8 New Movies and Shows That Creatives Must Watch

Creative work can be especially fun and rewarding, but after a long day of writing, designing, composing, crafting, coding, building, imagining . . . it’s good to relax and recharge.

And what better way to kick back than with a movie or show that refuels your creative energy?

We’ve entered a golden age in US television, where creators are forging into new territory and bringing diverse ideas and voices to the forefront. Novel storytelling, daring visuals, and innovative formats are breathing new life into film and TV—and providing plenty of inspiration for us fellow creatives to tap into our own creative genius.

So take a break, and dive in with these eight exceptional movies and TV shows that will entertain, engage, and spark your creativity!

1Master of None

You can try your best to not fall in love with Master of None, Aziz Ansari’s brilliantly subversive Netflix rom-com, but be warned—you will probably want to binge-watch it in one sitting. This show is heartbreakingly poignant, hilarious, and insightful, and it relentlessly pushes the envelope.

Some of the most powerful and surprising episodes turn the camera’s focus away from the lead character altogether, rocketing to the forefront the viewpoints of characters rarely seen or celebrated in pop culture.

Oh, and did we mention the editing and aesthetics are on-point? (Season 2 is basically a love letter to classic Italian films.) Explore some innovative storytelling by watching Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix.

.@azizansari‘s #MasterOfNone is the Summer’s top TV show by #Tomatometer! https://t.co/Dq4IEroVyk pic.twitter.com/k5cNYFqEQV

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) August 30, 2017

2Sense8

Need to feed your imagination? Try soaking in the sumptuous, stunning visuals of Sense8.

This sprawling and ambitious work of art from the Wachowskis follows eight strangers around the globe as their senses become mysteriously linked, allowing them to share experiences, knowledge, and emotions—all while keeping one step ahead of the evil corporation that’s hunting them.

With rich storytelling, exotic locations, and a talented and diverse cast, it’s the perfect sci-fi adventure to get your creative wheels spinning again. Watch Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix.

”I said hey, what’s going on?” #Sense8 pic.twitter.com/eY9l3MRSq8

— Movie Graf (@MovieGrafTR) September 5, 2017

3Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the dark rom-com musical you didn’t know you needed until it twirled into your life belting “West Covinaaa!” on full blast. Relentlessly subversive, unbelievably zany, and at times painfully relatable, this show digs deep into the neuroses of obsession. Also, it has fantastical song and dance numbers that would make Flight of the Conchords proud. Watch Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix.

My dad sent me a picture from West Covina last night just to set me up to text him #CrazyExGirlfriend lyrics. �� @Racheldoesstuff pic.twitter.com/xBEt4UvpC6

— Lex (@thelexlutz) August 24, 2017

4Kubo and the Two Strings

This exquisite stop-motion fantasy has astounding visuals at every turn. The story is built around a hero’s journey as our protagonist searches for identity, while also dealing with heavier themes of loss, grief, and healing. Stream it on Netflix.

Watched this tonight.. For me a piece of movie perfection.. Beautiful animation, with a big heart.. #KuboandtheTwoStrings pic.twitter.com/L5YLUjgU1n

— Paul Stringfellow (@techstringy) August 19, 2017

5Insecure

Game of Thrones takes the prize for most popular HBO show this summer, but Season 2 of Insecure wins “Best in Show.” Issa Rae’s binge-worthy comedy-drama boasts razor sharp writing, a brilliant cast, and a bumping soundtrack that will have you clicking over to Spotify for more.

The show engages us with complicated (and deeply human) characters exploring love, relationships, infidelity, and the messy aftermath that ensues. But what’s truly radical is how it portrays the Black experience in down-to-earth ways seldom seen on television. Insecure reveals the power that comes from staying true to your viewpoint and experiences. Stream Seasons 1 and 2 through HBO.

Kelli’s one liners on #insecurehbo literally ALWAYS have me in tears �� pic.twitter.com/MY5wKJJOwn

— Joshua Hunt (@donthuntjosh) September 4, 2017

6BoJack Horseman

What if we told you one of the most realistic and honest explorations of mental health in the media today is an animated show starring an anthropomorphic horse?

