The best online resources to inspire creativity and innovation

Creativity and innovation are indispensable pre-requisites for success in today’s world. Even businesses need to be creative and innovative in order to have long-term durability. Thanks to the internet and social media, inspiration is available right at our fingertips. Here are five of the best online resources that will inspire you to be more creative and innovative:

Brain Pickings

Brain Pickings describes itself as an “inventory of cross-disciplinary interestingness, spanning art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more.” This website was started by Maria Popova, an MIT Futures of Entertainment Fellow, who has previously written for Wired UK, The Atlantic,The New York Times and Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab. She calls herself an ‘interestingness hunter-gatherer’ and believes that Brain Pickings can be your creative, spiritual and intellectual companion.

The core ethos behind Brain Pickings is the belief that creativity is a combinatorial force. Their articles span across various topics like art, science, design, history and politics all geared towards making you a better person—creatively, spiritually and intellectually.

TED Talks

TED Talks are the most trusted repository of ideas in various fields like art, science, history, medicine, design and politics. Since 1984, TED Talks have tried to make an impact on our lives with the help of short videos of less than 18 minutes. In fact, TED also allows local communities to organise independently co-ordinated TEDx events. Every TEDx event either shows TED Talk videos to its audience or also includes talks by game changers from the local community.

TED Talks began as a conference to converge Technology, Entertainment and Design, but today it encompasses inspiration in almost every imaginable topic on the planet. With ideas and inspirations from successful people from all over the world, TED talks will definitely help you get rid of a creative block.

Information Is Beautiful

Information Is Beautiful describes itself as a platform that is dedicated to distilling the world's data, information and knowledge into beautiful, interesting and, above all, useful visualisations, infographics and diagrams. This website was started by David McCandless, a London-based author, writer and designer. He is currently an independent data journalist and information designer, but he has previously written for The Guardian, Wired and other publications. These artistic bits of distilled information not just inspire you to be more creative and think out of the box but also help you learn better.

Where Cool Things Happen

This website is your go-to updated database of all the latest cool things in the world—be it about travel, art, gadgets or lifestyle. This website was started by two creative people who aim to wow you with their repository of interesting things from around the world.

Some of their best posts are about fascinating art forms, lesser known travel destinations, mesmerising photographs, diverse animals and so on. Inspiration can actually come from anywhere. This website actually lets you look at that ‘anywhere’!

Online Learning Websites

In this age of the internet, nothing is impossible. When you have a creative burnout and feel stuck, it’s time for you to pull up your socks and start learning something new. Learning is a continuous process and these online leaning websites will help you get back on your feet.

Online learning websites like Udacity, Coursera, and FutureLearn bring you the best courses on various topics from the top universities of the world. There are plenty more that you can explore too. Khan Academy too can help you get back to your basics.

What are your favourite online resources the educate, inform and entertain? Let us know in the comments section below.