Part of my mad science baking kit
In order to achieve success as a mad scientist, it is important to have the proper tools for your relative branch of madness. Of course, measuring success is all in how you measure it, really. Maybe a batch of brain cookies came out looking like smush, but still tasted delicious. In that regard, as long as folks could stomach eating the treats, they were successful. If, however, you made green cupcakes with the intent that their devourers would “get a wicked case of the groops,” but instead got a case of the “pooples,” then it would be a failure.
My favorite branches of mad science right now are baking, knitting, and creative writing. It seems like it’s good for me to pack in as many things to do in the day as possible, because it really helps to combat icky things like seasonal depression.
I’ve decided to branch out a bit in my sciences, to get even more science-y, and of course, much madder. In addition to knitting, I’ve added on some advanced crafting tasks to my list of things to do, in addition to learning more than just a handful of knitting stitches/patterns. Baking, I’ve moved on from cakes to the “Art of Tarts” which is actually the name of one of the books I’ve been referencing for tart ideas.
Lastly, the branch of creative writing. I’ve been thinking about research and triggers. Triggers get me churning out the word machine, but then research gums up the works sometimes. It’s so easy to get stuck in a pattern of clicking the next link, and then the next, and so on, letting time slip away. So I’ve been watching math/science videos on a pretty great site, and trying to alternate between reading a work of fiction and then non-fiction. Good readers make for better writers, and honestly, television and the internet have made me a lazy reader.
Triggers are very much experience-based: taking a walk and seeing something that sparks an idea, or working thoughts out while on the walk. Or going out with friends and having ideas sparked by their conversation, or people watching, or an idle comment that floats across the room. Ideas are everywhere, and it’s so easy to miss them when you’re constantly turning your thoughts inwards, documenting instead of living. So living a little more will be interesting, right?