Rabbits

At the end of last year I made a rabbit piece called Rabbit, Rabbit for the Wild Wonder show I was a part of at Lark & Key in February of this year. I never posted it here or even got it up on my website. I have not been the best at keeping up with posting my work these past six months. Hmmm, I wonder why…again the feeling nonverbal thing I have been going through lately.

Last night when I was coming home from walking my dog in the evening before the storm hit, I saw a rabbit dart across the street. Huge grey/blue menacing clouds, trees were swaying as the wind was picking up, thunder was rolling in the distance. We were hurrying home and so was this rabbit. I see rabbits all the time where I live. I moved to a wooded suburban area in 2013 after living in cities and it took a few years before they started appearing in my work occasionally. But they do. And I always wonder why. Is it just because I see them or is there is a deeper reason that I am not aware of?

This morning I was reading something about the symbolism of rabbits and really started thinking about why I started putting rabbits in my work. I’ve always known about the symbolic connection of rabbits with fertility, but that never resonated with me. Although I suppose fertility could connect to creativity. But for me, that wasn’t it. Rabbits also symbolize good luck. I actually have had too many unfortunate things happen since I was child that that theory is a resounding no.

But then I came across this idea: Rabbits can symbolize nervous energy.

If you’ve ever seen a rabbit in the wild, they are the epitome of a heightened state of alert. Completely still, wide eyed, ears moving here and there sensing sound and movement of predators, nose constantly twitching and gathering information of any danger, muscles ready to spring into action at any notice.

I decided to look through my image files to see when I first shared a piece of rabbit art online. It was in May 2020. Interesting, 2020. Definitely a year of anxiety and being on alert.

Then my next one was a fun more whimsical illustration in 2022 called Protecting Hopes and Wishes. I was feeling hopeful, but also again perhaps worried and knowing that we need to protect that hope.

But then I returned to the rabbit in early winter 2024. A protected, sheltered rabbit, hunkering down for the winter.

My most recent piece called Rabbit, Rabbit was made at the end of 2024. The title references a superstition that if you say the word 2 or 3 times on the first day of the month before saying anything else, it will bring you good luck.

I feel that this rabbit, first image in this post, looks like a wise and experienced creature. She’s been around and knows what’s coming and is ready. Alert.

I’ve been thinking about anxiety a lot lately. First, this is a very anxious time. For everyone, no matter what your beliefs are. Second, I’ve always been a somewhat anxious person. I’ve tied that to, again, unfortunate things happening since I was young so that I feel like nothing is reliable- life often has a way of pulling the rug up from under your feet at any time. I’ve had to learn ways to battle my anxiety about certain things and work around it. I’ve always thought of it though as annoying and something to fight.

But recently, actually this morning I started to think, well, actually, anxiety can be a useful tool. Maybe it’s something to embrace and be grateful for. That nervous energy can be useful when properly channeled to get something done. The key, and it’s a big one, is not letting anxiety distract or paralyze. But rather, it can help one be prepared and also not behave naively and think that everything will be ok when clearly, all the information is saying that it is not going to be ok. Be like the alert rabbit- gather information, be prepared and ready.

Maybe I should read Watership Down again. I think I read that in 6th grade. All I remember is that it was about a bunch of rabbits, battling out.