July 22, 2018

In the grand scheme....

Have you ever given any thought to some of the collateral benefits of having your aquarium? Now, I'm not going down the path of "It's good for your health because it reduces stress", or "It beautifies your home..." or "An aquarium teaches us about nature."

The obvious ones, sure.

I mean, all of those are important, spot-on, super valid collateral benefits- but I'm thinking a bit differently...

I'm thinking about the aquarium as an object of inspiration.

Yes, something which inspires you to be more creative, productive, or feel otherwise amicable to the creative process. Much like art or music, an aquarium can create a sense of aesthetic, comfort, or overall atmosphere in the room in which it resides.

It sets the vibe. The tone. The atmosphere.

You know this already, of course, regardless of wether or not you've thought about it in this particular context before.

"Vibe." Tone. Atmosphere. All are important when you need to be creative, right?

Yeah.

I know for a fact that having an aquarium in my office is not only welcoming, it's vital to the creative process. It keeps me focused, on even the busiest days- on what we're all about: Helping hobbyists create unique, natural aquariums.

Fostering my own creativity to help others act on theirs.

Trust me, it's a lot easier to develop a new product or figure out a blog post or marketing program when you're surrounded by this stuff.

And it's also easier to do the accounting, pay the bills, or the other less-exciting minutiae of running an aquatics business when you hear that peaceful trickle of water, and just cock your head ever so slightly to see that wondrous thing you've created with the very products you offer to clients all over the world.

Cool.

It's obviously the same at home.

Sure, it all sort of fits nicely into the "well-being" thing, but I believe that having an aquarium does create a space- however small- within the home that enables creativity. Because you're required, by the very nature of the animals which reside within it- to create a miniature ecosystem, drawing from science, technology, art and practicality while doing so.

Once you set it up, and aquarium sort of does it's own thing, to some extent: Plants grow. Fishes thrive and reproduce. The look sort of "evolves", as we like to say. And it's not "set sand forget", right?

It requires your support.

Your observation.

Your interaction.

An aquarium rewards your diligence by giving you a unique insight into the natural world.