February 16, 2020: Racing Down Rabbit Holes
“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.”
John Steinbeck.
This past week, a conversation with our daughter Heather, brought both laughter and a poignant understanding of the assets and drawbacks of having an over-active, creative brain. Blame it on the full moon, but I was feeling more chaotic and disorganized than usual. Concentration was elusive and I was finding it hard to get things accomplished; getting easily distracted from the myriad of items on my “need to do”list. In sharing this frustration with her, she replied:
“You know mom, we both are bright, with creative brains, but we also have a tendency to race down rabbit holes.”
After my initial laughter, I understood instantly what she meant. A rabbit warren is a network of rabbit burrows that interconnect. One idea will trigger another one, sending me down tunnels of possibilities. These tunnels can result in a banquet of inspirations, but can also lead to a loss of focus, and not finishing what I need to do.
“Creativity doesn’t wait for that perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.”
-Bruce Garrabrandt
When one works as an artist, the joyful part is the creative process. But in owning your own business, along with the freedom to create, there are necessary and/often tedious activities. As a result it’s often tempting to get lured down into the distraction of rabbit holes.
“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.”
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Yesterday morning, I set up my laptop and began diligently working again on updating our inventory. A flash of blue flew by my window, and to my delight, bluebirds were once again at our feeders. Abandoning the computer, I reached for my camera and was delighted to capture some pictures of these beautiful creatures.
Of course, I then had to see how the pictures turned out, which led to the desire to edit and put them in a file for printing. This side trip continued with the reviewing and making final selections for the Nature photography exhibit I am designing for our local library. Several happy hours later, I realized with chagrin, that the necessary task of counting supplies had been left behind.
“What keeps life fascinating is the constant creativity of the soul.”
-Deepak Chopra
Like many aspects of our lives, finding balance is the key. There are times, when racing down a rabbit hole is just a distraction from real life responsibilities. Surfing on the web, binge watching, doubts, worries, and negative thoughts can also get us lost in a maze, setting up obstacles that stand in our way of personal fulfillment. But at others, it provides a rejuvenation for a creative soul. Taking virtual side trips to explore our ideas and possibilities can open doors to new adventures, designs, connections and insights. Evaluating whether it is a necessary and positive side trip or an avoidance to the task at hand helps to encourage and focus mental meanderings.
“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can ever go wrong.”
-Ella Fitzgerald
has this bluebird all puffed up.
The inventory was still there waiting to be assessed. Yet the uncommon sight of bluebirds on our deck in February, was a joyful encounter, well worth the dive into a rabbit hole.
As always, we thank you for reading our blog, and would love to hear your thoughts.