Articles by: Hanna Brooks Olsen

[caption id="attachment_13074" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via Flickr[/caption] At this point, the blog has been hailed, eulogized, and ceremoniously brought back from the dead -- because, to be honest, a lot of people still doing quite have a handle on why we blog, what's important about blogging, or whether or not blogging is right for them. But this much is clear: Blogging is a smart marketing tool for basically every small business, blogging is great for search engine optimization, and blogging can be very personally fulfilling.

[caption id="attachment_12911" align="alignnone" width="570"] Image via Etsy user AvenueBlue[/caption] When you're experiencing a period of low productivity, it's become a common reminder from well-meaning friends (and mugs, and throw pillows, and the occasional framed letterpress poster) that "you have the same 24 hours as Beyoncé. " It's true, technically (and temporally) speaking -- but that sentiment alone is probably not enough to help you wring more out of each day, particularly considering that productivity has more to do with how you feel about yourself than how you actually spend your time.

With monthly sales averaging about $150 million and monthly pageviews above two billion at last count, it's an understatement to call Etsy an important part of the craft community. Each year, over a million Etsy sellers supplement their income (or straight-up work for themselves) using the platform -- and some even become newsworthy for their impressive profits.

[caption id="attachment_12700" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via Flickr[/caption] Good design benefits just about everyone. Whether it's wayfinding that helps you get to your gate at the airport to a beautiful website that is both appealing to the eye and functions well, artfully created objects and texts make our lives richer.

[caption id="attachment_12426" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo by Jen Rozenbaum[/caption] Boudoir photography is hardly new; historians put the birth of this intimate style around the turn of the century, if not before. However, in the last 10 years, the boudoir photography industry has surged, as portrait photographers add it to their menu of services, and entire shops which just specialize in boudoir open around the world.

This year, Photoshop turned 25 years old. In the past two-and-a-half decades, the photo editing powerhouse has gone from a niche industry necessity to a nearly universally required skillset.

A quick scan through Instagram will confirm something everyone already knows: People love inspirational quotes. We love them in beautiful hand-lettering.

Over and over, business professionals, life coaches, dating gurus, and basically all social scientists agree: We give a great deal of currency to confidence. Confidence is compelling.