This issue of Indelible is a miracle baby. It comes after juggling so many things amidst the din and crush of moving continents, encompassing the endless tasks of boxing and unboxing, living out of suitcases in hotel rooms (before dwelling with cardboard boxes again), settling in (finding a home, a school, furniture, etc.), and establishing the London Arts-Based Research Centre (with its workshops, courses, conferences, and other online events), all while meeting many writing and editorial deadlines that had to be put on hold during the time of my significant transition. There was a point, when, I must admit, I felt quite overwhelmed by the flood of submissions surging into our Indelible inbox every day. We received over 1000 submissions by the deadline on October 31st (not counting the number of submissions we received—and continue to receive—after the deadline)…so if you’ve been picked for this issue, consider yourself incredibly fortunate!

Yet, those of you who have experienced the “big bang” of creativity are familiar with the profound renewal of energy and order that emerges from chaos (talk about chaos theory). Carl Jung’s quote kept me going, nurturing the belief that in due course, things would find their rhythm and fall into place: “in all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order”.

And here we are now, with Indelible’s 7^th issue, featuring brilliant writers, poets, artists, and scientists from diverse backgrounds sharing their ingenious creative renditions of the universe: neuroscientists, mathematicians, physicists, psychologists, medical practitioners, chemists, biologists, STEM researchers, science fans and afficionados…so as you can see, whatever the science, you name it…we have it! Within these pages, our innovative contributors offer works that creatively explore the interplay of light, viruses, cooking, soil, cells, plants, consciousness, chemicals, astronomy, numbers, and formulas. So brace yourself for the captivating poetry, art, and prose that draw inspiration from the cosmos, biology, physics, chemistry, psychology, technology, math, the environment, and even baking as a science. There is so much to savor and ponder in the original astrophotography, medical art, texts, and poems “Science and Sensibility” has to offer.

To be inspired is to remain open to the wealth of knowledge surrounding us, to embrace heightened awareness of the world both inside and within, allowing us to appreciate the countless instances in which the cosmos offers inspiration for creation—especially through science. So we want to invite you to enjoy this front-row seat to so much beauty…the beauty of unburning the bridges built between science and the arts, and the beauty of them learning and being inspired by one another—this is arts-based research…happy reading!

Roula-Maria Dib, PhD
Founding Editor, Indelible
Founding Director, London Arts-Based Research Centre