When we’re afraid, we often feel stuck, overwhelmed, or paralyzed. Courage, while powerful, can feel like an enormous leap we’re not ready to take. But curiosity? Curiosity is gentler. It invites us to lean in, to explore, and to ask questions. It shifts our focus from what we’re afraid of to what might be possible….
The physicist Arthur Zajonc once said that our culture needs the artist’s cognitive capacities. But what is it that poets and artists do that takes them beyond ordinary ways of knowing? What makes their thinking so essential, especially in a world that often prioritizes logic and efficiency over creativity? Perhaps it’s the artist’s willingness to…
When I was in school, I loved the precision and structure of it all—each class its own container, complete with a tidy list of weekly assignments. Every subject felt like a chest of jewels, waiting to be uncovered if we just signed up, listened, and worked hard. The start of each semester was exhilarating—new syllabi,…
When I reflect on my time in academia, I realize I was drawn to the sense of order it promised—the structure of syllabi, assignments lined up week by week, and the anticipation of uncovering new insights. It was like opening a chest full of jewels, each course a treasure map. I loved the ritual of…
Physicist Arthur Zajonc once wrote, “Artists are the harbingers of the future mentality required both by science and by the imperatives of living in our precarious times… We now truly stand in need, not only as scientists but as a civilization, of the artists’ cognitive capacities.” From my 20 years of teaching creative process courses,…
End of content
End of content