Welcome to the Mind Fuzz newsletter, a recap of three things that are on my mind this week.
1. The Hippocampus
Did ya’ll know silence can actually grow new brain cells??
I bang on about the importance of silence all the time (not that I get much), but this is wild.
Researchers found that two hours of silence per day led to the growth of new cells in the hippocampus (part of the brain responsible for learning and memory) of mice.
So the question then becomes, do I keep listening to Dominic Fike and Fontaines D.C. on repeat, or do I turn it off, sit in silence, and try to grow some new brain cells?
Well, in the words of Griann Chatten ‘life ain’t always empty’… but my hippocampus is gonna’ be.
When you’re addicted to music, sitting in silence becomes next to impossible.
But if you guys have more willpower than I do, enjoy those new brain cells.
2. Brain Dust
I had to blow dust off my camera when I picked it up this week.
Blasphemous work.
I think it’s obvious to my beloved regular readers by now that I go through bursts of creativity, followed by absolute chasms of lows.
This is how my brain works though, and I’m starting to be okay with it.
It’s almost like these chasms are just the brain’s way of recharging before the next big spark.
I think if you’re like me, there’s really no way of fighting this either.
So I say run with it.
Though know there will be times when you have to force yourself just a tiny bit.
It’s actually insane to me that I’m still sending this newsletter some 50 weeks later.
If this scattered brain can commit to that semi-regular structure and consistency, then I 100% know you can too — with whatever endeavour you might be pursuing.
3. Forcing Art
“Art can’t be forced, it’s done for its own sake.”
Naval Ravikant
Van Gogh painted over 2,000 works during his lifetime, but only sold one.
He painted because it was his way of making sense of himself and the world.
The idea of creating something for a purpose other than its own sake is an illusion.
I can’t write just to write, I can only write when I actually have something to say.
The best art comes from a place of genuine intrigue and purpose.
But this extends far beyond what is considered ‘art’.
It’s how we act and what we do on a daily basis.
This idea reminds me of a Marcus Aurelius quote, “stop arguing about what a good man should be and just be one.”
These actions, in themselves, are an art.
A lost art, most of the time.
