Conánn FitzPatrick

Understanding the value of time off.

The two week break is effectively useless, getting your head out of work and being happy with letting go takes the first week, followed by a couple of days of blissful relaxation before three days of anxiety about what will need to be done before getting back to work.

I have been very fortunate over the past ten years to have been able to take extended periods of time off. Two or more months off, puts your head in a different place and allows you to re-evaluate your life's priorities. The only other people I meet with these feelings are usually living with cancer. I love work, it enables me to live a life I enjoy.

Every seven years, designer Stefan Sagmeister closes his New York studio for a yearlong sabbatical to rejuvenate and refresh their creative outlook. He explains the often overlooked value of time off and shows the innovative projects inspired by his time in Bali.

The creative process is uncontrollable and never quite there when you want it. But when it comes you better be ready or it will pass you by.

Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.

Stop being daft and let kids play with your stuff so they can learn to make their own. 

Larry Lessig, the Net’s most celebrated lawyer, cites John Philip Sousa, celestial copyrights and the "ASCAP cartel" in his argument for reviving our creative culture.