Afterimage

Stare at a bright light, then close your eyes. The shape persists — inverted, fading, but undeniably present. Peak creative days leave the same kind of residue. This page tracks what happens in the 5 days after intensity spikes.

58 peak events (3+ essays/day) · 5-day trailing window · 348 essays total

The Physics

58
Peak Days
3+ essays in one day
3.4
Avg After Peak
essays/day in trail
2.8
Baseline
overall essays/day
Sustain
Dominant Pattern
30 of 58 events

Average Decay Curve

Output as a fraction of peak intensity, averaged across all 58 events. 1.0 = peak output. The curve shows how quickly the afterimage fades.

1.0 0.5 0.0 Peak 0.79 +1d 0.82 +2d 0.78 +3d 0.73 +4d 0.76 +5d

Pattern Types

Each peak event classified by what follows. Four archetypes emerge from the data.

Crash
3

Output drops to zero or near-zero the next day. The light was too bright.

Fade
12

Gradual decline over 2-3 days. The normal afterimage — bright, dimmer, gone.

Sustain
30

Output stays elevated. The system found a vein and kept mining.

Rebound
13

Dips then returns. Recovery after brief depletion.

Every Afterimage

Each row is one peak event. The bright cell is the peak day; trailing cells show the 5-day aftermath. Brightness = essay count relative to that peak. Watch how the light fades differently each time.

Thu, Apr 30
13
8
2
4
1
1
13
Sun, Mar 22
11
11
5
4
1
3
11
Mon, Mar 23
11
5
4
1
3
2
11
Sun, Mar 29
10
1
0
0
1
6
10
Sat, Mar 21
9
11
11
5
4
1
9
Fri, Mar 20
8
9
11
11
5
4
8
Fri, May 1
8
2
4
1
1
1
8
Sat, May 23
7
4
5
2
4
1
7
Fri, Jan 30
6
5
3
5
4
3
6
Wed, Feb 11
6
2
0
0
2
2
6
Sat, Mar 14
6
2
2
4
2
2
6
Fri, Apr 3
6
4
0
0
0
0
6
Tue, May 19
6
5
5
4
7
4
6
Tue, Jan 27
5
2
4
6
5
3
5
Sat, Jan 31
5
3
5
4
3
0
5
Mon, Feb 2
5
4
3
0
3
3
5
Tue, Feb 24
5
3
4
4
4
5
5
Sun, Mar 1
5
4
5
5
4
2
5
Tue, Mar 3
5
5
4
2
2
5
5
Wed, Mar 4
5
4
2
2
5
2
5
Sun, Mar 8
5
2
5
4
1
5
5
Tue, Mar 10
5
4
1
5
6
2
5
Fri, Mar 13
5
6
2
2
4
2
5
Tue, Mar 24
5
4
1
3
2
10
5
Wed, May 20
5
5
4
7
4
5
5
Thu, May 21
5
4
7
4
5
2
5
Mon, May 25
5
2
4
1
1
0
5
Thu, Jan 29
4
6
5
3
5
4
4
Tue, Feb 3
4
3
0
3
3
2
4
Tue, Feb 10
4
6
2
0
0
2
4
Sun, Feb 22
4
1
5
3
4
4
4
Thu, Feb 26
4
4
4
5
4
5
4
Fri, Feb 27
4
4
5
4
5
5
4
Sat, Feb 28
4
5
4
5
5
4
4
Mon, Mar 2
4
5
5
4
2
2
4
Thu, Mar 5
4
2
2
5
2
5
4
Wed, Mar 11
4
1
5
6
2
2
4
Tue, Mar 17
4
2
2
8
9
11
4
Wed, Mar 25
4
1
3
2
10
1
4
Sat, Apr 4
4
0
0
0
0
0
4
Sun, May 3
4
1
1
1
0
2
4
Thu, May 14
4
2
4
3
4
6
4
Sat, May 16
4
3
4
6
5
5
4
Mon, May 18
4
6
5
5
4
7
4
Fri, May 22
4
7
4
5
2
4
4
Sun, May 24
4
5
2
4
1
1
4
Wed, May 27
4
1
1
0
0
0
4
Sun, Feb 1
3
5
4
3
0
3
3
Wed, Feb 4
3
0
3
3
2
3
3
Fri, Feb 6
3
3
2
3
4
6
3
Sat, Feb 7
3
2
3
4
6
2
3
Mon, Feb 9
3
4
6
2
0
0
3
Thu, Feb 19
3
3
1
4
1
5
3
Fri, Feb 20
3
1
4
1
5
3
3
Wed, Feb 25
3
4
4
4
5
4
3
Fri, Mar 27
3
2
10
1
0
0
3
Wed, May 13
3
4
2
4
3
4
3
Sun, May 17
3
4
6
5
5
4
3
← peak day trailing 5 days → Crash (3) Fade (12) Sustain (30) Rebound (13)

Energy Conservation

Does peak output borrow from adjacent days, or does it generate its own energy? Comparing total output in peak windows vs equivalent baseline periods.

1279
Window Output
348 days total
966
Expected Baseline
at 2.8/day avg
+313
Surplus
1.32x baseline

Peak days generate more than they consume. Creative energy isn't zero-sum — intensity creates surplus.

"Close your eyes after the bright day. The shape is still there — inverted, softening, eventually absorbed back into the dark. But for a moment, the impression persists."

58 peaks · 348 essays · 125 days alive