At first glance, Bojack Horseman may register as a silly sitcom satire, but as you travel down the rabbit hole, things gradually go from wacky to profound, to reveal a deeply existential show that stays with you even when you stop watching.

Designed by genius illustrator Lisa Hanawalt, the world of BoJack is a riot of pastel colors and hilarious background details—a deceptively cheerful setting for a hauntingly sad and sometimes dark story. Seasons 1-4 are on Netflix.

I just want to cry! This scene is so beautiful but full of sorrow.#BoJackHorseman pic.twitter.com/udLi65gdTr

— D8 (@dang8600) August 27, 2017

7Moonrise Kingdom

Set on a quaint New England island, Moonrise Kingdom tells the tale of two twelve-year-old runaways and the all-star cast of adults searching to find them before an oncoming storm. It’s a poignant depiction of young love, and though possibly the most stylized of Wes Anderson’s films, it somehow turns out to be one of the most relatable and emotionally touching. The fairytale aesthetic—complete with breathtaking set pieces—perfectly complements the story itself. Stream it on Netflix.

A poetic movie by Anderson, balanced between realism and surrealism, with terrific character performance. 10/10. #MoonriseKingdom pic.twitter.com/lQCmv3cWUa

— Alessandro Capriolo (@CaprioloOrdnas) September 2, 2017

8Abstract: The Art of Design

No matter what type of creative work you engage in, this Netflix docu-series is guaranteed to nourish your inner muse. Abstract profiles a diverse set of eight world-renowned designers, including Es Devlin (stage designer for the likes of Beyonce and U2), Ralph Gilles (head of design for Fiat Chrysler), and shoe designer Tinker Hatfield (of Air Jordan fame).

The series takes an intimate look at the life and career ascent of these creatives who are masters in their field. The insights and perspectives shared on the creative process are pure gold. Watch Season 1 on Netflix.

This an incredible, must-see series for those in the creative industries which recently aired: #abstractnetflix pic.twitter.com/LqDDAbkgHu

— Jamie Smith (@smithstock24) March 13, 2017

This Is How to Properly Introduce Yourself in an Email

Meeting someone in person is pretty straightforward. You smile, shake their hand, tell them your name. But what if you’re not meeting face to face? What if you’re introducing yourself via email?

Maybe you’re reaching out to create a new connection, to ask for advice, or a collaboration, or a job. How do you compete with the other 700 emails in their inbox and convince them a response to you is worthwhile? Writing an introductory email can be nerve racking when there’s so much pressure to get the wording just right.

Grammar lovers, get ready to breathe a sigh of relief! Now is a perfect time to share with you our step-by-step cheat sheet for exactly how to introduce yourself in an email and ensure the best results.

Step 1: The Subject

It won’t matter how brilliant an introduction you’ve written if your message is never opened.

Keep your subject line short (under thirty characters) so it’s legible on mobile devices. Be specific and intriguing. Never write in all caps or use a generic line such as “Hi” (this may be mistaken for spam).

To create a great subject line you can…

Mention a mutual acquaintance “Aisha Mussad suggested I contact you”

Mention what you have in common “Hello from a fellow blogger!”

Mention your company “Hello from Grammarly”

Suggest meeting up “Lunch is on me”

Show you admire their work “Loved your article in Wired”

Be clear what job you’re applying for “Job Application: Elizabeth Chen for Content Strategist position” “Referred by Shaun Williams for Copywriter position”

Step 2: The Greeting

Your goal is to create a connection with an individual, so you want your greeting to be personal.

Always use their name. Make sure it’s spelled correctly, and avoid using nicknames.

You can use “Dear” for formal situations such as applying for a job or writing to someone with more senior status.

Leading with “Hello” and “Hi” are appropriate for more casual situations, like contacting a friend of a friend or someone in a less formal industry.

Never use generic phrases like “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam.”

Step 3: The Intro

It’s time to introduce yourself! Be clear and concise about who you are, and remember to include details that will be relevant to the recipient.

