Articles by: Hanna Brooks Olsen

[caption id="attachment_6499" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via Flickr[/caption] Being a creative -- in whatever sense you may be, even if you choose not to use the adjective as a noun -- is deeply satisfying. Study after study has shown that job satisfaction and happiness among creatives tends to skew high, and that, conversely, creativity leads to happiness.

[caption id="attachment_6443" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via the State Library of Queensland[/caption] Let's all take a moment to reflect on the proud legacy of the sewing machine. Like clothes, jewelry, and clunky kitchen appliances, sewing machines are one of those things that most of us get handed down from a relative.

From building furniture to sewing quilts, crafting is a pursuit as old as time. And while making our own everyday items is much less necessary than it once was, crafting still remains a popular hobby -- and, in many cases, a full-time job -- though it looks quite a bit different than it did in the days of quilting bees.

[caption id="attachment_6383" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image: Amanda Diaz[/caption] DIY fashion is as much about style as it is about saving some scratch,but DIY fashion photography? That's a whole other ballgame.

[caption id="attachment_6369" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via Flickr[/caption] "Want to get together for coffee? I'd love to pick your brain.

[caption id="attachment_6365" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via Gratisography[/caption] A recent Harris poll found that hands-on learning is the most popular method of education in the United States — but it's most likely that the pollsters meant "learning by actively doing," rather than just "touching stuff. " However, a different study has found that the power of touch itself might actually be a way to be more creative.

[caption id="attachment_6332" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via Flickr. [/caption] Maurice Sendak is most well-known for his beloved children's book, "Where the Wild Things Are," a story rooted in imagination and independence and defiance.

[caption id="attachment_6289" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via Flickr[/caption] Economists high-fived last week when the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report showed that the number of jobs had finally climbed back to pre-2008 numbers. However, the report didn't exactly show the whole picture — first, creatives, freelancers, gig-based workers, and contractors were largely missing.

[caption id="attachment_6265" align="alignnone" width="620"] Image via Bells Design[/caption] The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its May jobs report this morning, to loud cries of celebration — technically speaking, the U. S.