First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

What Spurs Your Creativity?

I get some of my best ideas walking the dog, which makes sense after listening to Jonah Lehrer talk about the creative process in his new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works. Concentrating hard on a problem doesn’t always yield the best results. Sometimes you need to break away. How do you get your juices flowing?

(Last day of to enter our contest.)

Here’s One More Reason To Hug a Pet

Dr. Paul Zak, also known as Dr. Love, is the Director of the Center for Neuroeconomics at Claremont Graduate University. Zak has written a book called The Moral Molecule in which he advises people to hug eight times a day, because it releases the hormone oxytocin, evoking compassion and greater well being. I was glad to hear that hugging a pet counts, too.

Image via Magnificent Ruin

Retooling Our Map As We Go Along

Contest deadline is 2 days away.

Image by Samy Charnine

Staying Buoyant On Your Own

On the upside of single, is not contending with a grumpy spouse who can drag your mood down. But the reverse is also true. When it comes to lifting your spirits, you’re often on your own. That’s why it’s important to build diverse networks of people (and pets) who think you’re fabulous and are lavish with praise. In the quiet of home, how do you stay confident? Practice gratitude. Dwell on accomplishments. Have your affirmations handy.

Illustration by Olimpia Zagnoli

How Do We Move Forward?

Before my junior year at college, I spent a leisurely summer driving across the country with three girlfriends and a dog, in a beat up Ford van. I first laid eyes on San Francisco during that trip and knew immediately that I’d found home. 10 years later, I packed up and moved West. My parents hated that I’d be living 3000 miles away and never really got used to it. But it was a powerful sea change (Pacific vs. Atlantic) and one of the best decisions I’ve made.

Tell us something you’ve done that has surprised your family. Enter our contest. Deadline’s Friday.

Dive In beach towel by Kate Spade

Can You Be Single and Please Your Mother?

This sculpture, Work No. 1092, by Martin Creed is a motor-powered, spinning inscription, which speeds up and slows down inside the gallery.

Liberating Women With a Pair of Scissors

Every week, my mother went to a local beauty parlor to get her hair done. In between visits, it never got mussed or wet, and was stiff as armor. The cropped hair style I’ve worn for years is a descendent of Vidal Sassoon’s scissors (my former stylist was trained by him). He pried women from the dryer, and in one small way, helped set us free. Vidal Sassoon died yesterday at 84.

Surprise us. Enter the CONTEST.

Progress

President Obama comes out in favor of marriage equality.

Surprise us. Enter the CONTEST.

The Pleasure of Nesting

A satisfying evening is sitting on the Tibetan rug in my living room, back up against the couch, eating a home-cooked meal in front of the flat screen TV. Sipping a chilled martini, with the dog lying beside me, it’s close to perfect. Tonight, I’m going out, though I’d prefer to be nesting. It surprises me how much fun it is to stay in. Which leads me back to our CONTEST.

Image: Franco Matticchio

How To Be Surprising: A Contest

I love Twitter. One of its pleasures is reading the hilarious, daily musings of Lizz Winstead, a social critic and comedian, who co-created The Daily Show, and helped give Rachel Maddow her start. I’m so excited about this contest, which features LIZZ FREE OR DIE, a collection of Winstead’s autobiographical essays. As a woman in comedy, Lizz broke so many rules. And in her honor, this contest is about defying expectations. Tell us one thing you did that surprised your family. It can be when you were a kid, or just the other day. It can be trivial or profound. Define family however you choose. As a super bonus, Lizz will select the winner.

Submit your entry using the Comments section. Include your first name. (If you win, we’ll get in touch by email for your U.S. shipping address, and telephone number.) Enter as often as you like. Deadline: May 17, 2012.