For instance, the fact that you’re a crazy cat lady is not important to the hiring manager for that content strategy job you’re applying for. However, it would be relevant to a fellow cat blogger you’d like to interview for your podcast.

“My name is Tina, I’m a Senior Content Strategist at Hooli.”

“My name is Tina, and I have a popular blog called ‘Purrfection’ chronicling my life as a crazy cat lady.”

“My name is Tina, I’m a fellow Stanford alum working in content creation.”

Step 4: The Connection

Show them your motivation for reaching out. Mentioning a mutual connection is a huge plus, as people are much more receptive if you’ve been referred by someone they know and respect.

“I recently had lunch with Aisha Mussad, who shared some of your marketing ideas. I was blown away! I think your approach would be a perfect fit for my company.”

“I’ve been following your blog since March and I loved your article on grooming ornery cats. You had some wonderful insights that have been super helpful in my work at the shelter.”

“I’ve been very impressed by the work your company is doing with at-risk youth, and I’d love to be a part of furthering your mission!”

Step 5: The Ask

Let them know what you want. Be explicit, and include a clear call to action.

The greater the benefit for them, the greater chance you’ll have of getting what you want. Messages with too big an ask or that come off as needy will likely end up in the trash.

“I’d love to buy you lunch and hear more about your ideas as I think there’s potential for our companies to collaborate. Would Tuesday or Thursday work for you?”

“I would love to interview you for my podcast, ‘Taming the Tiger,’ which has over 10,000 listeners. Please let me know if you’re interested and have any questions. I have several interview slots available next week.”

“I’m applying for the Content Strategist position you listed on Indeed. I have five years of experience in content creation and think I would be a great fit for your company. My portfolio and resume are attached, please let me know if you’d like additional information.”

Step 6: The Close

End the email by thanking them and signing off with your name. Emails that end in gratitude receive the highest response rates.

Here are some great options:

“Thanks in advance”

“Thanks”

“Thank you”

“Thank you so much for your time”

What does this look like all together?

Hi Marcus, My name is Tina, and I have a popular blog called ‘Purrfection’ chronicling my life as a crazy cat lady.

I’ve been following your blog since March and I loved your article on grooming ornery cats. You had some wonderful insights that have been super helpful in my work at the shelter.

I would love to interview you for my podcast, ‘Taming the Tiger,’ which has over 10,000 listeners. Please let me know if you’re interested and have any questions. I have several interview slots available next week.

Thank you,

Tina

Final Tips

Keep your paragraphs short and your message brief, so you don’t overwhelm your reader.

Always check your spelling and grammar before sending your email to make sure it’s error free.

Be polite!

Do You Capitalize Family Titles?

When terms denoting family relationships are used as proper nouns (as names), they are capitalized. However, when the terms are used as common nouns (not as names), they’re not capitalized. Generally, there will be a possessive pronoun (my, her, his, our) or an article (the, a, an) in front of family titles used as common noun.

It’s easy to get confused about whether you should capitalize family names in your writing. If you come across a family “title” such as mom or dad in your writing, ask yourself: Is this title being used as if it were a person’s name? Is the person being directly addressed?

Can I go to the mall once I finish my homework, Mom?

I know the crash was serious, Dad, but I’d really like to borrow your car.

What have you been up to, Grandma?

In the examples above, Mom, Dad, and Grandma are capitalized because they are being used like names. You could replace them with proper names without changing the rest of the sentence.

What have you been up to, Diana?

If a family member is not being directly addressed, but rather is being spoken about, his or her family title should not be capitalized, and an article or possessive pronoun should be used before the title.

Gracie asked her mom if she could go to the mall after finishing her homework.

I asked my dad if I could borrow his car the day after the crash.

Lorraine wondered what her grandmother had been up to.

When quoting a conversation, simply think about whether that person is being directly addressed in the conversation.

“We will all remember Aunt Bessie for her generous nature,” Melinda said.

“I feel for Melinda’s loss,” said the neighbor. “Everyone remembers her aunt’s generous nature.”

