The Muse Speaks @maebird-melody - Tumblr Blog

The Lantern Maker

#mae draws #object head #digital art #illustration #trying to build out my portfolio a bit #and also get some more practice in #she doesn't have a name yet #i'll have to noodle on it #timelapse under the cut

calamity-bean

In a world of instant gratification, requesting materials from the library is a pleasantly slow experience to me.

I want to read this book, I want to watch this movie. I don't need to right now, though. Just sometime. There are 0 copies available and 4 people ahead of me in line. I place a hold anyway. Weeks, maybe months later, I've all but forgotten I placed any request in the first place when suddenly, surprise! Your book is ready! You get to read a book! What a beautiful surprise! Or maybe I didn't forget I had a hold placed, maybe I've been looking forward to this book for weeks, eagerly checking the status in my library portal like a kid waiting to open Christmas presents, and now, finally, it's ready!! It's time!!!

Often I place several holds at once, and sometimes they trickle in steadily, and sometimes they fall on me all at once like a waterfall. I don't want to be selfish by keeping things for too long, so I actually sit down and read these books, too, rather than letting them collect dust unread on the shelf. And I hear about more books or movies that sound interesting, and so I place more holds, and when I come in to the library to pick up the new materials or return old ones, I may as well browse while I'm there, y'know? And so the rhythm of checkout-return continues, this peaceful ebb and flow continually bringing me new stories to enjoy.

I love you, library. Your emails telling me my holds are ready for pickup are perhaps the only emails that do indeed find me well.

bearsockz

home cooked meal

#every damn time #and this is why i have essentially one recipe i just cook on repeat

thesuperheroesnetwork

Texts From Superheroes

Facebook | Threads | Patreon | Instagram | BlueSky

#mcu #spiderman #punisher #they really do just keep giving him mentor figures #and then ripping them away

jovaline

wait for me.

#hadestown #y'all still have one day to go see it if you haven't yet #and a little longer in some other places #it was so great to finally see the original cast #but i have also loved every cast i've seen

depsidase

theaceofwords

It's called the Global Justice Report, it is here. This is an actionable plan which can be sent to legislators and demanded of political parties. We could save the world within our lifetimes.

It has always been possible. It is still possible.

#global justice report #science #environmentalism

electronicgallery

It appears that boredom lies behind the most creative ideas. That's why quarantine has produced some of the most entertaining activities. One of them is the Getty Museum challenge, that so many of you have already seen in our previous article here.

delphinidin4

Narcissus taking a selfie is the ACTUAL best.

simplyclockwork

These are REALLY cool

notallfay

These are art in themselves, in a some of them point out what lockdown was like for us, they’re expressed themselves in a really cool way. But I think these are going to be talked about in the future.

#long post #pandemic #it is still wild to me how this was all 6 years ago now #and it never really resolved

victusinveritas

black-crested-jaybird

I always think of the description I saw years ago: Self-imposed deadlines don't help me, because I know the person who set them, and they're full of shit.

makingtrouble

Give yourself the treat before you start. I'm serious. And ideally during the task and afterwards too.

Executive dysfunction comes from a lack of available dopamine. Common advice is wrong. You need to provide your own dopamine before you can start. Otherwise you're trying to run your car on empty.

"But what if I still don't do it" well you already weren't getting it done anyway. Now you have a little treat. Try again later.

You deserve kindness and care even when you aren't being productive.

(Also read How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis)

twwings

I give my students a LOT of techniques for starting writing when it feels overwhelming or daunting, but one of them is exactly this: dopamine load BEFOREHAND. It may sound weird to people on tumblr dot com, but a lot of people seriously struggle with executive dysfunction when it comes to writing literally anything, to the extent that it can cause such symptoms as panic, depression, and AI chatbot use.

I usually suggest this technique as a "Reverse Pomodoro." In the original Pomodoro, you work for 25 minutes and then take a break for 5 minutes (the times vary, but that's the essential ratio). People with executive dysfunction often find this insurmountable, and they get even more frustrated, and then the task seems even more difficult. So instead, flip those times.

FIRST, spend 25 minutes doing something energizing and engaging that you like to do. Not scrolling social media passively, not watching tv, not napping. Try something like colouring, doing yoga, running/walking around the block, talking about your favourite tv show with someone in real time, playing with the dog or cat, making and eating a lovely sandwich, hula hooping, something active. Having a little treat absolutely falls in this category!

(on the subject of little treats: refusing yourself food until you do work is for fucking Puritans and you can be kinder to yourself)

Then, after 25 minutes (or however long it takes to eat the sandwich or finish the yoga routine, it doesn't have to be exact), spend 5 minutes writing (or doing whatever you're struggling to start). Most people can coax themselves into doing something they find difficult for five minutes, if they have already filled up the joy/energy/engagement bucket. You can put a timer on for the 5 minutes if you want, or if you find that annoying, just work for as long as you like.

The other key is: don't push yourself to keep going when you're frustrated or tired—that will just reinforce the negative belief that you already have, which tells you that this task is painful to do, and needs to be avoided. If you've commonly had to force yourself to do this kind of task, that's likely part of why you think of it as painful and have trouble starting it now. Also, you should just, at a basic level, try not to put yourself in pain for the sake of productivity. So just do it till the good feelings run out. Then start hula hooping or colouring again for another 25 minutes. When the tank's refilled, try another 5 minutes of work, if you can. Adjust times to taste.

Not every technique works for everyone, but I've seen this one work for many students who are genuinely and seriously disabled by executive dysfunction. And many people find themselves getting more and more excited and engaged in the "difficult" task—because the good feelings from the hula hooping carry over, and because they're suddenly able to do the task without feeling pain, and feel accomplishment without feeling pain.

#executive dysfunction