Maya Vase
Jumping To Conclusions
Celebrating the fascinating story of the Rubin Vase Optical Illusion and its dive into the idea of the Gestalt Principle.
This piece was created after interacting within various subreddit communities over the past few weeks, which involve some very uplifting, fun, expressive, informative, educational, definitely creative, imaginative, supportive, and unique discussion forums/posts.
After a little bit of time off-line, we have been noticing a trending tendency of how common and very easy it is to over-look and misunderstand critical details that can allow for clear, honest, and beneficial interactions. It seems sometimes our prejudgments, assumptions, and presumptions, maybe ignorance, some trolling, or bot talk, impact the flow of wholesome and beneficial information gathering, sharing, and overall socialization.
What if we recognized and accepted our ability to “Jump To Conclusions” as a tool for our survival that requires care?
The fast brain reacts instantly while the slow brain thinks carefully. Our brains use quick and instant choices when danger is perceived, while making more careful and conscious choices when interacting with others and the environment.
While living in the “country” our family learned one of many lessons provided by letting grass get too tall, which grew our conclusion jumping skills exponentially. Lol
We jumped to the conclusion that that hissing we heard, may have been another snake… Therefore avoiding the tall grass longer, or cutting it down.
So, in this scene, jumping to conclusions is appropriate as that fast brain reaction can keep us safe. We might get bitten if the slow brain is in thinking mode.
We agree that there are so many other instances offline and online that require jumping to conclusions, however we should remember that jumping to conclusions is good for safety, but not always for understanding people or situations.
In the moment of writing these words, we advocate for the “slow brain” that allows for us to enjoy each other’s creative expressions both in-person and virtually.
The illustration Maya Vase was created in November 2025. The piece is an optical illusion that can be seen as either a black vase or two white faces in profile, depending on whether you focus on the positive or negative space.
Poem to the Maya Vase:
I am not me and you are not you,
We are one!
Yes, I am you and you are me, and yes I know it’s hard to see.
We create and hold tight to the illusions of this “life” as we believe.
Our minds want the completeness of a fixed and predetermined destiny.
But now I surrender, to all truth within and without me, so that I may be set free to be…me.
What do you see?
The unintentional-intentional eXercise:
Take a few pauses throughout your day or night and give highlighted attention to how your five senses speak to you as the explorer, exploring various people, places, and things.
How do you FEEL?
These pauses allow you to “sense” every experience fully.
The entire story is able to be discovered, and the entire picture can be seen. The same process can be followed when undesirable memories pop into your thoughts and even when you decide to eXplore your own beliefs.
Sketch your own with instructions or subscribe to our digital downloads tier on Patreon to print out and experiment with these sketches yourself!
