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.Get weekly Art & Creativity Tips on the blog from Nancy Hillis
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The Artist’s Journey: Experimental Painting & The Adjacent Possible
Being an artist is about stepping into the unknown, allowing “not knowing”, accessing the adjacent possible & continually evolving your art.
The Adjacent Possible In Art & Life
As creatives, we seek ways of living at this boundary of the known and unknown because that’s where creativity flourishes.
Light, Color & Perception
some women may be “tetrachromic,” having an increased perception of color than the rest of the population, based on four different kinds of cones in their eyes. Could this be why so many women are drawn to art? The correlation of tetrachromacy with artistic expression has not yet been explored, but it’s a compelling question.
The Crocuses Will Still Bloom Redux
Sometimes you count on your parents long after you consider yourself “grown up.” Maybe nobody is ever entirely “grown up.”
Symmetry, Asymmetry & Activating The Canvas
Symmetry, Asymmetry & Activating The Canvas Just a couple of weeks ago, an artist wrote to us asking why it was necessary to “activate the canvas” instead of just starting with a blank canvas. It’s a good question, and I didn’t have a ready answer. Not surprisingly, especially if you’ve been reading this blog for any period of time, the question brings up parallels in the natural world. Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking In physics, activating the canvas is related to the...
Metaphorical Gesso & The Anti-Problem In Art
Art takes us somewhere new- and science can learn from artists.
Helen of Troy & The Olympics
The moral of the story: judgment is rooted in ephemeral human sentiments and can change like the wind. Art can outlast judgment.
Seduced By Answers In Art & Life
It highlights something to be cognizant of in one’s search for answers: What’s the question and who’s asking it?
The Art of Art
Art is a form of communication, it brings people together. To create it, to experience it, to learn from it.
Expeditions In Search Of Meaning
The journey of art is like a mountain expedition, with one important difference. Your actions generally do not directly cause death or injury.
Instead, as the British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said, “The purpose of thinking is to let the ideas die instead of us dying.” This applies even more so to works of art, physical manifestations of thought. They will die if you abandon them, because they are part of you.
Pantone, Plato & Creative Evolution
Art is more like evolution than engineering. An endless story, not proceeding towards a goal, but rather keeping on keeping on. The goal is the process.
The Intersection Of Creativity & Artistic Evolution
We contain ecologies of ideas, new ones entering, old ones leaving, some being created internally, all the time.
FREE WORKSHOP: The #1 Secret to Creating Authentic Abstract Paintings You Love!
You question your talent. Painting becomes arduous and painful. You feel lost, wanting to express yourself but not knowing how. Learn the #1 secret to paint with joy and create art you love.
