Creativity and the arts
Music
idea
I learned to hear the music of Earth’s underwater musicians
If we consider the sounds of whales and other organisms with an open mind, we find a strange beauty – and can even join in
by David Rothenberg
Dance
idea
How dance taught me to embrace my deformity
In the raw style of Tanztheater, I found a way to take my poetry into the physical world and express myself authentically
by Billy Gigurtsis
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
Poetry
film
The unseen lives of others take centre stage in this surreal poetry adaptation
Directed by Michelle Kranot and Uri Kranot
Stories and literature
idea
Fiction has a special power to give us insight into our flaws
Losing yourself in a book, film or show provides a useful mirror for character – one that is hard to access in real life
by Martina Orlandi
Music
idea
Ancient Greek ideas of attunement can breathe new life into music
In Athenian philosophy, attunement is important not only in music, but also for moods, attitudes and states of mind
by John Bagby
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
Pleasures and pastimes
film
A whimsical ode to the reparative power of knitting, rendered in wool
Directed by Samantha Moore
Play
idea
The achievement society is burning us out, we need more play
This is about more than a self-help switch – it will take structural changes to reject capitalism’s productivity obsession
by Alec Stubbs
Transcendent experience
idea
Our days are both rough and slippery. Hope brings traction
I want to defend and buoy hope – it’s a fragile, quirky thing, but it has the power to help us act in the face of finitude
by John Lysaker
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
Artists and art history
film
In a single, unbroken shot, Marina Abramović surveys her artistic evolution
A film by Art21