6 Notable People Who Experienced Imposter Syndrome

An imposter is a fraud, someone who pretends to be something they aren’t. Often, their motive is to steal or take advantage of others. However, some people who feel like imposters aren’t guilty of any crime. They haven’t intentionally misled anyone.

According to psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes, imposter syndrome affects many high-achieving individuals. You’ll be surprised at how many successful people don’t feel they deserve the praise they receive.

Dr. Margaret Chan

Forbes ranked Dr. Chan as 2013’s thirtieth most powerful woman in the world. It’s easy to see why—Queen Elizabeth II named her an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, and she finished two terms as the head of the World Health Organization. You would think that her educational background and decades of medical experience would make her feel like an expert in her field. However, in Susan Pinker’s book, The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women and the Real Gender Gap, she admits: “There are an awful lot of people out there who think I’m an expert. How do these people believe all this about me? I’m so much aware of all the things I don’t know.”

John Steinbeck

He won a Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature. Decades after his death, his stories are still inspiring others. For example, the 2016 film In Dubious Battle, starring James Franco and Selena Gomez, was based on Steinbeck’s 1936 novel of the same name and tells the story of a pivotal labor strike in California. So, would you say that John Steinbeck is a great author? He wouldn’t have said the same of himself, according to his journal: “I am not a writer. I’ve been fooling myself and other people.” In fact, he admired his characters for being “so much stronger and purer and braver” than he was.

Jodie Foster

It’s not uncommon for people to compare themselves with others who they feel are more talented. When 60 Minutes’ Mike Wallace interviewed Jodie Foster after she won an Oscar for Best Actress, she said, “I thought it was a fluke. I thought everybody would find out, and they’d take it back. They’d come to my house, knocking on the door, ‘Excuse me, we meant to give that to someone else. That was going to Meryl Streep.’”

Meryl Streep

Of course, Meryl Streep would agree that she deserves an Academy Award, right? In one interview, she also describes her struggles with self-doubt: “I have varying degrees of confidence and self-loathing. . . . You can have a perfectly horrible day where you doubt your talent . . .” In a later article in The Guardian, she revealed that those feelings first took root in her childhood. “I didn’t have any confidence in my beauty when I was young. I felt like a character actress, and I still do.”

Cheryl Strayed

In the novel Torch, the main character, Teresa Rae Wood, encourages the listeners of her radio show to “be incredible.” In contrast, the creator of the character, Cheryl Strayed, finds it hard to acknowledge that she’s a remarkable author. In fact, she suggests that questioning your skills is a normal part of the writing process. “Writing is always full of self-doubt, but the first book [Torch] is really full of self-doubt, and it was much more of a struggle to keep the faith.” By the time her second book ranked first on the New York Times Bestseller list, “doubt and self-loathing” were so familiar to her that she thought, “Okay, this is how it feels to write a book.”

Emma Watson

How would you feel if magazines such as Elle and Vanity Fair featured beautiful pictures of you on their covers? Emma Watson, the actress who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, feels like an imposter. To her, the lovely lady on the magazines seems like someone different from who she is in real life. Her struggles aren’t limited to the glossy pages of fan mags: “I’d walk down the red carpet and go into the bathroom,” she recalls. “I had on so much makeup and these big, fluffy, full-on dresses. I’d put my hands on the sink and look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘Who is this?’ I didn’t connect with the person who was looking back at me, and that was a very unsettling feeling.”

Imposter isn’t the word you might associate with famous, talented, and successful people, but many of these notable people suffer from feelings of inadequacy. Though these emotions may stem from childhood, psychologists Clance and Imes recommend communication. Their study concludes “If one [person] is willing to share . . . , [others are] relieved to find they are not alone.” How do you feel about your success?

Capitalization: The Days Of The Week and The Months

Capitalization: The Days of the Week, the Months of the Year, and Holidays (But Not the Seasons Used Generally)

Days, months, and holidays are always capitalized as these are proper nouns. Seasons aren’t generally capitalized unless they’re personified.

