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Creativity

A traditional Chinese painting of a seated woman under a canopy, resting her arm on a chair near a table with a blue bowl.

Creativity

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To be creative, Chinese philosophy teaches us to abandon ‘originality’

Whether grieving a death or connecting to colleagues, creativity enables an artful life, according to Chinese philosophy

by Julianne Chung

Black-and-white photo of three men smiling and holding a large inflatable globe in a small room with shelves.

Creativity

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A life of splendid uselessness is a life well lived

Like the fertile soil of a well-kept garden, a life of splendid, utter uselessness yields abundance beyond our immediate aims

by Joseph M Keegin

Woman with long dark hair sitting at a desk, using a typewriter. Art of a smiling face in the background.

Memoir

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Learn the art of journaling and archive your life

Journaling is an art and a daily practice that allows you to write your life and find your way, one sentence at a time

by Sarah Boon

Photo of a blue sky with scattered white clouds and larger clouds forming on one side.

Imagination

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See faces in the clouds? It might be a sign of your creativity

Long considered a sign of mental illness, ‘pareidolia’ or seeing patterns in randomness might be a useful measure of creativity

by René Müri & Nicole Göbel

Ivory sculpture of a lion-human figure shown from three angles on a black background.

Creativity

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Our greatest invention was the invention of invention itself

Hypothetical thinking is the key to sustained innovation and creativity: invention drove the evolution of the human mind

by Keith Frankish

Black-and-white photo of a person sleeping against a window on a train, head resting on a pillow, outside view blurred.

Sleep and dreams

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The brain’s twilight zone: when you’re neither awake nor asleep

Neuroscientists are demystifying this in-between state, uncovering its role in memory processing and its creative potential

by Célia Lacaux

Pastel drawing of a man with a moustache, surrounded by yellow background, holding a sleeping cat on his shoulder.

Neurodiversity

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When the mind is dark, making art is a thrilling way to see

For aphantasic artists with no mind’s eye, creating paintings is a way to experience the mental pictures they can’t see

by Adam Zeman

Wide, empty urban road flanked by modern apartment buildings under a partly cloudy sky.

Creativity

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Your 10-step plan for achieving a creative breakthrough

We often think of Aha! moments occurring by fluke, but there are evidence-based ways to make it more likely they will occur

by Nick Kabrél

Poetry

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Emily Dickinson and the creative ‘solitude of space’

For the poet Emily Dickinson, sequester was a feminist act of independence: it gave her mental and literal space to write

by Magdalena Ostas

An elderly man admires a vibrant blue stained glass artwork depicting abstract figures, animals, and scenes.

Beauty and aesthetics

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Beauty is not an ornament to the good life, it is at its heart

Why does the hand want to draw what the eye sees as beautiful? Why do we respond to beauty by creating the beautiful?

by Nick Riggle

Abstract painting of a river with geometric, brightly coloured buildings and trees on the riverbank and a bridge in the background

Creativity

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A key part of creativity is picking up on what others overlook

We all constantly filter a flood of details coming in. This process helps explain what gives some brains a creative edge

by Madeleine Gross

A bearded man’s portrait surrounded by scientific instruments, an elephant, a globe, and palm trees on a colourful background.

Stories and literature

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Are successful authors creative geniuses or literary labourers?

Some writers are explorers, like Edgar Allan Poe. Others are exploiters, like Jules Verne. Which type is better off?

by Oleg Sobchuk