Flowing creative juices

If you’ve ever become lost in an activity—playing video games, running, or making art—you’ve noticed that you become completely immersed in the present moment, rising to the challenge of the experience without becoming bored, frustrated, or tired. Thoughts about the past, future, and even the self melt away. Time seems to fly by. You’re in the zone. This is the flow state, first described by late Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the 1970s. Researchers have been chasing the concept ever since, trying to figure out how and why we enter the flow state and how we can get more of this inherently rewarding experience in our everyday lives, in both work and play. Flow is not only an enjoyable state, it is also seen as personally meaningful. “When the self loses itself in a transcendent purpose—whether to write great poetry, craft beautiful furniture, understand the motions of galaxies, or help children be happier—the self becomes largely invulnerable to the fears … [Read more...] about How the Flow State Keeps Us Creative, Focused, and Happy

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Corsets are back. In reality, they never left. Since time immemorial, women have been sold products to narrow their midsections and flatten their bellies . In the United States, whalebone stays of the 18th and 19th centuries gave way to tight-cinch girdles under 1950s flounce. Now, the lucrative shapewear industry and celebrity influencers have pitched certain stomach-squishing products as more than just strategies for smoothing special outfits. Waist trainers — compression devices worn tight around the midsection, and typically fastened with zippers, Velcro or a phalanx of eyelet hooks — have been branded as important tools for shedding pounds and sculpting stubborn cores. Some evangelists post videos of themselves wearing the bands during workouts or revealing day-by-day progress . Others wear them passively throughout the day , hoping to coax a wobbly midsection into an hourglass silhouette. The implication is that with regular wear, your waist will … [Read more...] about The Truth About Waist Trainers

Headliner Al Coro Replacing the opulent Del Posto, this newcomer offers a different style of grandeur and a distinctive approach to fine dining in New York. Though it retains the general contours of its predecessor, it’s more plush and richly upholstered, in deep browns with bright accents. In the evenings, there is live music, including singing from a new balcony stage over the bar, now relocated to a more central position. “It has a combination of luxury elements; it’s built for celebratory moments,” said Jeff Katz, who owns Al Coro with the chef, Melissa Rodriguez. (She is also the chef and a partner at Mel’s.) Mr. Katz and James Kent, his business partner, recently divided their holdings amicably: Mr. Katz now runs Al Coro and Mel’s , the pizzeria next door, and Mr. Kent is in charge of the Lower Manhattan properties Crown Shy, Saga and Overstory. Mr. Kent said the split made sense from a geographical standpoint. Ms. Rodriguez, who started at Del Posto over 10 years ago … [Read more...] about Al Coro Opens in the Former Del Posto Space

I’ve had an odd running life, which means I’ve had a normal one. The sport’s brought me equal parts pain and wonder. I’ve used it as a refuge, as a coping mechanism and as a launching pad for adventures — in Montauk, in Death Valley, in the Scottish Highlands, you name it. At one point in my life, I hated running so much I swore I would never take it up again. Today, I can’t imagine my life without it. On days where I do run, the last few minutes of the final mile are my favorite of the entire day. Coming to grips with running — and learning to welcome it in its healthiest form — took me a long time. I’m lucky to have the relationship to the sport that I do now, but I’ve made so many mistakes along the way. Often, when I’m asked how to get into running, I’m so excited they’ve approached me on the topic that I’ll start planning their first month of workouts. By the end of my monologue, I can see that I’ve ruined it. Fat chance they’re still interested after they’ve heard me … [Read more...] about It’s Never Too Late to Become a Runner. Here’s How.

Even when your job is to dream up the interplanetary adventures of a Norse god, you might still want to run off and play pirates. So during the weeks he was editing “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the Marvel movie that opens on July 8, Taika Waititi , its director and co-writer, would occasionally take weekends off for a different journey. He would get outfitted in a flowing gray wig, matching facial hair and temporary tattoos, and don deliciously fetishistic leather gear to portray Blackbeard, the swashbuckling, loin-kindling buccaneer of the HBO Max comedy series “Our Flag Means Death.” This is admittedly not a bad way to spend your spare time, though Waititi did occasionally fret over the trade-offs. As he explained recently, “Sometimes you’re pissed off at life and you’re like, ‘Why did I say yes to everything? I don’t have a social life — I’m just working.’ But then the thing comes out, you see where the hard work goes and it’s really worth it.” On TV, Waititi, … [Read more...] about What Makes Taika Waititi Run and Run and Run?