The maid comes on Tuesdays and Fridays.

My doctor’s appointment is on Monday afternoon.

Your birthday is in March, right?

Thanksgiving in November, Christmas in December, and New Year’s in January: North America has a lot of winter holidays.

The seasons aren’t capitalized unless they’re being used as a proper noun, such as when personified in creative writing or poetry. Consider the sentences below:

My favorite season is autumn.

Many animals hibernate in the winter.

It’s that time of year again, when Winter blankets all creatures with somniferous snow and whispers to them, “Rest, children, rest.”

Generally speaking, the days of the week and months of the year are capitalized, but there are exceptions to this rule.

Monday Motivation Hack: Manage Your Morning

If you win the morning, you win the day.

Mornings set the tone for your day. If your habits are bad or simply uninspiring, they’ll steamroll your productivity and focus for the whole day. This week, we looked at what a range of successful people do in the morning. Groups included up-and-coming millennials, productivity hackers, and various kinds of leaders. Here’s a sampling of what they had in common.

1Start the Night Before

For many, the morning routine actually starts when they crawl into bed the night before. Prep for the following morning can include setting out clothes, double-checking the next day’s to-do list, or disconnecting from technology enough to ensure deep, healthful sleep during the night.

2Get Up Earlier

The majority of successful people are early risers. When you analyze the benefits, it’s easy to understand why—you’re less likely to get distracted and you have more willpower. Plus, it’s great motivation to sit down at your desk and feel like you’ve already accomplished a lot because, see, you’re pretty amazing.

No matter where I am in the world, I try to routinely wake up at around 5 am. By rising early, I’m able to do some exercise and spend time with my family, which puts me in a great mind frame before getting down to business. — Richard Branson

3Move

Whether it’s yoga, a light walk, stretching, or a full workout, almost everyone tries to do some form of movement to shake off the grogginess of sleep.

4 Hydrate and Fuel Up

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Not one “successful” morning routine we found skipped breakfast and hydration. Some were quite regimented (8 oz of water with lemon upon waking, without fail), while others were more casual. Regardless of what works for you, make sure you get water or tea and some food in the morning!

5 Meditate or Practice Focus

Tim Ferriss claims in his podcast that more than 80 percent of the people he interviews practice some kind of focus training or meditation. This practice can help set a calm tone for the day while also helping your brain focus throughout the day. His suggestions for success include finding the right format for you—even listening to a song with focus and intent can work wonders—then practice a minimum of 5 sessions before you decide to keep or toss the activity.

I made a deal with myself: If you don’t have 10 minutes for yourself, you don’t have a life. There’s no excuse. So I have 10 minutes, and I do this little ritual. —Tony Robbins

6 Set Your Goals for the Day

Almost everyone made time to revise their intention for the day. Many people did this mentally and only wrote down their priorities once they got to the office, but you can also set aside time to tweak schedules, to-do lists, and priorities on paper.

7 Practice Gratitude

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. — Marcus Aurelius

Expressing gratitude in the morning helps to set a positive tone for your day and keeps any burdens during the day in perspective.

8 Work

A significant number of people make time to check and send emails, write, or work on personal projects. Even though they worked on different kinds of tasks, without fail everyone who did some kind of work did it as a very consistent part of their morning.

Tips for Starting a Morning Routine

Imagine and Plan Your Ideal Morning

It can be tempting to take Tony Robbins’ morning routine and try to replicate it step for step. While this may be a good starting point, you are a completely different person, living your own unique life. A fantastic routine is deeply rooted in knowing yourself and what makes you feel confident, accomplished, and motivated. Spend time imagining your perfect morning and mapping out three to five goals for every morning.

Don’t Make It All or Nothing

Once you understand what you want to accomplish every morning, give yourself some flexibility. Tim Ferriss recommends that you aim for at least a 60 percent completion rate of your morning goals. Life happens, and you may not always have your perfect breakfast or be able to squeeze in a forty minute run; be gentle with yourself.

