Rakish Reeds of Rabbit Money

I’ve come to believe that everything you were as a child, you are now.
Yes, there’s some editing involved as we become adults and trade out what’s possible for what’s practical. Zzz...

But, as I look back on everything that’s good in my life now, somewhere along the line I was…like a gymnast spotted in some awkward but successful contortion. I was shown in life that inspiration could meet success if I was bored enough, brave enough, and mischievous enough to try.

When I was nine years old I raised angora rabbits and sold them for five dollars a piece to be shorn for yarn making. I was a rather fashion hungry fourth grader and my Mom’s taste in school clothes didn’t cut it for me—(she’s gotten better over the years). I didn’t plan it this way. But after my neighbors gave me a couple of angoras, I woke up to find many babies, little white almost furry, golf balls in the cage. This was on a farm in Redwood Valley Ca. A small farm with an abandoned caboose, and a pig next door that loved to eat purple morning glories.
Inside the abandoned caboose was where my first boyfriend became my boyfriend when he put his arm around me... on a rotten, flea invested, sprung mattress. It was the scariest, most romantic moment of my nine year old life. And then, he ‘went with’ my best friend Susan when the school year began and asked if I would be his summer/caboose girl (don't go there) while Susan was his winter school girl…but this is another story altogether.

One day, about a month after the baby angoras were born, another neighbor came by and offered to buy the litter. He asked how much? I fumbled, sputtered, and I glimpsed at how much I would miss them but thought about school clothes. I thought about looking good for caboose boy, and yes, competing with my best friend (she says shamefully). I said, “Five dollars a piece.” And so, began my first entrepreneurial business.

After graduating from University of Santa Cruz, although my motivations were a bit more complex, they weren’t any less excited than when I sold the little rabbits. I was working at NeXT Computer and I wanted to use my psychology degree towards something artistic. I was interested in brains processed creativity. The most interesting conversations seemed to be around designing the faces of all the interactivity in computing we're experiencing today. So, I would show up at NeXT at 5:30 a.m. and consort with people around this question “What makes an intuitive design?” Iconography, color, and words, interactivity and the psychological patterning of our brains got me as excited as...well you don't want to know, because geek will come to mind... (And, yeah I was there when Jobs was around shaking it up, but I'd rather talk about the relationship between five dollar rabbits and sputtering career advertures.)

A month later, I had created a mock portfolio and was off to interview with several companies on the East Coast for visual interface design positions. At Lotus Corp., it was the same rabbit selling moment. How much would you charge to re-design the face of our leading business product?
What made me blurt out a random number that I thought was way too high, but turned out to be too low was the same feeling I had when I realized the rabbits could make more rabbits. As long as I keep drawing pictures and studying how our brains process interaction, I’ll have more interviews--more chances at this. They wanted to see sketches. So, on the plane, instead of the usual coffee and cream, I ordered Vodka. It was good. I’d never had Vodka straight up. I drew a bunch of crazy pictures and faxed them the next day. They offered me the contract. But, another offer was in the works--a lead visual design job at Claris Corp. And, it was in CA. so...there you have it.

From Rabbits to Entrepreneurial adventures in Design. All of it feeling about as silly as a girl could feel. As a director at Macromedia said to me once, you consultants always have your bare asses out on a very long limb of a very high tree.

My response:
But when I get dressed, damn I have good clothes!

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Dakota doesn’t understand why I don’t wear fur like him. I tell him because if I did this would change our relationship considerably. Like I wouldn’t be talking to him in person, it would be on some other level. He SO doesn't get the whole eating rabbit thing. When I talk like this he gives me a stern look like I’m making no sense and then he gets very busy and ignores me altogether.

Comments

[Verna Wilder]

Oh, dear Rabbit Girl! What a wonderful story, from Summer Caboose Girl to naked-butt-on-limb girl! I love your writing and the way your stories meander around through such interesting terrain before bringing me home again. Thank you!

[Rosemary Carstens]

Yeah, Niya! Our essence, for good or for bad, was born in our childhood. From about the age of 9 or 10, I knew I wanted to travel all over the world and fly airplanes. Luckily, I focused on that and, in spite of a few nasty U-turns and dead ends, that is the road I took. It's been a blast. Money things have slowed me down a bit, but riding my motorcycle still gives me that on-the-edge feeling I love. And whenever I think I'm getting to stuck in my chair at the comma factory, I only have to think back to that fuzzy-headed girl that I was to know where my essence lies-- thanks for another reminder! Rosemary Carstens, http://www.CarstensCommunications.com/FEAST.html

[Susan]

Tee hee! Shall we write a collaborative? Love you! S.

[Liz]

I have so thought the same things, so many times as life has gone on... I find myself coming back to the things I loved doing as a kid, over and over again... nice piece

[David B. Leikam]

Creativity flows from you rather well Niya and your writing still amazes me on the simple events of life with the angle of creativity from your senses. Yay! :)

I've found throughout life that, yes, it is circlular in nature, revolving ... like the planets above and below. Going and coming back around, into view.

[JC Carvill]

It's so true what you say that your past dictates your future. I think if all of us didn't have a crummy life or those of us who had a great life didn't it would change who you are. Keeping keeping on. YOu are who you are...don't let anyone take that from you!