Art + Torah = The place of all possibility

In her groundbreaking work, The Place of All Possibility, Rabbi Adina Allen deftly weaves ancient Jewish wisdom with contemporary creativity, offering readers a transformative journey into the heart of spiritual and artistic expression. Allen, co-founder of the Jewish Studio Project, invites us to reconnect with our creative potential through practical exercises and deep reflections. Her book, a beacon of hope and vitality, offers an additional way of engaging our creativity as well as lean into the wisdom of the Torah.

Her innovative approach, blending Jewish text study with art-making, opens up new pathways for spiritual and personal growth. For those eager to dive deeper, Rabbi Allen’s ongoing work with the Jewish Studio Project offers myriad opportunities to engage with this mindset and methodology.

I recently had the opportunity to do a short interview with Rabbi Adina Allen:

James Demmin-De Lise (JDD): In just a few words, what inspired you to write The Place of All Possibility?

Rabbi Allen (RA): I wrote The Place of All Possibility for those of all backgrounds to have access to the depths of creative wisdom within Jewish texts, and to invite more people to add their unique voices to the ongoing chain of interpretation. I believe creativity is among our most valuable resources and yet so many of us are cut off from this part of ourselves. Amidst the profound challenges of the time in which we are living, creativity is a force of generativity, connecting us to imagination, vitality and possibility.

JDD: Can you share any favorite, specific experiences that influenced your approach to integrating ancient Jewish wisdom with contemporary creativity?

RA: My approach to creativity comes from the work of my mother, Pat B. Allen, PhD, ATR, who, along with two of her colleagues, brought forth the Open Studio Process — an intuitive form of art-making that begins with setting an intention and concludes with witnessing one’s work and process through writing. Early on in rabbinical school, during the year we focus on Shemot (Exodus), I remember spending a school vacation with my mom in her studio. I introduced her to the process of havruta study. We started back at the beginning of Exodus and read and discussed the passages of text until we each came to a genuine question we were motivated to explore. We then used this question as our intention for art-making, made art, and then witnessed our work, reading aloud our writing to one another. I remember intense and evocative stories emerging in our writing, informed and shaped by our exploration of the text, yet well-beyond what had come up during our earlier discussion. Most notably, stories and imagery about the many powerful women in the early part of the Exodus narrative. I could feel the way the text came alive, my relationship with my mom as my study partner deepened, and the resonance between each of us and the text deepened. It was here that the Jewish Studio Process, which combines havruta learning and beit midrash with the Open Studio Process, was born.

JDD: Your book includes practical exercises to inspire creativity. Could you describe one or two of this sort of exercise and explain how they might help readers connect with their own creative potential?

RA: One exercise I offer is to go outside and explore what exists in the area right around where you live.

Venture on a brief excursion outside. This can be anywhere from the deep woods behind your home to a city street. See if you can relax your eyes to look at the world around you through a soft gaze of wonder and enchantment. As you go, gather stones, leaves, petals, sticks, and other natural objects that you find on the ground. When you’re done, find an open space and lay out what you’ve gathered. Create something with what you have, arranging the items you have found in a way that is pleasing to you. Offer gratitude for the gifts you’ve found.

This is an exercise I do often. I have found that, especially when I’m feeling stuck or disconnected, it helps me find abundance right where I am, wherever that is. Ephemeral art of this nature is a way of connecting to our creativity without the burden of making something “good” that will last. Putting beauty out into the world — whether you imagine this as a way of delighting your neighbors or as a prayerful act — is a way of gift-giving that helps energy move and reconnects us to our own soul and the soul of the world.

JDD: As a founder of the Jewish Studio Project, how has this initiative shaped the development of The Place of All Possibility? What role does JSP play in promoting creativity within the Jewish community?

Over the past nearly-ten years, Jewish Studio Project has been a living laboratory where I have been able to incubate, refine and share the ideas and practices of this book. The texts I explore in the book are foundational to the work we do at JSP — each of the “pathways to the place of all possibility” texts in the second half of the book exist as an art piece on the walls of JSP’s flagship studio space in Berkeley, CA, accompanied by an interpretive translation. For example, “B’tzelem Elohim — We are Created to Create”. Teaching and learning and deepening into these texts with those in our community has allowed the ideas to blossom in new and exciting ways. JSP runs a 2-year Creative Facilitator Training that trains people to be facilitators of the Jewish Studio Process methodology, and then supports them in bringing this practice to issues/communities of their choice. For instance, folks are bringing the Process to support those in the role of caregiver, new mother’s dealing with postpartum, those in recovery, b’nai mitzvah students, community organizers on the frontlines of social change work, and more. We are just about to begin our 5th cohort and continue to nurture our network of those who have completed the program. In addition, we run an 8-month Educator’s Studio to support Jewish educator’s experiencing burnout to help them reconnect to their creative vitality, as well as a significant number of other professional development programs for staff, boards, networks and fellowships across the Jewish ecosystem.

JDD: In your heart of hearts, who is the intended audience for your book, and what do you hope they take away from reading it?

