Ruby Red Thread
Fail Fast
In a muted fall forest where evergreen is the flashiest hue, crimson lies, exposing the energy below. Ruby Red Thread links red leaves like a strand gently lying on nature’s floor. Intricately overlapped, they bridge the tall pines by tracing their roots.
I had to scrap the first version of this design, which allowed me to see failure as a beautiful thing, an opening to greatness, a window to what truly works. Sometimes it feels like canoeing through fog. But if we keep going, we eventually arrive—dry land beneath our feet.
Fail Fast
I ascended the mountain at dawn, right as the sun was coming up. Dew from last nights rain made the red leaves appear as if they were being juiced by the morning light. I halted, as if coming to a stoplight, and felt the need to gather the ones fallen to the ground. I stuffed them in my pocket, which was soon wet with dew.
After the climb, I reached a flat spot filled with tall pines. Their overlapping shadows drawing me near. I felt their root systems intertwined beneath the earths surface, the whole meadow connected right under foot. A flash of inspiration struck and I saw the red leaves at their base.
I started laying down the leaves, one on top of the next. Their interconnection was apparent. The whole design altered by placing each leaf one degree to the left or right. Soon a path was born. It resembled a linear route, but wanted to be a serpentine wave. I scrapped it and got back to work, this time the path revealed by the earth. Instead of thinking where the next leaf should lie, I allowed the surrounding rocks to guide me. When I let the leaves fall where they may, they found their natural way.
The scarlet leaves in the midst of green, beige, and brown stood out so beautifully. I realized how mighty those subtle shifts really were. They created a totally different experience. In hindsight, with little construction, this felt like a simple design, yet there was something potent and profound. It served as a perfect mirror to the small things in life - baby steps can change the whole course of our lives. Failure is simply trial and error. It’s a guide, helping shape what’s next. Use the following questions when you’re looking to embrace defeat and try again:
Where can you give yourself permission to fail?
What can you learn from your previous failures?
What will you do next given what you’ve learned?
