#diffuse thinking

[daveinediting]

In the last few years I'm finding myself using the brakes a lot where I simply would've simply hit the gas once upon a time.

There are a number of reasons for this but the biggest has to do with multitasking. Especially during productions where I'm editor, composer, and motion graphics guy... I wanna be each of those people to the fullest extent possible. One hundred percent of each rather than some portion of each.

To do that, though, I have to shed each role as I move to the next. In a way, purge the editor's character as I take on the composer's.

It's not a traumatic or dramatic experience. They are, after all, disciplines that exist in my brain that can and do use every last bit of bandwidth I have.

If I let them.

The challenge of moving between the roles is primarily one of transition. Much like how one strategy of working from home is to simulate the morning commute with a walk, a jog, a bike ride... before returning home to work... there's a similar signalling that allows me to put away the editor's brain and replace it with the composer's brain or the writer's brain.

It's a kind of shell game that's made possible by transitions. By going through the motions of "ending" my work as a writer, for example, and "beginning" my work as a composer. Intentionally simulating beginnings and endings of particular endeavors, not simply jumping from one to the other. And also indulging palate cleansers in-between that can be all kinds of things. Like the other day that was filled with anxiety and heat... I reset the day with a shower, fresh clothes, and a huge shift in pace. Or even yesterday going down to the lake to allow that environment to do its thing. To help me focus differently. To relax more.

Feel the breeze.

Which is what I mean when I say using the brakes a lot more. Because my creative power resides in my mind not my fingertips. And my mind is its own environment I have to caretake in order to conjure the best from myself. That caretaking, by the way, is accomplished through a combination of physical care, changes in where I place myself in the world,  and what I choose to let flow through my senses.

It's too easy, you see, for me to rely on workstations and tools to create a semblance of creativity, which I've surely done in my career.

But as I grow even further into my different roles as a Creative, I'm learning how to drive this fast and powerful engine that is my conscious and subconscious brain.

And hooooooweeeeeeee!

It's amazing what that thing can do.

☺️

[swordheld]

Well, it helps to know that — I’m going to be a broken record with this — the human brain evolved in a very specific environment, and that environment was outside. And that’s how our forebears spent their time for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s a fairly recent development that we spend all this time, more than 90 percent of our time, inside buildings and inside cars and even when we’re outside in sort of urban, highly built up urban settings.

And the thing about the outdoors and the way that the human species evolved in the outdoors, all the information that we encounter, the sensory information that we encounter in nature, is processed really easily and effortlessly and efficiently by the brain. Our sensory faculties are kind of tuned to the kind of information and stimuli that we encounter in nature. And so this is, again, this is the scientific reason behind what everybody knows, which is that you feel more relaxed and more at ease when you take a walk outside and when you spend time in nature.

But what that has to do with attention is that that kind of diffuse attention that we’re able to spend in nature, where we’re not focusing very intently on anything but we’re just kind of allowing the gentle movements and the sort of soft contours of the things that we see outside just entertain our attention but in this very diffuse way, and the phrase psychologists use that I like is called soft fascination. It’s not a hard edged concentration. It’s a kind of soft fascination that you might experience when you’re looking at leaves rustling in the wind or watching waves on the ocean.

That state restores our attention. It kind of refills the tank in a sense. And so then we can return to our desk and we can return to that hard edged kind of concentration that we have to do to complete our studies or do our work. So I would say in your example that if you need to concentrate but you’re feeling frazzled, even a brief look out the window can have this kind of restorative effect. But ideally, a longer walk in nature would be good.

-  Annie Murphy Paul, from Ezra Klein interviews Annie Murphy Paul

[w-ht-w]

focused vs diffuse thinking

Diffuse mode thinking happens when you relax your attention and let your mind wander, as when taking a walk or daydreaming, synthesising knowledge and forming new connections. Tackling a problem in the focused mode gives us an understanding of its parameters, allowing the diffuse mode to work on different combinations within those boundaries when we relax. 

Start the process/project as soon as possible. So that your brain has time to utilize diffuse mode and generate additional insights.

[llamahearted]

gotta get you a big girl who makes you go "tehe~✧･ﾟ" out loud

[llamagoddessofficial]

@valiant-heart has excellent tastes and commissioned a little wild moth Red <3

---

It was so dark. So unbelievably dark, and so cold. The sounds of the midnight forest were terrifying and quiet, your ears had to strain to pick up any and all noise. The frosted ground stung underneath your hands, the chill air bit your face... even though you knew moving would warm you up, you remained completely still, curled up in the closest thing you could find to shelter- a divot in the gnarled roots of an old tree, just big enough for you to crawl inside. As low to the ground and out of sight as you could get.

