Arts & Culture
Here we cover the latest and most uplifting exhibitions, creative movements, and imaginative design to keep you inspired throughout your day.
Using berries and pears to create the world’s first ‘vegan violin’
An Irish master violin luthier has unveiled a set of violins that are made from 100 percent plant-based products. The animal-free violins are the first in the world to be registered with The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark. What makes traditional violins non-vegan? Currently, most violins Read More...
5 benefits of knitting and crocheting—Stitch your stress away
At The Optimist Daily, we’ve written about the benefits of various indoor hobbies like tackling a jigsaw puzzle or getting crafty with painting. However, if puzzles confound you and painting doesn’t call to you, then perhaps you can stitch your stress away instead by trying out knitting and Read More...
10 Reasons to pick up a paintbrush: Good for your heart and soul
The cold winter weather combined with continuing concern for our health and safety during the pandemic may mean that many of us are opting to spend more time indoors these days. To keep boredom from taking hold, try to see this as an opportunity to delve into some fun hobbies that are not only Read More...
Empowered activism is cultivating a marketable skill - A dispatch from Colombia
“Part of doing something is listening. We are listening. To the sun. To the stars. To the wind.” – Madeleine L’Engle By Jackie Gilbert We all catch ourselves making remarks like “I’m starving” or “we’re dying of hunger”, but fortunately for most of us in my middle-class Read More...
This is your brain on music
Music does something to humans like no other animal. The rhythm gets inside our bodies and we can’t help but move along with the bass, or sing our heart out to that catchy chorus. Scientists from the University of Tokyo wanted to uncover exactly what is going on in our brain to cause this Read More...
Is journaling not your thing? Here are 3 alternatives
Cultivating a journaling habit has been proven to help deal with stressful times, boost creativity, and improve mental health in general. That said, some people just aren’t a fan of journaling—or, an individual’s appetite for journaling may change throughout their lives; perhaps as a child Read More...
Turning waste into musical instruments for disadvantaged youths
In Spain, a creative social project aims to improve the lives of children from disadvantaged backgrounds through music, education, and recycling. The initiative, called Music for Recycling, involves an inventive orchestra that brings together youths from deprived homes, who play with instruments Read More...
Logic song linked to increased calls to National Suicide Prevention Hotline
The rapper Logic made headlines back in 2017 when he released a song named after the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number. The song, dubbed "1-800-273-8255” details a conversation between a caller and an operator and went on to reach the Top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100. Now, five years Read More...
The human library lets people break down prejudice through conversation
Libraries are great resources for learning and these days when you visit a library, your options aren’t limited to printed text — you can borrow movies, audiobooks… and even humans. That’s right, the concept of borrowing an actual human being to talk to about a plethora of topics is on Read More...
ENLACE uses telenovelas to amplify the voices of queer Latinx youth
Navigating adolescence in itself is a gargantuan hurdle that takes a physical, mental, and emotional toll on budding adults. During this time, queer Latinx youth may find themselves at particularly trying crossroads of isolation and discrimination. According to a 2019 focus group conducted by Read More...