Let's just take a moment to talk about hyperconsciousness, the most wonderful state of being on the planet. Except maybe orgasm, but hyperconsciousness lasts longer and leaves behind more evidence than a wet spot on the bed. Er. I digress.
See, it's like this. The way I've always envisioned it, your conscious mind is like a wire that stretches from the front of your brain to the back, and somewhere in the middle it punches through a soft red rubber sheet. Bear with me, I'm going to get metaphorical again, even though that was a simile.
Most of the time, the wire hangs pretty much straight. But if you're tired, or you have a cold, or you're just not thinking straight, the wire sort of droops and goes slack.
Hyperconsciousness is the opposite. Sometimes you become hyperconscious because you're having a fun and stimulating conversation; sometimes it's because you just read or saw or listened to something really really mindblowing; often you become hyperconscious from a strange yet perfect state of exhaustion mixed with too much caffeine.
It's not just that you're wired. It's that every single neuron in your brain is zinging along in perfect four-part harmony. Everything WORKS, and that wire is tight and zinging in the wind. Somehow, in some way, you've punched through that red rubber sheet into the uberconsciousness of your forebrain. Your mind is running a hundred miles an hour, words tumble out of your mouth or out of your fingers almost that fast, you make lightning-fast connections between things you've never dared to think about in the same minute before. You find the strangest shit funny, and convince other people to find it funny as well.
You're a bright-eyed, perky, vicious, funny grinning lunatic, and you've just got to hang on by the tips of your fingers and hope that you've got the kind of friends who can appreciate that state of being.
And when it goes away, you generally have something ridiculously and overly creative sitting around: an essay, a fanfic, a picture. A blog entry.
Hyperconsciousness generally lasts for about an hour or two, except in exceptional situations. Last week, thanks to a strange and irreproducible combination of manic inspiration, high-caffeine energy drinks, and really really edgy prose by a woman named Cintra Wilson, I was able to maintain hyperconsciousness, off and on, for FORTY-EIGHT HOURS. I barely slept (and had horrible stomachaches while I tried), but every single moment that I sat in front of my computer my fingers were flying. I produced something like fifty pages of prose, including the previous blog entry, grinning like a madwoman and laughing for no reason. And then I crashed and died.
That is, by the way, as much of an apology for the Dead Skunk Metaphor as you're likely to get.
Do go see if you can find a copy of a book called 'A Massive Swelling: Celebrity Re-Examined As A Grotesque Crippling Disease', by Cintra Wilson. I think you'll be able to see at least one of my sources of inspiration, and be introduced to the woman I want to be when I grow up.
Replies: add your comment: currently 5 comments
Once again you provide a very amusing look at a part of life, Moon! A very good metaphor as well, and very interesting and insiteful. That is a good way of putting it. And I believe I now know what you mean by the term "hyperconscious". I don't believe I've held this state of mind as long as you did; not hardly by a long shot. However, I have...known people who seem to have this state of mind more or less ALL THE TIME!! They never quit! Yes, they were pretty much branded as "losers", and well...truthfully, I think they were. Heh. But they just were like that pretty much ALL the time, and frankly it did gte to be annoying.
However, some friends and I manage at some points to also maintain this state of mind, and it pretty much lasts as long as we are together, which is usually not more than several hours; not whole days. And even then, we do not always keep this state the entire time. But I think I know what you meand and sure, it's good to have this state sometimes. ^_'
Posted by Wolf @ 08/28/2001 07:54 PM EST
Nezumi loves the idea, and he's been there himself from time to time. He's never had a name for it before, though.
One question, though. If you had an orgasm while hyperconscious, would your brain explode?
Posted by Nezumi @ 08/29/2001 01:46 PM EST
I'd guess probably not, Nezumi; you'd probably just....laugh about it or something. *sweat drop*
Posted by Wolf @ 08/30/2001 11:58 AM EST
This brought to mind... what's your (singular or plural) stance on substances? Many people claim they're more brilliant / creative on drugs or alcohol - do you think this is the same thing, or is it different?
Just reminded me.... ^_^;
Posted by StB @ 08/30/2001 01:32 PM EST
Nope. Drugs can tighten your wire just fine, but they can't punch you through the rubber sheet. Hyperconsciousness requires TIMING and LUCK, not crystal meth.
Personally, though, I've always seen people who constantly use drugs to create better as being like people who copy/trace official art to make 'fanart' -- it ain't you. It's something artificial.
Yeah, that makes me the world's biggest hypocrite, because I love the hyperconscious state and it's definitely artificial. But it's my blog, and I can be a hypocrite if I want.
Posted by Mooncalf @ 08/30/2001 04:37 PM EST
