Transcend

All Notes to Self
A mountain peak with a walking path and hikers, under a clear blue sky with scattered clouds.
WONDER AND THE SUBLIME

The benefits of thinking about deep time

On a walk through the Welsh countryside, I travelled through 4.6 billion years of Earth history – and you can too

by Richard Fisher

Pencil sketches of six faces and profiles on paper including bearded men and a woman with hair tied back.
MEANING AND THE GOOD LIFE

As if

Why we should embrace beliefs or stories that may not be, strictly speaking, true but are to some extent useful or good

by Sam Dresser

People dancing at an outdoor festival, colourful tents in background, clear blue sky overhead.
MUSIC

The beats that make us want to move

Some musical rhythms are built to get us bobbing, foot-tapping or dancing. Researchers show how rhythmic complexity matters

by Matt Huston

Painting of a crucifixion scene with a large crowd, a detailed medieval cityscape with mountains and a lake in the background.
ARTISTS AND ART HISTORY

A lesson from the Son of Man’s manhood

Renaissance artists paid uncommon attention to Jesus’ nether regions. What does this breach in modesty reveal about art?

by Sam Dresser

Unfinished painting of a man with white hair in a dark coat against a brown background on a textured canvas.
PAINTING AND SCULPTURE

A painting that captures perfectionism

When you need to complete a complex task, imagine daubing paint on a canvas rather than perfecting intricate brushwork

by Richard Fisher

Portrait painting of a man in a thoughtful pose with hand on head wearing a dark coat and white cravat against a dark background.
POETRY

Existential crisis? Try reading Wordsworth

For many generations of readers, the poetry of William Wordsworth has been an irreplaceable balm for the soul

by Sam Dresser

Photo of a flounder underwater, lying on a sandy seafloor with seaweed, showing its eyes pointing upward.
NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Snorkelling taught me stillness

Snorkelling at an unassuming beach sharpened my attention to detail, revealing the tiny spectacles unfolding beneath me

by Natalie Bühler