ISSUE 011

SOMETHING LOVELY
​that I saw

This is my new visual obsession! If you click on the link, you'll see it's this amazing combo of video and section drawing - the creator shared that they did it using Revit to model first, illustrator to refine lines, and then combined video on Canva.

SOMETHING USEFUL
​for when you're overwhelmed

We're going to dive into the mechanics of your brain for a second - specifically, the amygdala (or Amy G Dala, as I like to call her), and the prefrontal cortex (couldn't make a silly name out of that one).

Amy G is the part of your brain that scans for threat first and asks questions later. It's the Jack Reacher of your brain. It doesn't distinguish well between a genuine emergency and something on your to-do list that just feels...hard. A looming set of design documentation and a wild tiger roaming free in your house register in a very similar way at that first-response level. It FLOODS you with the stress chemicals built for fight or flight (which seems like overkill for a finishes plan, but whatever).

The prefrontal cortex is the considered, slower part. It's where planning, sequencing, and actual decisions happen. But Amy G is really good at shouting over the top of that. That's the whole idea behind "amygdala hijack", a term the psychologist Daniel Goleman used to describe what happens when the fear response takes over before the thinking part gets to speak up.

So if you can swap "this is overwhelming" to "what's the first step" you have a better chance of shifting your brain activity from the amygdala (fear) to the prefrontal cortex (problem solving).

Asking "what's the first step" works because it's small enough for the prefrontal cortex to answer. You're not trying to calm yourself down. You're giving the analytical part of your brain a job simple enough to keep Amy G quiet (like a sleeping tiger!!).

SOMETHING INTERESTING
​that I'd like to share

Did you know "blueprint" comes from a chemical process? Architects used to copy drawings using cyanotype, a light-sensitive paper that turned deep blue everywhere except where the ink blocked the light. The lines came out white on blue, cheap and fast to reproduce (and cool-looking).

I love how language lingers even when tools change.

If my CDS content or newsletter has taught you something you didn't know before - coffee's always appreciated.

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