Poiesis
Creativity in all its manifold expressions, exploring the imaginative, artistic and transcendent facets of life
![People dining at long tables adorned with blue tablecloths in a narrow, lantern-lit street lined with old buildings and blue-and-white flags.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/c66d7bed-5e64-4603-b4ce-93c9e6f7c193/rt-rtx119pd.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Community
idea
Take a seat: the long table is an antidote to loneliness
While some consider the long, shared dining table outdated or inconvenient, it is actually a powerful social tool
by Antone Martinho-Truswell
![Black-and-white photo of a child standing in front of a large aquarium, watching big fish swim by.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/cf6bc6b8-ff4d-432b-9493-6129f0f62116/rt-final-par377966.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Transcendent experience
idea
To thrive, children need to experience awe – and you can help
Alongside love, sleep and play, awe is precious for children. There are small, everyday ways to make it a part of their lives
by Artemisia O’bi & Fan Yang
![A close-up of a paint swatch booklet with colour samples including blue, yellow and beige. They have labels such as Polka Dot, Vanilla and Daisy Chain.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/ec5740e9-dbcc-4094-91a3-aaa73d07c477/possible-colours_0185.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Creativity
guide
How to use ‘possibility thinking’
Have you hit an impasse in your personal or professional life? Answer these questions to open your mind to what’s possible
by Constance de Saint Laurent & Vlad Glăveanu
![Silhouette of person standing before an orange light, creating a glowing halo effect on a neutral background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/150a926d-125c-43a5-8973-9a3956573d4d/helen-pashgian-visible-invisible-landscape-1.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Painting and sculpture
film
Toxic materials become sculptures of light and air in this artist’s hands
Directed by Anika Kan Grevstad
![Impressionist painting of a family in a garden, with a child learning to walk, assisted by an adult, as another adult crouches down with outstretched arms.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/60d287d7-081f-43bd-8466-bcdefc98fc1f/rt-vincent_van_gogh_-_first_steps_after_millet.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Values and beliefs
idea
A philosophical approach can help you identify what truly matters
We’re often taught to live according to our values, but this is easier said than done without pausing to reflect deeply
by Valerie Tiberius
![Medieval illustration of three musicians: one with a violin, another in a blue robe, and the last with a flute, framed by colourful borders.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/511f082f-8f1c-4d63-9af2-c050444fed10/rt-cpg848842.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Music
idea
Courtly love songs are a window into medieval sex lives
Song lyrics acted as a sexual script for aristocrats, revealing some edgy practices that ignited their imaginations
by Elizabeth Eva Leach
![Black-and-white photo of two people in a small rowboat on a calm, open water body under a cloudy sky. The boat and its occupants are reflected clearly in the still water.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/cd3e58b1-bdde-486e-b9c4-7331d9d1c486/par320074.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
The nature of reality
guide
How to think about time
This philosopher’s introduction to the nature of time could radically alter how you see your past and imagine your future
by Graeme A Forbes
![A still from the film Miss Congeniality showing the actress Sandra Bullock in a tight-fitting lilac dress walking towards the camera, surrounded by people in pink uniforms.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/91a29dae-09cd-466e-a2f1-4ad67e65860d/makeover-movie-landscape-1.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Film
film
From drab to fab – a playful dissection of the Hollywood makeover
Directed by Sue Ding
![A person walking on a fallen tree trunk in a dense, lush forest with tall trees and abundant greenery.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/66073bad-b4d6-485b-a9f3-25c89662b0e6/rt-this-gettyimages-960978428.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Transcendent experience
idea
Do you find the 21st century overstimulating? Try ‘longstorming’
As the treadmill of life speeds up, sublime outdoor spaces help us tap into timescales that are longer, slower, planetary
by Vincent Ialenti
![Marble statue of Hermaphroditus, depicting a naked human figure with male and female features, leaning forward slightly and holding a draped cloth in one hand, set against a plain background. The statue lacks a head.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/6dc2ee21-97f6-49aa-8eaf-26382006ee50/rt-walters-ps1_23_167_fnt_dd_t14.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Gender
idea
There is nothing new about gender fluidity and nonconformity
From Mesopotamia and ancient Greece to precolonial India and medieval London, gender has always been more than a binary
by Chris Wheatley
![A close-up of a man using an online betting platform on his smartphone. The phone screen lights up a darkened room](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/27e856e9-4813-47ea-834d-0facf638a9da/sq-final-gettyimages-1209687825.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Addiction
guide
How to control your gambling
What’s fun at first can all too easily get out of hand. Learn the warning signs and use these tips to rein things in
by Luke Clark
![Illustration of a blue-colored woman balancing on one leg surrounded by plants, flowers, a crab, berries, mushrooms, and a turtle.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/1e5970ce-3280-417e-a49a-25304e3442a9/dance-dance-evolution-psyche-landscape-1.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Dance
film
Every culture dances. So why did humans evolve to get down?
Directed by Rosanna Wan and Andrew Khosravani