Imagination
![Blurry photo of a seascape with a cloudy sky, calm water, and a sandy shore with rocks and patches of green algae.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/b82bf473-a5e8-4306-901d-07d14a129866/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Neurodiversity
idea
I have no mind’s eye: let me try to describe it for you
With aphantasia, my mind’s eye sees only darkness, not images. It’s like missing a sense, and only imagination can compensate
by Neesa Sunar
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/960bc4a0-320a-4d27-bc96-106961419452/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Imagination
idea
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
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/a009f20d-d90b-4d3b-847c-8450dab082fb/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
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
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/768f3283-cf3a-4006-98c2-6afef25d39ac/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Love
film
Making love strange to imagine it anew – a startling, award-winning animation
Directed by Anushka Naanayakkara
![Painting of large trees with exposed roots in a verdant forest, a wooden fence and a distant cabin partially obscured by foliage in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/a3e9458e-5c9d-4abd-b68f-ec7085bba8df/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Imagination
idea
Aphantasia can be a gift to philosophers and critics like me
Aphantasia veils the past and the future from the mind’s eye. That can be a gift to philosophers like Derek Parfit and me
by Mette Leonard Høeg
![](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/da0447cc-d25f-449a-82d0-aa96370ea30d/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Music
idea
Music is a philosophy, rich in ideas that language cannot say
Musical thinking offers a means for composing our lives and a philosophical foundation that embraces both sound and silence
by Xenia Hanusiak
![Abstract figure with tree-like head, green patterned torso and outlined suit, against a black background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/7e50343f-c0a7-4d5e-a537-b96fea5506e2/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Creativity
film
An improvised animation doubles as an absurdly fun lesson in creativity
Directed by Sasha Svirsky
![Medieval illuminated manuscript painting of a monk embracing a woman near an outhouse and a tree, with decorative text above.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/e8fdeab8-5c0e-4067-ae79-8ef7febb0a50/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Stories and literature
idea
Get medieval on your haters: lessons from Beowulf and Chaucer
When your reputation is at stake, get medieval on your haters: lessons from Beowulf, Margery Kempe and Geoffrey Chaucer
by Irina Dumitrescu
![A person standing and looking at a large, detailed projection of the cracked surface of the Mona Lisa’s face.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/5e695fa5-6ed4-4955-8df9-87de199efa08/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Philosophy of art
idea
Engaging with an artwork leaves you and the art transformed
When you engage with an artwork, a form of cognitive coupling takes place in which your mind and the art are transformed
by Miranda Anderson
![Painting of a radiant mandala-like design with a central circular scene depicting a tropical landscape framed by vibrant red, pink and blue hues.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/e64fd63a-8871-4adc-b015-a880047936fe/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Imagination
film
The street music of Montreal inspires an animator’s psychedelic joyride
A film by Ryan Larkin