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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Stealing Victory From Defeat
I think our lives and those of others are full of scabbed-over defeats like this, seemingly forgotten but still exerting a powerful force, a force of impossibility, a repeated litany of limits.
Our particular example is in the realm of long walks, but we believe that it describes a common phenomenon, one of self-limiting behavior, of setbacks allowed to become permanent, a subtle and insidious ossification.
I think that this is the kind of process that might be at work when creatives experience artistic block.
A Symphony Of Life & Creativity
There is a parallel between the creation of truly novel unprecedented life with artistic creativity, particularly radical changes in expressive direction. New ideas are brought into an existing context, one that is established and well defended, both in the artist’s mind and in the creative community.
Art Class: Stanford Sierra Camp
Every year I’m honored to teach an art class with my friend and colleague, Dr. Jane Lombard, at Stanford Medical Alumni Sierra Camp at Fallen Leaf Lake in South Lake Tahoe, California. It’s wonderful to work with brilliant Stanford physicians, medical students, doctoral students and their families. They’re an earnest and kind and competent group, as befits those that go into the work of caring for others medically.
A Walking Retrospective & The Adjacent Possible
What if we could teach ourselves to explore the adjacent possible in creative environments in the same way that we explore it automatically when confronted with physical or existential challenges? To mute the creepy soundtrack of fear and just watch the video, as it were?
Adventure & The Distillation Of Creativity
Adventure & The Distillation Of Creativity Stripping life to its essentials. Nancy and I just returned from a backpacking trip, which is not something we’ve done a lot together. By spending three nights out on the trail, we doubled our collective lifetime total. The Lost Coast We hiked a stretch of California Coast called ‘The Lost Coast,” called that because it was lost to road engineers but otherwise just as found as all the other segments of...
Transformation, Enlightenment & The Games We Play
Cultivating the idea of the adjacent possible is a way of freeing oneself from an undesirable context, of being the author of a new paradigm and transcending the prison of other people’s rules.
Overcoming A Crisis Of Creative Confidence
Overcoming A Crisis Of Creative Confidence CLICK ON THE ARROW ABOVE TO WATCH THE VIDEO P.S. Speaking of books- our forthcoming book, The Adjacent Possible: Guidebook & Stories of Artistic Transformation is getting closer to being published. Meanwhile, we're still running the cover contest and we'd love your help selecting the cover! Here are the 3 contenders. Which do you prefer? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below. Meanwhile, we found out...
The Adjacent Possible: Flow & Ease
The Adjacent Possible: Flow & Ease P.S. Speaking of books- our forthcoming book, The Adjacent Possible: Guidebook & Stories of Artistic Transformation is getting closer to being published. Meanwhile, we're still running the cover contest and we'd love your help selecting the cover! Here are the 3 contenders. Which do you prefer? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below. Meanwhile, we found out this week the first Adjacent Possible...
Lost & Found On The Adjacent Possible
If you search for the Adjacent Possible, it is going to require taking some paths less traveled. And if you take these paths, you might occasionally get lost. In fact if you don’t ever get lost, you’re probably not exploring adventurously enough. It comes with the territory.
The Adjacent Possible On Earth & In The Heavens
Perhaps our civilization has co-evolved with the idea of story in such a way that language, writing, and story are an integrated structure, as inseparable as the circulatory system, the nervous system, and the skeleton of our bodies.
Swimming, Art & Zero to One
Swimming, Art & Zero to One We have often spoken of the idea of Zero to One, an idea that is both mathematical and existential, of going from nothing to something. It’s about doing something you’ve never done before. Even though this concept is very relevant when you, as an artist, face the blank canvas, it has application far beyond the world of art. It comes up so many times in a typical day that it is easy to take for granted or miss it entirely. Every day is composed of many...
Color & The Cycle of Life
Color & The Cycle of Life Spring is hitting us in 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 at the same time. We are fortunate to live in a place where something blooms every month of the year, but March and April is the crescendo in the annually performed Symphony of Life. By May things are already drying up,...
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.
