Used to think that too, lesson learned!

What finally clicked for me was just closing the program completely. I'd go do a chore like the dishes, something totally mindless, and the answer would just pop into my head while my hands were wet. Forcing it at the screen never works.

Totally get that. Makes me wonder if the blurry, messy photos work better because they're more like our actual memories, you know? Like my brain doesn't store a perfect 4K video of my grandma's kitchen, it holds the fuzzy feeling of the linoleum and the smell of toast. Do you ever try to take those "imperfect" pictures on purpose now, or does it only work when they happen by accident?

That's a good point from lily_craig about yeast just slowing down. It's like the difference between a walk and a sprint, but the dough is still moving forward. Finding that warmer spot just shifts it back into a gear you can see.

Is the warping actually causing the failures, or is it just something you saw happen?