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Thomas Aquinas — The world is divine!

Thomas Aquinas — The world is divine!

A large part of our civilisation rests on the shoulders of one medieval monk: Thomas Aquinas.

Xunzi vs. Mengzi – Are People (No) Good?

Xunzi vs. Mengzi – Are People (No) Good?

About 2300 years ago, the great Chinese thinker Xunzi 荀⼦ wrote: “Human nature is bad“.

Henri Bergson — Why we live in the past

Henri Bergson — Why we live in the past

Should we just live in the moment? In “Matter and Memory” the French philosopher Henri Bergson claims that this is...

A quick beginner’s guide to animation

A quick beginner’s guide to animation

To “animate” means to breathe life into things. In these 5 exercises we make stones come alive.

Edmund Husserl — Consciousness

Edmund Husserl — Consciousness

You are awake. You think and you feel. But what is it that is doing all this thinking and feeling?

How infographics work

How infographics work

Why do we like images?

Aristotle — How to live a good life

Aristotle — How to live a good life

2400 years ago Aristotle found out how to be happy. His Nicomachean Ethics is an operating manual for a good...

Immanuel Kant — What is Beauty?

Immanuel Kant — What is Beauty?

Why is beauty so important? It leads us to truth and goodness, says Immanuel Kant. How?

The Creative Playground

The Creative Playground

How do I even begin my drawing? The secret to jumpstart our creativity is fun. But how does that work?

Immanuel Kant — What can we know?

Immanuel Kant — What can we know?

If you are interested in truth, be it in the form of scientific knowledge or artistic beauty, there is no...

How to see beauty

How to see beauty

Last summer, I found myself at a farmers market of a small town in Southern France. The air was alive...

The perfect drawing tool

The perfect drawing tool

The emotional rollercoaster I experience in art supply stores can be summarised in one word: greed. 

David Hume — Why we change our mind

David Hume — Why we change our mind

How do we know which food is best for us? We might start a low-carb diet. Then we switch to...

How to draw ideas

How to draw ideas

Great ideas are hard to find. Drawing makes it a lot easier. And fun. How?

The Creative Switch

The Creative Switch

This secret to creativity will help you come up with many ideas.

J.J. Gibson—The meaning of the world

J.J. Gibson—The meaning of the world

A quick introduction for beginners to J.J. Gibson's ecological approach to visual perception. Gibson was an American pragmatist and psychologist.

What is a picture?

What is a picture?

This article gives a phenomenological definition of what a picture is.

So… this is a job?

So… this is a job?

What is Design? Designers share a problem with politicians and business consultants: nobody knows what they are actually doing. I...

Why study Philosophy?

Why study Philosophy?

Why you should study philosophy. 5 reasons why philosophy is useful.

René Descartes – How to be certain

René Descartes – How to be certain

This is a quick introduction for beginners to the philosophy of Rene Descartes.

Confucius – Why we need rituals

Confucius – Why we need rituals

This is a quick introduction to the virtue philosophy of Confucius.

The Book of Change

The Book of Change

Introduction to the Yijing or "book of change", China's oldest philosophical book.

Ludwig Wittgenstein – How we speak

Ludwig Wittgenstein – How we speak

This is a quick introduction to the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein.

A lightbulb is not an idea!

A lightbulb is not an idea!

This article is about creative ideas and illustrations.

Life-friendly design!

Life-friendly design!

This is about sustainable design.

5 more drawing exercises

5 more drawing exercises

on the difference between seeing and knowing The following exercises are a bit more advanced than the ones in the...

Seeing vs. reading

Seeing vs. reading

An ancient feud rages at the very core of your creative endeavour: The rational logical you and its fuzzy intuitive...

Make me think!

Make me think!

Until recently everyday objects were shaped by their technology. The design of a telephone was basically a hull around a...

A quick beginner’s guide to drawing

A quick beginner’s guide to drawing

6 drawing exercises to get you started right now! The basic craft of drawing is about two things: you learn...

Stop taking pictures and start drawing!

Stop taking pictures and start drawing!

Some drawings look fresh and alive while others … don’t. What is their secret? Let’s look at cameras first.

Don’t change the subject

Don’t change the subject

Many creatives know this phenomenon: They start a new project on a promising topic with excitement, but when they can’t...

Why lies thrive in mass media

Why lies thrive in mass media

It is fashionable to be outraged about lies in mass media. News agencies, corporations, and — God forbid! — even...

Is it worth the trouble?

Is it worth the trouble?

In 1942 Albert Camus wrote a book called “The Myth of Sisyphus”. It is about the one truly important philosophical...

But what do you want to say?

But what do you want to say?

There is this forbidden question which many people would love to ask when confronted with a piece of art. And...

Now I get it!

Now I get it!

This article is a quick summary of a basic design course. It addresses a simple question: How do you design...

Interaction Design is dead. What now?

Interaction Design is dead. What now?

The digital revolution was a gold rush for curious minds. Nobody knew what digital media actually was, only that it...

“Is it good enough?” is the wrong question

“Is it good enough?” is the wrong question

Ask: “Does it need to be done?” Almost any creative person I know has to deal with heavy doubts in...

Is Perfection Boring?

Is Perfection Boring?

We are obsessive problem solvers. When we see something imperfect, our perception wants to figure out what is going on...

Don’t think big!

Don’t think big!

Pick a small topic for your creative project! One of the biggest mistakes you can make in your creative project...