The Adjacent Possible® Blog
The science of creativity, the art of the possible.Get weekly Art & Creativity Tips on the blog from Nancy Hillis
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Art & What The Doctors Ordered
This is an opportunity to engage “beginner’s mind,” in the manner of Zen. You don’t have to pretend you’ve never painted before when you actually haven’t, but it can be a good exercise even if you have.
Creativity & The Cult Of Busyness
Creativity is rooted in surprise, and surprise can be cultivated.
Color & The Cycle of Life 2023
Color & The Cycle of Life 2023 Spring into Summer is hitting us full force, the air is redolent with a wild mix of perfume as everything blooms in a hurry. To a plant, it’s always late. They’re all trying to be first with the result that they’re all pretty much blooming at the same time. We are fortunate to live in a place where something blooms every month of the year, but April and May this particular year is the crescendo in the annually performed Symphony of Life....
Zero To One: Start Your Art
Zero To One: Start Your Art With love from our studio to yours, Nancy & Bruce P.S. Happy Mother's Day. We're running a 7-Day Special on our course: Experimenting With Color. Celebrate the colors of Spring by bringing color into your own Art. Learn more HERE:
Cave Paintings & Tsunamis
The mathematical philosopher (my words) Nassim Taleb, in is book Antifragile, discussed the issue of where one should place one’s resources and confidences. As an extension of what is known as “Bayesian statistics,” named after the 18th century cleric Thomas Bayes, he said in effect, “In the absence of information, bet on what’s been around the longest.”
That would be art. The cave paintings say so.
Art & Ephemerality
When big changes come along in the form of a strange and different artwork, were they latent all along like the superbloom in Central California, or are they immediate, local, unique and very possibly unviable like Goldschmidt’s big genetic leaps?
Painting Large: Nature Paints Last
There is no creation without destruction. Nature As Artist also paints last.
Bite Into It, Baby! Bite Into Your Art
Bite Into It, Baby. Bite Into Your Art Paint For Yourself Helen Frankenthaler talked about painting for yourself. She said that having an audience can be problematic because it gets in the way of painting for you. Are you painting for you? Paintings that are alive and full of wonder show us you…..your voice, your vision, your life. Show us what you love. Don’t Miss The Moment When doubt creeps in you overthink and overwork your paintings. We’ve all...
An Aviator, An Artist & Life’s Voyage
As an artist, you must figure out what works for you, your particular string to follow into and out of the cave of your personal Minotaur.
Lumps, Bumps & Lore
There is no single path that is hidden and awaiting discovery, there are many possible paths. You as an artist create your own lore by traversing the landscape of discovery.
The Ides Of March & The March Of Time
Be careful of the labels of things. They can blind you to the underlying reality. They can prevent you from exploring new things. They can steal time from you. And their power can accumulate insidiously over time.
What you learned or heard in art school, or from parents, or even from long ago conversations or readings can have profound effects in your current life. If you feel anxiety or fear that seems out of place, it probably has a long history. Start digging. The only way past is through.
Constraint & Decision: The Double-Edged Sword
In a creative life, constraints and decision architectures are a double-edged sword. They are both absolutely necessary and overwhelmingly insidious.
What you learned or heard in art school, or from parents, or even from long ago conversations or readings can have profound effects in your current life. If you feel anxiety or fear that seems out of place, it probably has a long history. Start digging. The only way past is through.
QUIZ: What's Your #1 Artist Archetype?
Some artists create amazing art with ease, while others struggle year after year to express themselves.
What's going on? Could it be about how you approach your art?
Take the Artist's Archetype Quiz and find out.