RA: I know you’re not supposed to say “everyone!” but I really do feel that way. I hope my book finds its way to those who are seeking something that they might not even be able to name. I believe that Judaism is full of such deep wisdom, and it is wisdom that is so deeply needed in this time of fear, isolation, grief and overwhelm in our world. Whether one is steeped in Jewish tradition, or not Jewish or religious at all, I hope this book helps to open up places that feel stuck or intractable within, breathing fresh life, vitality, joy and possibility where there once was none.

JDD: Have you received any feedback from early readers that particularly resonated with you?

RA: I have been overwhelmed by the positive response I have received from early readers and reviewers and am so touched and honored that some of the writers, rabbis and researchers that I most respect said such beautiful things about the book. My dear colleague and friend, Rabbi Benay Lappe, President and Rosh Yeshiva of SVARA wrote that the Jewish Studio Process is “the spiritual practice that will revolutionize Judaism” and that this book:

teaches us how to unleash the power of creativity not only to bring our insights to bear on the tradition to make it better, but how to use them to understand ourselves better and transform the challenges of our lives into wisdom.

Coming from such a beloved colleague who is doing such creative and revolutionary work of her own really meant a lot to me and captured so much of what my hopes are for this book.

JDD: Can you share some insights into your own creative process while writing this book?

RA: As co-founder and Creative Director of a growing organization and mother to two young kids, there was not a lot of time to write this book, and yet, the book called out to be written. For a couple of months there were many nights when I woke up at 2 am and would write from 2 until 5 or 6 am, sleep for an hour, and then wake up again when my kids arose. I didn’t set an alarm or anything, I would just wake up with this insatiable impulse to write. It was peaceful and quiet, and comforting to let the words flow onto the page under the glow of the moon. The kabbalists talk about how this time of night is full of creative potential and I really felt that.

JDD: How do you balance scholarly research with creative exploration?

RA: The Jewish Studio Process was developed intuitively, but the more I practice it, the more I learn from it. In particular, engaging in this process has taught me the power of oscillation — moving back and forth between time, processing alone and together; silence and speaking; intellectual inquiry and intuitive exploration; word and image and more. The Process has helped me get more in touch with myself so that I can sense when I have taken in too much intellectual information and need time to process and be creative, and when my creating — be it art, writing, or something else — needs to be regrounded in text. Trusting my intuition about what is needed when and allowing for this oscillation is key.

JDD: You emphasize creativity as a means of spiritual connection. How do you envision readers using creativity to deepen their spiritual lives and enhance their relationship with Jewish tradition?

RA: I’m sure there are ways readers will engage beyond what I could imagine, and I can’t wait to learn what those are! Even if one just reads the book and does nothing more, I hope it serves as a way of softening harsh images of God, reimagining damaging readings of text and showing that the ways things have been interpreted are not the only ways possible. I’d be thrilled if readers choose to try out the Jewish Studio Process and apply the practice to the ideas and situations in their own lives that they feel are most in need of renewal. By the end of the book, I hope readers will feel that creativity is inherent within them and that tapping into this part of themselves is a way of connecting to the Divine.

JDD: Are there any future projects or upcoming events related to The Place of All Possibility that you’re particularly excited about?

RA: I am very excited for the stops on my book tour. I’m particularly looking forward to being in conversation with the amazing Bayo Akomolafe at the 92nd Street Y in September. Much of his writing and thinking informs the writing in this book and I am excited to bring his writing and ideas into conversation with the texts in the book and see what new we might uncover through our exploration.

JDD: How would you like readers to engage with your work beyond the book?

RA: The great thing about this book is that if readers get excited by what they read, there are so many ways to dive in. Jewish Studio Project offers ongoing community programs, from drop in sessions to fellowship opportunities, and the JSP Facilitator Network is growing with facilitators around the country offering more and more offerings both in-person and online. Check out our program calendar, get connected to a facilitator near you, or try out our 7-days of creativity self-led journey!

JDD: Looking back on the journey of writing this book, what has been the most rewarding aspect for you personally and professionally?

RA: The most rewarding aspect has been experiencing the ways these texts continue to unfurl and evolve every time I engage them. I have been so grateful for the many havrutot I have had throughout this journey of book-writing, including coaches, editors, family members, JSP team members and Fellows, and, of course, my mom, to whom this book is dedicated and to whom I am forever indebted. That spark of new ideas, the way a text I may have looked at a hundred times opens in a new way, sparkling and radiating with a newfound beauty, is thrilling and is when I feel closest to God. I’m so grateful for the spiritual practice of writing this book.

Rabbi Adina Allen is a spiritual leader, writer, and educator who grew up in an art studio where she learned firsthand the power of creativity for connecting to self and to the Sacred. She is cofounder and creative director of Jewish Studio Project (JSP), an organization that is seeding a future in which every person is connected to their creativity as a force for healing, liberation and social transformation. Based on the work of her mother, renowned art therapist Pat B. Allen, Adina developed the Jewish Studio Process, a methodology for unlocking creativity, which she has brought to thousands of organizational and community leaders, educators, artists, and clergy across the country. A national media contributor, popular speaker, and workshop leader, Adina has published in scholarly as well as mainstream publications, and more of her writing can be found on her website at www.adina-allen.com. She and her family live in Berkeley, California.