Turtle Time

It has come to my attention on multiple occasions that I exist in turtle time. I think one can guess what this type of existence might be like, but to be clear it is not in reference to binge watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles..as awesome as that would be.

I consider myself quite fortunate to be able to live and work in turtle time. BUT this sets me apart from the majority, and can lead to loneliness if I don’t take efforts to break into the flow of society. What does this concept of turtle time mean to me?

I think it relates to the speed at which a turtle walks, but the other day at the zoo I was rather impressed with the speed of a tortoise as he made his way across the dusty enclosure. He was indeed on a mission of which only he or someone close to him would understand. Still it wasn’t a speed that would cause a quick head turn…more of a walking pace if you will.

Surprisingly speedy tortoise from a vacation visit to the Columbus Zoo.

I’m not the type of person to answer quickly. I need time to sit with a scenario, a thought, a question. Time to sort through the various pathways that I am familiar with and dream up new ones. I have always given myself time to sit and observe. From those moments I methodically move forward. But if I am rushed, or bullied I find my body goes into a robotic state to complete actions, while my mind hibernates behind the scenes waiting for things to calm down. Perhaps it’s all the migraines I’ve had in life that have formatted me to be this way. After all it is hard to be sharp with a headache. So I reserve my energy for those good days.

Ironically, this makes me a great fit for the industry of book making. It’s slow to break into. How quickly does one read a 300 page novel, for example. Well imagine if you are a publisher receiving dozens of book submissions. I suppose it would take a fair amount of time to read through them, even partially to gage if the book is a fit for that publishing house that year. I didn’t originally think about these things when I first decided to leap into children’s book illustration. So then it makes sense to put forth a constant effort making stories, building worlds, then letting them free into the whirling winds of submission with the hopes you will hear from your dear one again someday.

It reminds me of my garden. A perfect metaphor. You plant seedlings, tend to them, and hope they grow, but you never hover and focus, you move about the whole garden and sometimes you are surprised by what takes root.

That’s all for now. I’ve been (slowly) rethinking my focus for substack, as quite a few exciting things have taken place leading to all sorts of twists and turns. But I’m happy to be here, as a friend reminded me it is nice to have a spot to keep tabs on each other and the fun work we get to be apart of.