionment with your current efforts or projects. The dream may be urging you to reassess your goals and priorities and make sure you are investing your time and energy in pursuits that truly fulfill and satisfy you.
Overall, this dream may be reflecting your subconscious concerns about recognition, success, and satisfaction in your professional or personal life, as well as the importance of aligning your efforts with your true passions and values.