A “quick look” at Obsidian once turned into a whole day building a database that stored and cross-referenced all my stuff. It did all the things. By my next low-energy day, I’d forgotten how to use the damn thing.
Another quick look at Pixabay for looping videos somehow became a Reset Retreat with kayaking and camping in the rain. I hadn’t even worked out what I wanted the videos for.
I love where my curiosity takes me. I also have a business to run, so occasionally I need a break I can actually come back from.
Late last week, I read two excellent ADDitude articles: “Never Enough? Why ADHD Brains Crave Stimulation” and “Using a Dopamine Menu to Stimulate Your ADHD Brain”. Somewhere in the reading, the idea hit me:
I NEED A DOPAMINE DINER IN THE VILLAGE.
How I was going to build it, or what the hell it would serve, remained to be seen.
Out came my bullet journal. I spent quite a bit of time working through the images, feelings, and ideas, then turning those into directions for AI. Eventually, after a fair amount of fiddling, I had a diner.
I’m always talking about workflows that fit neurodivergent brains and how important it is to take breaks. Yet I hadn’t really shown people what those breaks might look like.
“Go take a break.”
Lovely. What am I supposed to do with myself?
Left to my own devices, I apparently build databases and campgrounds.
The dopamine menu idea appealed to me because you work out some choices before you need them. When I’m tired and my brain is being spectacularly unhelpful, having somewhere to start sounds pretty good.
So I wanted to make a place where people could choose a little diversion, give it a go, and see how they felt.
Colour had to be there, of course. I’m a fibre artist, for heaven’s sake.
Colour is part of our everyday lives: branding palettes, yarn combinations, the colours we surround ourselves with at home. I wanted something for all the creatives who enjoy putting colours together just to see what happens.
I particularly love being able to download a palette and go looking for those colours in daily life. In the garden, in a pile of yarn, in something that catches your eye while you’re out. There’s a little bit of the activity you can take away with you.
Then there are the writing prompts.
I’ve always loved writing. Blog posts, letters, short stories, poetry, journalling. Words tend to find their way into other things around here, too.
I once bought a sweet little guitar for $10 at a yard sale. It was small, just my size. I wrote these words by Stephen Crane in tiny letters all along its outer edge:
“Think as I think,” said a man,
“Or you are abominably wicked;
You are a toad.”
And after I had thought of it,
I said, “I will, then, be a toad.”
Still rings true. Quite happy to be a toad, thanks.
That’s part of why I wanted writing in the diner. A prompt gives me somewhere to begin. I can take it to my notebook, write a few lines, follow an odd little thought, and see what turns up.
Then there are the TakeAway Specials, with a little something for everyone to take out into the world.
Little thoughts and activities to carry into your day, have some fun, and give yourself a bit of a reset. Pick whatever catches your attention and give it the time you’ve got.
The world does, apparently, continue to exist while I’m staring at a screen. I feel a damn sight better when I remember to join it.
Each activity offers that opportunity: walk away for the amount of time you have to give yourself and find an enchanting diversion you can just do. No fancy tools or fanfare. Pick something up and have a go.
Sometimes that’s colour or writing. Sometimes we all need something thoroughly silly to pursue. There’s quite enough in the world to make us clench our teeth.
Enter the Silly Table Questions.
As far as I’m concerned, laughter and whimsy should be prescribed daily. Take regularly. Share with a friend.
I first experimented with this in my studio. If you visit and head into the round workshop area, you’ll find a box of curious questions on the coffee table. Have a rummage. See what catches your attention.
That little experiment has me wondering what else we could do in the T.A. Café.
Originally, I imagined it as a gathering place, a bit like the commons at university. Somewhere to drop in, have a conversation, and spend time around other people.
Now I want to play with the different ways people gather. What happens when there’s something small to do together? Where might a curious question or a shared story take us?
I’d love to bring some of what happens in physical workshops, workplaces, and groups into this digital space. With Rippily, I have somewhere to try those ideas, see what people enjoy, and make changes as we go.
The diner is one of those experiments. I want people to leave feeling mentally refreshed and ready to get back to their work. Maybe with a colour combination to look for, a few words to play with, or a ridiculous question to ask someone over supper.
That’s the sort of thing I want to keep exploring through TechAlchemy. How can we make our tools and spaces work better for the brains actually using them?
You’ll find the Dopamine Diner in the T.A. Café in TechAlchemy Village. Come play with some colour, pick up a writing prompt, see what nonsense is on the table, or grab a TakeAway Special for later.
And if you wander over to my studio afterwards, my door’s open. Coffee and a bit of nonsense are always welcome.
Until next time Friends...