The Adjacent Possible

For thousands of years before the written word, humans learned about their ancestors and the world around them through story, passed down through the generations.

Art predated the written word, and has been a source of story from the first prehistoric cave paintings onwards.

On the heels of Nancy Hillis' bestselling book The Adjacent Possible, this guidebook animates the science of creativity through artists' stories about embracing the unfolding of art. This is poised instability- the pivot point between creation and collapse. This is where innovation thrives. 

This is the art and science of the possible- A world of continuous creation.

This book will:

connect scientific concepts with artistic practice to understand the nature of surprise

illuminate the creative journey of discovery through artists' stories

build artistic confidence through reflections and creativity exercises

Over 20 practicing artists share stories of transformations in their own lives and art, and how they benefitted personally from principles described in The Adjacent Possible.

Each artist forged their own path to a life of exuberant creativity. Their stories contain lessons and wisdom on how to find your own path.

Dive in, you're among friends!

Nancy Hillis, M.D. and Bruce Sawhill, Ph.D. enjoy conversations on art, science and the generation of novelty in the universe. Nancy is an abstract artist, Stanford trained psychiatrist and author of best-selling books The Artist's Journey: Bold Strokes To Spark Creativity and The Adjacent Possible: Evolve Your Art. From Blank Canvas To Prolific Artist. 

She helps artists transform their art from the inside out, operating from the conviction that artistic creation has as much to do with psychology as with the medium of expression. She's been featured in Inc. magazine and The New York Observer. 

Bruce is a Stanford educated theoretical physicist, mathematician, composer and concert organist. Bruce's life has been centered around transportation, both physical and psychological. Bruce has swum...