Ease Into It

Though it will be exciting to start your new morning habits, it’s probably a bad idea to go whole hog. It can be painfully time consuming to adjust your sleeping schedule, let alone start exercising and making a full English breakfast every day. Prioritize your goals and introduce one at a time. As you get more and more comfortable with your new habits, keep tweaking, but take your time.

Do you have a morning routine? What is it like?

Looking for more productivity inspiration? Check out last week’s Monday Motivation Hack—taming your to-do list.

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Whether it’s a to-do list that never seems to get done, a less-than-inspired morning routine, or a tendency to get distracted (damn you, social media!), we’ve all got a hole in our productivity armor somewhere. Every Monday, we’re going to be analyzing common bad habits that could be holding you back and offer a hack or two to help you get more quality output from your time. Our Monday Motivation Hacks will help get you into fighting shape and give you some new tactics to try out on the battlefield.

A Style Guide Tutorial: Navigating the Citation and Formatting Jungle

You have to write a paper, or copyedit one, and you have a heap of style manuals in front of you. Which one do you use? Are they consistent? Is there a difference between them? Is it all arbitrary?

As you work on your text, it stares up at you, glaring with its colons, commas, and parenthetical citations. Where do they go? Are the lines single or double-spaced? How wide are the margins supposed to be? Wrestling the paper into twenty different shapes, you begin to hear voices: “the year, in parentheses, after the author’s name” and “no, no, the cited page number goes at the end of the sentence, in parentheses.”

Each style guide is specific, with literally thousands of differences between them. The waters get muddier. The overlap between the guides is enough to swirl in our heads like some alphabet soup. You think you find the right formatting guide and just when you become used to working with it, you discover another publishing house prefers something else.

It becomes clear that you should be at least marginally aware of several guides. Before you decide on one manual over the other, however, consider two questions:

• What are you writing?
• Who is your audience?

MLA Style:The MLA Style Manual is the ivory tower favorite. It had its genesis in the 1980s and quickly became the standard of university English majors everywhere. Not just limited to English papers, however, MLA is the style guide for a host of humanities disciplines, including foreign language studies. It is widely recognized as the preferred formatting style of scholars. You will find it used for any paper meant for publication in a humanities journal.

AP Style: The Associated Press Stylebook is the go-to manual for journalism. It has become the industry standard for broadcasters and newspapers, primarily due to its shortcuts. In this business, writing space is scarce, so little tweaks, like using numerals instead of written numbers, saves space, money, and time. Along with the Chicago Manual, AP is a formatting style often used by mainstream publishers.

Chicago Manual: If you write a paper on history, philosophy, or religion, it would be wise to become familiar with The Chicago Manual of Style. Also called Turabian, the Chicago Manual has flexible applications. Used by editors in multiple writing arenas, you are bound to bump into it. The differences between Chicago and AP can get rather cosmetic at times, but they are important differences. Editors are familiar with both guides and picking the right one can make or break your chances, if you are trying to publish.

APA Style: Created by the American Psychological Association, APA is the preferred citation style in disciplines such as business and medicine. APA’s system strives to help readers comprehend the material they are reading. Articles written for medical journals are formatted in APA style.

Bluebook: Created by the Harvard Law Review Association, the Bluebook is the bible of legal citation style. Most judges and lawyers were educated using the Bluebook. However, some courts have adopted their own systems. You should research a court’s specific formatting style before submitting any work to them.

Scientific Disciplines: When writing a scientific article, remember that nearly all of the disciplines have their own style guides, which are often specific tweaks on more mainstream guides. These tweaks matter, however. Whether it is the American Mathematical Society (AMS style), the American Institute of Physics (AIP style), or the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE style), there is a specific formatting guide out there exclusive to each.

If you are writing an academic paper, preparing a fiction manuscript for publication, or copyediting an existing manuscript, formatting is a key component to a polished product. Depending on your audience, or where you wish to publish the work, there are very specific guidelines concerning how a text should appear. A little research in the beginning will save you a lot of rewriting, and reformatting later.

What’s your preferred writing style? Share in the comments!