Curiouser and Curiouser
You should be working, but instead you're down a rabbit hole, consumed by curiosity, eager to find out more about a subject that has recently gripped you.
This is good. This is normal.
Artists are curious, that is their nature. Curiosity is the engine of discovery.
Curiosity is what drives the creative process: the need to explore, to discover, to experiment, and to learn.
A curious mind doesn't like to be bored. A curious mind craves knowledge and is filled with questions that need answering.
So when curiosity grips you, it's hard to resist.
I believe that it's by feeding that curiosity that we become creative. That thirst for knowledge, that hunger for answers, can never be truly satisfied, but they drive us forward.
So following your curiosity is healthy and right.
The new shiny thing isn't a distraction, it serves a purpose. To feed your hungry mind, to take you to new destinations, and to make new connections and new discoveries. Let it lead you there.
Generally artists have disparate interests, curiosity doesn't like to be contained. In French there is an expression, Le Violon d'Ingres, which references the fact that the painter Jean-Auguste-Ingres played the violin as a hobby. Many artists have hobbies and interests outside of their primary career, because people who are curious by nature are likely to be curious about everything.
And the beautiful thing about curiosity is that it can never be fully satisfied. A pencil can deliver a lifetime of discovery, so can a piano, or a 3D program. There are no limits to our imaginations and to what we can create with these tools, so you never get to the end of the road - it carries on forever.
So follow the road, it will lead you to good places. And on the way you will discover fascinating things that will challenge and delight you, because following your curiosity is always inspiring.