... It was a bad idea to be out in the dark, in a place like this. A very bad idea. But getting lost wasn't a great idea either, was it? You'd lost the path, that was that. Now, all you could do was hide. Walking around aimlessly in the night would get you killed; your best chance now was to just remain in shelter, and pray nothing found you before the sun came up again. 

There were monsters, in these woods- monsters that specialised in eating hapless, lost creatures like you. If you did get eaten out here, you wouldn’t be the first... or the last.

...

A crack, in the near distance, a branch snapping, too loud to just be the normal rustling of the forest. Even worse, other sounds started to disappear- birds and small mammals and insects all suddenly went as quiet as possible, they knew what was coming.

... A horrible dread started creeping up your spine. You tucked deeper into your makeshift hideout, closer to the icy ground, eyes wide and ears pinned back against your head. The uncontrollable shivers of cold were the only thing that distinguished you as a living creature.

...

Clawed, skeletal feet came into view outside your hideout. Large, large ones... clearly belonging to a predator. You silently bristled, like a cat, instincts screaming in equal intensity to both freeze and flee. They moved almost soundlessly against the earth, despite the carpet of dead leaves and twigs... something trailed behind them, like the person walking was wearing an enveloping cloak.

... Except it wasn’t a cloak. It was a folded pair of massive wings. Mottled brown and black, with patches of red that faintly glowed, like warm coals on a fire. 

... A moth monster.

You stopped breathing entirely. Don’t look. Don’t see me. Your only hope was that he didn’t know you were there, and moved on. The whole forest was holding its breath.

... 

... He came to a stop, right outside your hiding place. Those talons could gut you. You felt sick, heart pounding in your ears, what was he doing? Taking a break, surveying the area? Move on, leave, leave, just leave...

...

The feet slightly shifted. He’s going...

...

He crouched. Four massive clawed arms came into view, and two piercing red eyelights stared straight into yours, a wicked grin of sharp teeth spreading across his face. His voice thrummed in your chest-

“heeeere, kitty kitty kitty.”

You didn’t even have time to scream. The only sound that escaped you was a wispy, terrified sort of squeal, he reached into the hiding place with his gigantic claws and easily dragged you out into the night, despite your kicking and thrashing. The musky smell of bonfire enveloped you. Two hands sealed tight around your upper arms, and a third came up, claws outstretched to your face- the next scream caught in your throat, and you could do nothing but draw back and squeeze your eyes shut.

...

Claws trailed over your hair. Affectionately.

You flinched, wildly, but he didn’t let you go. In fact, you felt that same hand softly trace your ears, before returning to your hair again. He let out a little sound, a purring hum in the back of his throat.

“jeez.” He said, in a warm, soft voice. “you’re freezin’.”

... He was speaking. Instead of eating you.

You peeked one eye open. His grin stretched wider- his crimson eyelights were pin sharp, but somehow, they didn't feel predatory.

“easy, tiger.” He purred. “i’m not gonna hurt you. if i wanted to eatcha, i already would’ve. you don’t exactly move quietly through the undergrowth, do ya, cutie?”

... You tried to say something. Respond to him, tell him to let you go, beg him not to hurt you. But the words just caught in your throat... his huge hands were so warm, on your arms. Everything about him was like sitting next to a campfire.

Suddenly, he lifted you like you weighed little more than a child, putting you over his shoulder. You kicked, ineffectually- but his gentle grip was completely immovable.

“L-let go!”

“no way. you’re freezin.” He started walking, taking massive strides with ease. “you wouldn’t have made it outta these woods alive in yer best state. you won’t last the night like this, will ya?”

You wanted to protest. You wanted to fight- but he was right, the cold had sapped everything out of you, leaving just a horrible dull ache behind. It’s not like escape was really any option... without him, you wouldn’t make it very far. 

He patted the back of your leg, a victorious edge leaking into his tone.

“don’t worry, sweetheart. trust me- my den is real warm.”

[taardisblue]

ok no i lied, one more thoschei thought. the way, even as she dismantles his plan, even after everything he’s done, after how much it broke them. the way she still can’t help but mention how smart he is, i mean, come on, “what a mind”????? meanwhile. he’s doing all of this. because he believes she doesn’t see him as an equal anymore. because he believes she sees him as nothing. im. unwell.

