The Illusion of Scale
Personas tempt us with cheap power because credibility requires substance.
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Snow Days
Magic happens when the weather beckons our communities back into the real.
The Blossoming of Public Goods
Public assets often begin with the hidden creative spark of artists and craftspeople.
Keep Sleep Weird
Sleep reminds us that the ability to command every moment isn't in our best interest.
Creativity, Risk, and the Limits of Perceived Usefulness
How our bias toward usefulness undermines our confidence in taking risks where it matters most.
Good Ugly
What connects us reminds us of our responsibility to look after each other.
Open Windows and How Things Work
Letting people see behind the scenes doesn't only expose problems; it also builds trust, boosts knowledge, and enhances enjoyment.
Lasting Happiness and the Hedonic Treadmill
Change, contentment, and finding joy in the everyday.
Emotional Finitude
Last year I ran out of words. It's not that I had nothing to say, exactly. It's just that I couldn't put thoughts together in a way that made sense to me anymore. Writer's block? Procrastination? The lingering effects of COVID? Whatever
A Thousand Sunsets
Beginning college felt like a big restart for me. I was a newly minted nineteen-year-old, and I was in a new city and institution. I'd never done college before. I'd never done Iowa before. Adulthood was set out before me like a buffet, and the drumbeat
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Some Enchanted Evenings
How do artists overcome the temptation to give up? The work of Max Beckmann offers a compelling story of moving forward amid turmoil.
Fortune Telling
How can humility and patience reshape our work, relationships, and rest? Unwrap a future of unhurried love.