Poiesis

Creativity in all its manifold expressions, exploring the imaginative, artistic and transcendent facets of life

Creativity and the arts Spirituality and transcendence

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A yellow bird singing on a branch with a soft-focus green background.

Animals

idea

Learn to tune into birdsong – respite and fascination await

Listening deeply to the sounds of birds is a powerful form of meditation and a first step towards a rewarding new hobby

by David M Logue

An ancient Greek clay jug with red stripes and inscriptions against a dark background.

Communication and language

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I am an article about the speaking objects of ancient Greece

Talkative drinking cups and threatening oil flasks tell us how the written word asserted its authority in an oral society

by Teddy Fassberg

Two men smiling in low light, seated at a round table with drinks. One man is wearing a hat.

Stories and literature

guide

How to tell a better story

Personal stories have the power to connect, entertain, persuade. Use a pro storyteller’s tips to pick and prepare a great one

by Micaela Blei

A child in a yellow shirt and red shorts pushing a tire uphill on a steep, gravelly incline against a clear sky backdrop.

Play

film

A cobalt mine becomes an unlikely playground for children in Congo

A film by Francis Alÿs

Illustration of a closed café with a person sitting alone, chairs stacked, abstract art on walls, dimly lit interior.

Emotion regulation

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Solitude can be profoundly restorative. Here’s how to savour it

Time alone offers unique psychological benefits, once you learn to embrace these quiet moments rather than escape them

by Thuy-vy Nguyen

Photo of a derelict brick building with colourful graffiti on the wall broken windows and overgrown vegetation at dusk.

Painting and sculpture

idea

Works of urban graffiti are not vandalism, but public monuments

They might appear to have little in common with statues or obelisks, but graffiti images serve a vital public function

by Rafael Schacter

Photo of a person singing dramatically in colourful patterned attire and an orange headwrap on a dark stage.

Music

guide

How to get hooked on opera

Aspects of opera can seem strange. But give it a try and you’ll soon find yourself absorbed in a truly magical experience

by Alexandra Wilson

Abstract blue and white line drawing of multiple nude female figures, seen from various angles, arranged in a pattern.

Artists and art history

film

A minotaur shifts shapes and sexes in this ferociously original animation

A film by Chaerin Im

People sitting and walking through a city square on a sunny day, with a red brick building and large advertising posters covering other buildings.

Stories and literature

idea

Your life is not a story: why narrative thinking holds you back

Our stories help us make sense of a chaotic world, but they can be harmful and restrictive. There’s a liberating alternative

by Karen Simecek

Black and white drawing of swirling smoke and flames rising from the ground, bordered by a rough square outline.

The self

idea

Why bad doodles can reveal more about you than good drawings

For Marion Milner, ‘not being able’ is a valuable state – one that allows for new and unexpected forms of learning

by David Russell

Black-and-white photograph of a person in a jacket standing outdoors in a foggy environment, looking up with eyes closed.

Spirituality and religion

guide

How to find new spiritual practices

Even if religion isn’t for you, there’s a world of rituals and tools to lift yourself up and connect to something greater

by Morgan Shipley

A photo of an artist in a cap and paint-splattered trousers sitting next to a large painting of a man holding his face in his hands.

Painting and sculpture

film

A rural Namibian artist reflects on authenticity in work and in life

Directed by Niklas von Klitzing and Leo Stolz