[kumapillow]

I love Sui more than anything in this series, but I also love subtly glowing Uncle Fel ☺️

I like how they (try to?) show this passive(?) skill of his at night. He’s definitely brighter after eating that wagyu tho 😂😅

[klanced]

Perhaps some of us simply saw more YOI on our dashes than Voltron, even during Voltron's height. Perhaps you remember your primary fanom's wank as being more important and widespread than it was. Like, you still have Voltron as your blog theme. I think you're a little more connected to that particular fandom than the average tumblr user. Other people use the site differently.

[daveinediting]

So I’m thinking about a new series that’s gonna show up on my plate mid-summer. There’s not a script for it yet, but everyone involved’s thinking about what it’s gonna look like. What it should be.

For example, this is shaping into a 4K project where, in the past, 4K’s been more spice for us rather than the full meal deal. We’re also engaging a different graphic designer and thinking more than we ever have about motion graphics. And... I was asked to think about what I’d do differently with the music.

Reflexively, my answer’s to limit the pallet I normally use when composing. To focus on a particular sound rather than the full spectrum. To let go of most of the instruments I used to this point.

It was an answer that sufficed at the time, but as always, the devil’s in the details.

Which brings me to Google Slides.

Now I use Google Slides to organize my thinking about complexity. And on this particular morning, I indulged the impulse to organize everything I had up there in my head already. For example, I had some thoughts in a phone app regarding music for the 10-12 second show open. I also previously toyed with the idea that the open music would actually lead into maybe a twenty second traveling sequence that would then land us onto the first on-camera.

By the way, as I was writing this just now I had more specific ideas for how that would work and added it to a slide. :-)

I started my process with a slide called "Open/Close" containing the notes I already made. Then I added one called "Music" where I fleshed out my existing ideas for the open, close, geographic transitions, and types of places we'd feature in the show.

My idea for geographic transitions had production implications, so I created another slide  to capture some of the shots that would work. Just to at least be thinking about them.

After that one, a slide called "Instruments" for which I began the process of specifying sounds, sound libraries, and virtual instruments.  I put their links right down there in the notes field that accompany each slide.

And so on.

At some point I'd written into the slides everything I had to write into the slides... so, since I'd randomly chosen to start my day like this, I jumped in the shower to get ready for the project on which I'd work the rest of the day.

Except.

Except it turns out my brain wasn't done with the work it'd been doing. Which is how a couple potential cuts of music came to me, maybe for up front in the show. After that, I took up residence on our living room armchair, writing down the melodies and potential arrangements into my production journal. And while I was doing that... a memory popped into view reminding me of a song sample I'd stashed on my phone 'cause I liked the style. After finding it on my phone again and playing it back, I decided it was still a winner and added its information to one of my slides. I also scanned my journal pages and added those to another one of my slides.

All of which reminded me of something I’d read earlier:

Of course what’s true for children happens to also be true for adults. After all, I had other things on my schedule for the day. But taking the time to indulge a little... and then a lot... paid off in BIG ways.

:-)

[petpluto]

I wish the show had given us more glimpses into Xander and Anya’s relationship away from the rest of the gang. What we do see seems sweet, and they both are at ease and calm with each other in ways they’re not - for a variety of reasons - in public. In OMwF before the singing, Xander is content and excited to make them breakfast. And what we do hear about their relationship in front of the scoobs is snippets of Xander actively trying to help Anya integrate into the gang (and the world at large) and setting boundaries.

I know Xander’s “employee - employer vocabulary no-nos” bother some in both content and delivery; but to me, it’s representative of Xander’s understanding of Anya’s personality and both her attributes and limitations, and how hard he works to help her. He anticipates where Anya and Giles will clash, and works to mitigate those clashes to help insulate Anya from Giles’ annoyance and wrath. Xander sat down and came up with at least 5 but potentially more areas he saw where there would most likely be conflict, and worked with Anya to overcome them. He can’t go to Giles - he isn’t Giles’ favorite person either. But he can think about how to help Anya, and how to guide her in this one area. He puts so much more thought in how to help Anya have a genial relationship with Giles than he does for himself, and he wanted Giles to see him as a son at one point.

And when Anya does things he finds uncomfortable, says things he finds uncomfortable, he has conversations with her in private about it. "Ok... remember how we talked about private conversations and how they're less private when they're in front of my friends?” He isn’t perfect (and neither is Anya), but he does try to address his and his friends’ discomfort. And he eventually compromises. He either bends or accepts Anya’s ways, and even talks openly about being bathed in a sexy way, not a geriatric way.

