How to be lucky
Most of us think that luck just happens (or doesn’t) but everyone can learn to look for the unexpected and find serendipity
by Christian Busch
Creativity
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
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
How to plan your novel
Inspiration rarely comes as a mysterious visitation from the muse. Far better to learn the techniques and habits of the craft
by Jason Whittaker
How to create compelling characters
It’s not only writer’s intuition. Use personality psychology to create just the right blend of surprise and believability
by Kira-Anne Pelican
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
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
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
How to take better photos
Anyone can learn the principles that are essential to capturing quality images. Follow these tips and see the difference
by Paul Pope
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
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
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
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
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
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