I’ve been sketching, which I haven’t done in months, letting the neurons reconnect, releasing my fave neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, the feel good chemicals released in the brain as I get those synapses firing again. I always have several projects going on at one time, always starting something new to keep my brain firing on all cylinders, so to speak. Lately, calculating math does that for me as well but sketching is so much more fun.
The brain, if kept in good shape, can continue to build pathways. The trick is finding ways to keep brain connections in good condition and to grow more of them. The brain is plastic and continues to change, not in getting bigger but allowing for greater complexity and deeper understanding. One way to nudge neurons in the right direction is to challenge the very assumptions we’ve have worked so hard to accumulate while young. With a brain already full of well-connected pathways, adult learners should jiggle their synapses by confronting thoughts that are contrary to their own, doing new things and finding a variety of new ways to express themselves creatively.
