Above all else the Life Arts Laboratory is a celebration of individuality and a gateway to life exploration. My hope is that the reading here inspires people to flex their imaginations and expand everyday life into new territories.

One of the motivations that inspired me to start this project is the concept of Experiments in Living.  John Stuart Mill, a Victorian philosopher, wrote extensively on the idea of liberty and individuality. In doing so, he described “experiments in living” as unique ways towards happiness which are creative and often challenge commonplace patterns and assumptions. He described these as necessary means in society that represent varieties of character and give way to new conversations and possibilities. Experiments in living are exactly what they sound like and to me an endless fascination.

In one of my favorite quotes Mill once wrote:

“In proportion to the development of his individuality, each person becomes more valuable to himself, and is therefore capable of being more valuable to others. There is a greater fullness of life about his own existence, and when there is more life in the units there is more in the mass which is composed of them…. It is not by wearing down into uniformity all that is individual in [ourselves], but by cultivating it and calling it forth, within the limits imposed by the rights and interests of others, that human beings become a noble and beautiful object of contemplation; and as the works partake the character of those who do them, by the same process human life also becomes rich, diversified, and animating, furnishing more abundant aliment to high thoughts and elevating feelings, and strengthening the tie which binds every individual to the race, by making the race infinitely better worth belonging to.”

This might be the best celebration of individuality written in the English language and this passage is one that has struck me as long as I have been aware of it. The thoughts expressed here are also a large inspiration behind this undertaking.  Like the quote above, this website is a tribute to individual creativity and a tool for people seeking greater self-opening and development. The experiments of this project speak to the artistic power of human beings and the miniature pursuits of happiness that depart from everyday predictability.

Feel free to peruse the many pages and layers of this website. Flip through the experiments one can use to enrich their everyday life. Play, create, share, experiment and last but not least, say hello!