Arts & Culture
Here we cover the latest and most uplifting exhibitions, creative movements, and imaginative design to keep you inspired throughout your day.
Year of the tiger: Bringing in the Lunar New Year
On Tuesday this week, almost two billion people all over the world celebrated the Lunar New Year which is also called the Chinese New Year (or the Spring Festival in China). Traditionally, it’s a time to get together with families to honor ancestors and deities and to enjoy the exciting street Read More...
The psychological reason we're so taken with Wordle
If you use any kind of social media platform, you may notice the sudden appearance of gray, green, and yellow boxes in grids cluttering up your news feeds. This is because of the latest online craze, a game called Wordle. What's Wordle anyway? If you’re unfamiliar with this online game, let us Read More...
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
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Music does something to humans like no other species. 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 sought to uncover exactly what is 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...