The Adjacent Possible Blog
Explore The Adjacent Possible, a foundational pillar for creativity on The Artist’s Journey. Insights into intersections of art, psychology and science.Sign up to get weekly Art & Creativity Blogs from Nancy Hillis
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Creativity & The Menu Of Possibilities
We live in a world where stepping into the adjacent possible affects the spectrum of possibilities that open up after that, the only concrete question in life is what to do next. Everything else is abstract. But deciding what to do next requires an awareness of what we *can* do next. And this requires search.
Tension, Constraint & Creativity
Sometimes your art feels impossible. Other times it feels as if it could be no other way.
Because art imitates life we believe that both of those experiences are inevitable.
Creativity Poised At The Ragged Edge
Sometimes your art feels impossible. Other times it feels as if it could be no other way.
Because art imitates life we believe that both of those experiences are inevitable.
Construction, Deconstruction & Creativity
Have you ever played a game of Jenga? So carefully put together, so suddenly a pile of wooden pieces. Construction, deconstruction and destruction. Why do so many things collapse quickly but grow slowly? Creativity and constraint are guilty suspects.
Scaffolding The Complexity of Creativity
How often have you admired beautiful art and wondered how something so amazing could flow from the creative hand?
It definitely can happen, but as usual, the story has a few twists. We take lessons from Gothic cathedrals and scientific papers for insight. Medieval artisans have something to tell modern artists about “selection bias.”
Creativity & The Garden Of Forking Paths
Our beloved forest is ablaze, and not just metaphorically. Flashes of lightning changed our life and jolted our reality. Even in fear and trauma there are lessons to be learned. Reality is a delicate thing, as solid as smoke.
Wolves, Wildness & Creativity
Creativity, complexity and the search for resolution. Art takes us to a place of not knowing. It will not be reduced to a simple yes or no.
Creativity, Complexity & The Search For Resolution
Creativity, complexity and the search for resolution. Art takes us to a place of not knowing. It will not be reduced to a simple yes or no.
Book Lover’s TV Interview: Nancy Hillis and The Artist’s Journey® Book
Book Lover's TV Interview: Nancy Hillis and The Artist's Journey® Book Daniel Hall interviews Dr. Nancy Hillis about her book: The Artist's Journey®: Bold Strokes To Spark Creativity on Book Lover's TV. You can see the interview by clicking on the arrow above. You can also visit Daniel Hall's YouTube Channel and watch it HERE. TRANSCRIPT: Welcome To Book Lover's TV 00:00:05 Why hello and a welcome to this very special interview that we have for you here at Book Lovers TV, w...
One To Zero: Fear, Risk & Creativity
We visit the dark side of Zero to One, going in the opposite direction. In creativity, there is the risk it won’t work out. Why are we so afraid of this? It turns out there are good and deep reasons to be afraid, but even better reasons to push through.
Simplicity, Complexity, and the Observer In Creativity
Simplicity, Complexity, and the Observer In Creativity We continue our journey of moving towards the idea of a sweet spot in artistic creativity, a balance between freedom and constraint. This sweet spot is informed by satisfiability, a strange and exotic subfield at the intersection of computer science and physics. This satisfiability displays a phase transition, something we hinted at previously but have not yet fully explained. This phase transition is related to complexity, a...
Art, Creativity & The Suspension Of Disbelief
Art, Creativity & The Suspension of Disbelief Have you ever watched a hokey science fiction film produced in the years before computer-generated imagery (CGI) and vast budgets? More often than not, an eye-rolling moment occurs when you see the wires the rocket ships are hanging from and the flames curling upwards on the screen giving off smoke, something that shouldn’t happen in zero gravity. Perhaps the shadow of a spaceship gets cast by the studio lights onto the cardboard...
FREE WORKSHOP: The #1 Secret to Creating Authentic Abstract Paintings You Love!
You question your talent, and painting becomes arduous and painful. You feel lost, wanting to express yourself but not knowing how. But when you learn the #1 secret to creating authentic abstract paintings, it all changes. Finally, you're able to paint with joy and create art you love.