Anya loves Xander. I believe it because she continually faces her worst fear - death - to be with him. But Xander wholeheartedly loves Anya, too. He’s snarky and sometimes cutting, but the sheer amount of *time* he spends on their relationship and Anya’s relationship with the others is his declaration of love.

[luminescenthunter]

!!RWBY V9, Ep 7 spoilers!!

So I just want to talk about this comparison really quick since I’ve seen it/similar discussion going around (ie: her being reacting the same to Ruby as she has to Adam in the past), but–

Let’s talk about the body language here real quick. There’s some similarities here, yes, but some key differences as well.

First, let’s analyze the shot on the right. She’s hunched in on herself, holding herself (both arms), ears folded down, eyes narrowed a bit and brows are furrowed. This shot is from an earlier scene involving Adam, so she’s clearly uncomfortable, scared, etc.

Now, the shot on the left from this week’s episode. She’s displaying some similar body language, yes, but let’s take a better look. She’s *NOT* fully guarded here, just half. She’s hunched over a bit and her ears are folded down, yes.

But the first key difference is that she’s only holding the one arm. Then there’s her brows– they aren’t furrowed, they’re lifted. And her eyes don’t seem narrowed at all.

Blake isn’t afraid of Ruby here like she was with Adam. She’s CONCERNED, and perhaps uncertain. And definitely a bit uncomfortable– nobody is comfortable in situations like what went down in this episode– but she isn’t afraid of Ruby.

[bananonbinary]

im still thinking about the idea that microwaved boiling water is somehow worse than stove water. what is there even to be snobby about there, it's not like the water is gonna be heated unevenly or have the fat separated out and scalded, there's only one thing in water and its water. there's nothing for the microwaves to fuck up.

[myhoneststudyblr]

my masterpost | my studygram | ask me anything

[click images for high quality]

[transcript under the cut]

Other advice posts that may be of interest:

How To Study When You Really Don’t Want To

Active Revision Techniques

How To Do Uni Readings

The Diffuse Mode of Thinking

As she lost consciousness of outer things…her mind kept throwing up from its depths, scenes, and names, and sayings, and memories and ideas, like a fountain spurting.

— Virginia Woolf

Focused and Diffuse

Our brains employ two modes of thinking to tackle any large task: focused and diffuse. Both are equally valuable but serve very different purposes. To do your best work, you need to master both. However, we are often in pursuit of true periods of focus, and neglect diffuse thinking.

"Eureka!"

You often hear stories of famous scholars coming up with groundbreaking theories while relaxing under an apple tree, going for a walk or having a bath. In these diffuse mode states, their brains are still working away on the problem, which ultimately leads to these ‘Eureka!’ moments.

Activities to enter the diffuse mode

Walking

Listening to music

Meditating

Napping

Drawing

Having a bath/shower

This is not wasting time! Your brain is still working quietly in the background on the problem, even though you’re not actively focusing on it.

Why it's important 

Both modes of thinking are equally valuable. We can’t maintain the effort of the focused mode for long. At some point, we need to relax and go into diffuse mode. Learning a complex skill requires both to work together. We master the details in focused mode, then comprehend how everything fits together in diffuse mode. It’s about combining creativity with execution.

***

It might feel like taking a break or wasting time, but entering the diffuse mode is a necessary part of creating something valuable.

[freebooter4ever]

I havent had any finished drawings lately, so have this breakdown instead ^_^ the first one is a quick color study i did a while ago where i was trying to figure out what direction all the light sources were coming from... and then set it aside. And weeks later picked it up again to do the line art, the flat colors, the shadows, the light, and finally all four of those merged into the final image.

[amethyst-halo]

also not all essential oils are safe for dogs and almost all essential oils are toxic to cats!!!! (there isn’t enough testing to prove all of them are yet but it is looking like it)

please do not diffuse essential oils if you have cats and never put them on or in your pets or their things!!!!

if you use them and your pet shows symptoms of poisoning like drooling, vomiting, wobbliness, etc take them to a vet asap!! symptoms can be different depending on the oil too!! please be careful ik diffusers and essential oils are popular lately i don’t want any pets getting sick!!!!

[jamietarttsdaddyissues]

It’s a crime that we haven’t seen Jamie interact with cute animals. Is he a dog person? Cat person? Would he get a pet bird or a little lizard? Did he ever have a pet as a kid? When he was sad did he have a little cat to curl up on his chest or a dog to lick tears off of his face?

I want to see Jamie being goofy and playing with a cute dog or being really gentle with a tiny kitten please and thank you.