Creativity and the arts
Architecture
guide
How to appreciate buildings
It’s easy to become blasé about the built world. Tune in more deeply and architectural adventures await around each corner
by Colin Ellard
Film
guide
How to find great films to watch
Bored with Hollywood and Netflix? Becoming an adventurous and informed explorer of the cinema world is in everyone’s grasp
by Geoff Andrew
Stories and literature
guide
How to nurture a personal library
An escape, a sanctuary, a place of pleasure, a memoir. Take these steps to ensure your library is just what you want it to be
by Freya Howarth
Music
guide
How to start making music
It’s never too late to play an instrument or learn to sing. Take the leap from listener to maker in the way that suits you
by Gayla M Mills
Beauty and aesthetics
guide
How to curate (just about) anything
Sure, tidying up is a start. But it won’t get you to the kind of lived-in, personalised space that defines an ideal of home
by Glenn Adamson
Stories and literature
guide
How to gain more from your reading
There’s more to words than meets the eye. Deepen your appreciation of literature through the art of slow, attentive reading
by Robert DiYanni
Thinkers and theories
guide
How to deconstruct the world
Don’t believe everything you hear, read and watch. To puncture received ideas about culture, start thinking like Jacques Derrida
by Peter Salmon
Laughter and comedy
guide
How to laugh more
You don’t have to wait to be amused, there are ways to train yourself to enjoy the ‘cheap medicine’ of laughter every day
by Freda Gonot-Schoupinsky
Stories and literature
guide
How to create compelling characters
It’s not only writer’s intuition. Use personality psychology to create just the right blend of surprise and believability
by Kira-Anne Pelican
Creativity
guide
How to be lucky
Most of us think that luck just happens (or doesn’t) but everyone can learn to look for the unexpected and find serendipity
by Christian Busch
Memoir
guide
How to heal through life writing
Learning to write about trauma helps you to process the painful experience, and gives you the life skills to overcome it
by Uddipana Goswami
Focus and attention
guide
How to wait well
Instead of fuming in subjugated irritation, turn wait times into chances to connect, muse and think big about the future
by Jason Farman