Arts & Culture

From artistic collaborations to creative problem solving, the arts have the power to lift us up and transform our future. These stories celebrate art, creativity, and culture in all its forms.

12 min read

Image: Luthiers team having fun while posing in their family business. Looking at camera

The Family Crafting the Soul of the Spanish Guitar Since 1887

At the heart of the music we love is a soul besides that of the musician's. A guitar is more than just a guitar — it's made from generations of love and dedication to a craft. Meet the skilled hands behind some of the world's most beautiful music!

59 min watch

Nat Geo Photographer Captures The Beauty That Transcends Our Differences with Dewitt Jones (Episode #160)

Renowned National Geographic Photographer Dewitt Jones shares with us a life-changing habit, available to us all: celebrate what’s right with the world. The perspectives he shares today can open up a radically improved landscape of possibilities for you and I. As a bonus, today’s video episode contains some of his most inspiring images: stunning views of the night sky, time lapses of water rushing in on the shore beneath a gorgeous sky, beautifully-lit hot air balloons reflecting off the water below, and more. This is an episode you won’t want to miss.

15 min read

How an Engineer Created a Band that Broke the Charts

Is what you're doing in life what you always thought you would be doing? Could you take what you know and create something new that could never have existed without you? Here's the story of an engineer turned rock star, whose story is one we can all relate to!

16 min read

Image: Filipino tattoo artist,106-year-old Apo Whang-Od, tattooing a customer's ankle

106-Year-Old Tattoo Artist in the Philippines Makes Local Artistry a Global Sensation

Apo Whang-Od has gained legendary status over the last few years, at 106 years old, she is one of the last practitioners of the Fillipino mambabatok artistry. Her fame has revived her art, and there's more than a thing or two we could learn from her!

5 min read

Image: Humpback whales waving with their tails at some swimmers.

Whales Have Viral Music, Too!

Did you know humpback whales have viral songs, too? Just like us, humpback whales love a catchy new tune. From Australia all the way to Ecuador, viral whale songs are taking over the ocean. This astonishing discovery is changing how we see whales and ourselves in the natural world.

3 min read

IMAGE: A pile of junk sitting in the outdoors, of which almost anything could be a flute!

Finding Music in the Mundane: Xavier Lozano Turns Everyday Objects into… Flutes?

Could that carrot be a flute? What about the wheel of your chair, or the hairbrush on your dresser? Xavier Lozano has been creating flutes out of everyday objects for close to 30 years, inspiring us all to think a little differently about how things appear at first glance.

5 min read

Image: Abstract Water Color painting of mountain range done by artist and activist Sarah Uhl

How Mountain Biker & Artist Sarah Uhl Finds Inspiration in Motion

Artist, activist and adventurer, Sarah Uhl, aids us in discovering our environments in the name of finding our flow in life!

5 min read

Image: Satellite photo of the Uffington White Horse

The White Horse: An Effort that Links 90 Generations!

This piece of art has been draped across an entire English hilltop for three thousand years. And we have an unbroken thread of ordinary people to thank for it being here today; they showed up unfailingly and sat patiently smashing it with hammers. Take a look!

11 min read

Image: Three Kukeri dancers walking through the streets of Belgium.

Monsters You Must See: The Bulgarian Kukeri Dance Away Evil

Why are people in Bulgaria dressing up in elaborate fur costumes and dancing through the streets at night in the dead of winter? Join us as we explore the wild, strange, and awesome tradition of Kukeri, and learn what it means to gather for the greater good—whether you are superstitious or not!

Image: Painting from Zaria Forman of the Getz Ice Shelf in Antarctica viewed from above

Zaria Forman’s Massive Glacier Portraits Inspire Love for Unseen Landscapes

This isn't a photograph of the Getz Ice Shelf, its a drawing! Zaria Forman creates large-scale depictions of glaciers, and NASA's Operation IceBridge invited her on a trip to get even closer to them. Here's that story and the gorgeous creations that came from it!

60 min listen

Filmmaker Tours 150 Small U.S. Communities: The Surprising, Positive Lessons with Sarah Yourgrau (Episode #142)

The media seems to bombard us with stories of how bad it is “out there” and it would be easy to think that anywhere outside our particular pocket of the country is a bit frightening. But our guest today, Sarah Yourgrau, spent time in 150 small communities across America as a producer on Mike Rowe’s uplifting series: “Returning the Favor.” On this journey, she learned things that blew her away with joy. Here are some surprising stories that build a perspective we can all celebrate!

10 min read

Image: Five Ocean Sole artisans standing with a large rhino, made entirely of recycled flip flops.

Kenyan Nonprofit Turns Flip Flops into Beautiful Works of Art, Cleaning Beaches and Empowering Communities

In sculptures made of flip flops that you have to see to believe featuring turtles, elephants, zebras, life-size giraffes, and many, many more, Kenyan nonprofit Ocean Sole’s artistic ingenuity solves more than one problem. Turning trash into treasure, this organization cleans Kenyan beaches, provides jobs for local artisans, and raises awareness for our flip flop problem, all at the same time. Ready to feast your eyes on this incredible art?

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