Sometimes mischievous little elves tiptoe into your subconscious to seduce disparate thoughts into joining forces and produce a mutant offspring named “What if?”
When that happens you rush to your typewriter, or easel, or blueprints, or whatever, and start working slavishly away, thinking how brilliant you are, all the while elves quietly laughing.
Ideas. Who really knows where they come from? I just appreciate the fact that they pop into my head from time to time. Often, in ways that I cannot fully fathom.
Not too terribly long ago, an idea came to me. It was the result of my not being a driver. I won’t bore you with all the reasons why I don’t drive. Let it suffice to say that I have never felt comfortable behind the wheel of a car and I am a firm believer that unless you happen to a particularly good driver, you shouldn’t drive a car and possibly kill yourself or others.
Anyway, my wife was driving us home late at night and I was staring out the passenger window into the darkness beyond and got lost in thought. This is the one advantage of being a passenger. You have time to think. In this case, the darkness made me think about old horror movies. That led me to think about the nightmarish Night on Bald Mountain from Fantasia. That led me to think about the dancing hippo ballet also from Fantasia. That made me think of a review I read about that scene wherein the critic spoke of how comically inappropriate it was to use a hippo as a ballet dancer.
Suddenly I stopped and considered that observation.
I had once seen a nature documentary wherein I saw how graceful a hippo was in the water. So I asked myself ‘What animal would have been less likely to be a dancer than a hippo?’ I considered several possibilities then it hit me!
A rhino! Rhinos are known for their strength and toughness, projecting an aggressive attitude. A rhino could never be a dancer.
Or could they?
What if....
And I was off to my typewriter trying to ignore the soft laughter of elves.
Thus, (don’t you just love that word), my children’s book, THE SECRET DREAM OF ROBERTA RHINESTONE RHINO was born.
In my next blog, I’ll talk a little more about the creative process. See you then.