Do you find yourself ensnared by the “White Rabbit Syndrome,” allowing your internal timekeeper to govern your reality, much like the frantic rabbit in Lewis Carroll's Wonderland? Recent studies suggest that the average adult male has an additional 3.5 hours each week to devote to calming hobbies or interests. Yet, why does it feel like the hands of the clock spin faster than we can keep up?

Much like Alice's bewildering adventure, do you feel a relentless white rabbit perched on your shoulder, always whispering that there's a mounting pile of work and a dwindling pool of time? This sense of racing against the clock is a sentiment my partner Jon and I share, especially when we're home, immersed in our creative endeavors of filming and painting in the studio.

Our days start early. I rise at dawn, reviewing the paintings sent to me for Personal Art Coaching (PAC), while Jon's morning begins around 10 am. After breakfast, we sift through emails, planning our work for the day. By 1 pm, we're ensconced in our filming studio, recording me creating art for future Academy videos until dinner. Depending on the complexity of the piece, I could spend 1-3 days painting, or recording 2 back-to-back videos for YouTube, especially if we're anticipating travel in the coming months. 

With Jon handling 90% of our Academy business and even preparing our meals, it's easy to feel ensnared by our busy schedules. As we wrap up the day, with Jon's day ending around 3 am and mine around midnight, we often find ourselves trapped in a monotonous cycle of endless tasks. It's a common sentiment that no matter what walk of life you're from, there will always be more to do, leading to the perpetual cycle of the “White Rabbit Syndrome.”

Once, when asked about when I paint for myself, I realized that at home, never. Each stroke I make is for my students, for YouTube, or for the Academy. But this year, during our travels, when Jon packed my art supplies, I found myself painting daily, relishing in the joy and pleasure of my craft. Free from worrying whether my art would make a worthy tutorial, I was simply able to immerse myself in the fun of painting.

When someone mistook my art sessions for work during our trip, I was quick to correct them: “This isn't work, it's pure enjoyment.” And that's the truth. Painting becomes genuinely enjoyable when you banish the “white rabbit from your palette” and immerse yourself in the process.
So, I ask you to examine what's obstructing your creative leisure time. Visiting a cemetery, you won't find epitaphs praising someone as a fantastic housekeeper or the neighborhood's best carpool mom. There will always be tasks demanding your attention, but we have to accept that we can't do everything. 

Isn't it time to let the white rabbit off the hook and reconnect with your artistic side? Treat yourself to some “me time” and rekindle your inner artist. For less than the cost of a Starbucks coffee (about $1.50 a day), your personal art coach is here, ready to make your “me time” meaningful. Take control of your time, and bring color back into your life.