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"The Place of All Possibility" is a paradigm-shifting work that reframes the whole of Torah as a contemporary guidebook for creativity. Drawing from the deep well of Jewish sacred texts, and the radical interpretive strategies of ancient rabbis, "The Place of All Possibility" provides teachings and tools for those who seek to employ creativity as a force of transformation.
Putting spiritual wisdom in conversation with contemporary disciplines of art therapy, liberation theology, and creativity research, this essential book invites us all to rediscover our place in a world of mutual thriving. Packed with practical exercises to inspire your creative practice, "The Place of All Possibility" is for all people—from any tradition or none—who want to seed a world of imagination, abundance, and joy.
We are all created creative.
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IntroductionGrowing up Rabbi Adina Allen found sanctuary in her mother's art studio. Her mother, well-known art therapist, Pat B. Allen, instilled in Adina that the act of creativity, whatever it looked like was always welcome. Through her Rabbinic school journey, and engagement with the textual traditions of Judaism and Jewish learning, Adina drew parallels to the processes of creativity that she often turned to in her youth. In this chapter, Rabbi Allen invites us into the world that inspired the Jewish Studio Project, and the Jewish Studio Process that continues to alter how we think about creativity, text study, and art.
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Creativity as TorahIn this Chapter of her debut book Rabbi Adina Allen uses the etymological processes used to break down Hebrew words and stories to highlight the richness of interpretation in the Jewish tradition. She emphasizes the generative capacity of engaging with detailed practices of interpretation, and how Jewish tradition invites us to continue to create in this way. Especially as it pertains to Torah. We are reminded that nothing stays stagnant, but is ever evolving.
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Torah as CreativityGrowing up, Rabbi Adina's mother- art therapist Pat B. Allen- would, in her times of turmoil, ask her "well, have you made art about it yet?" It was by following her mother's guidance that she began to experience the divine presence in the making of art. For Rabbi Allen, and many of who have engaged the Jewish Studio Processes, the inherent connection between Torah and art comes alive in the understanding that each of us are simultaneously students of creativity, and makers of art and interpretation. Our task is to remain open to the flow of creativity. Learn more at adina-allen.com.
The Jewish Studio ProcessIn this chapter, Rabbi Adina lays out the conceptual framework that is the foundation of the Jewish Studio Processes. At its core, the Jewish Studio Process is away of engaging with and expanding upon the interpretations of Torah that have already been written. Learn more at adina-alien.com!
Setting Out on the PathIn this section of "The Place of All Possibility," Rabbi Adina Allen provides five pathways we might travel in our creative processes. Learn more at adina-allen.com
We Are Created CreativeIn the first chapter of Genesis, we are taught that we are all created in the image and likeness of the Divine. For Rabbi Adina Allen, this is point in our story where the innate creativity of each of us is born and resides. She asks the question "...what is starting with God's creation of the universe is less about asserting God's power, and more about inviting us to access and active our own creative potential?" (104) In this chapter of 'The Place of All Possibility,' Rabbi Allen invites us to ponder what does it mean to be created in the image of God, and how can we use that as fuel for our inherent creativity. Join the conversation at adina-allen.com!
Creation Comes from Chaos and VoidLife is messy, and finding time to tap into our innate creativity can be challenging. But, it inside of the chaos of our lives that Rabbi Adina Allen invites us to explore how the 'perfect' or 'right' moment to create naturally is inside of the chaos, just as it was at moment of chaos through which God created the earth. And, just like God used the primordial elements available in the chaos and void, Rabbi Adina invites us to consider that creativity and the processes of making invites us to use what we have, at any given moment. She tells us, "to be in touch with creativity is to see the potential in everything..." including our mess. Consider this your invitation, adina-alien.com.
We Are Called to Journey into the UnknownLike Abraham when God called him to venture from his home, to the home of his forbearers, Rabbi Adina Allen reminds us that each of us is called on to our own paths. These journeys are the 'creative processes of our lives,' and they are not always clearly defined or illustrated. Through acts of creation we can reflect on and unearth what has and will shape us, and navigate the big, scary, daunting feelings that we might experience as we move forward. adina-allen.com
God is ProcessIn Jewish tradition, God is called by many names, yet when God comes to Moses, God shares God's actual name, one that encompasses all that God is and can be. Rabbi Adina Allen invites us to consider that this name makes holy the process of becoming. Learn more at adina-allen.com!
What Else Could This Be?In this final chapter of her book "The Place of All Possibility," Rabbi Adina urges us to consider how the reminder 'turn it, turn it, for everything is in it' called forth in Pirkei Avot 5:22 is a pathway to the place of all possibility. As we turn our creations and the various components that bring them to life we allow our feelings to grow, shift, and change. Through this process we ourselves are changed. Discover the path to possibility at adina-allen.com.
ConclusionThe opportunity to stop and reflect on the creative process is in and of itself a creative process. May we, those made in the image and likeness of the divine, remember to stop and celebrate the acts of creation we engage with on a daily basis. Join the celebration at adina-allen.com!
