Default Daydream, Graphite and Acrylic Paint on Paper
When our brains aren't actively occupied, a neural network called the Default Mode Network activates. The DMN turns our attention inwards and to hypothetical or imaginary situations. This neural network is responsible for:
rumination
day dreaming
imagining other's state of mind
future projections
wandering thoughts
Our DMN is active way more than we'd expect... it takes over when we're in "autopilot", or when our mind wanders from the task at hand. It is responsible for both pleasant and unpleasant experiences we may have like a fantastic daydream, genius shower thoughts, or repetitive worrisome thoughts on a walk home. The DMN is being studied in labs that are looking into the positive effects of psychedelics - it seems to be the neural network that takes over and processes information (with a good dose of imagination).

Daydream Halfway II, Graphite and Acrylic Paint on Paper
I portrayed the DMN as a "veil of neurons" that is engulfing the subject. In these three portraits I tried to show people in different mental spaces, all of them with their DMN active. The first images on this page are of a woman with wide eyes, perhaps caught off guard during a distracting daydream. The second piece, right above, has a hint of worry, or maybe its longing. And the third piece, below, is a portrayal of self reflection. At the risk of being too literal, I've drawn the same person twice, but the upside-down portrait is engulfed by the neuron veil, placing him inside the other's reflective thoughts.

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