CREATIVE INTUITION, a philosophical exploration into a fluid way of being

178pp., illus., paperback, UNISA, Pretoria, 2026

ISBN: 9781776152308

Soon to be published by Routledge for the international market.

In this book, based on her PhD thesis, Understanding Intuition in the Creative Process, Theresa Hardman argues that creative intuition involves four principles: a state of expanded consciousness, an open, fluid way of being, a focus on the particular rather than the general, and an act of fusion or identification which occurs through emotion or empathy.

"Topics covered include: what is creativity; the importance of solitude and collaboration; the rational and non-rational aspects of the creative process; psychology and Eastern philosophical influences on understanding the creative experience; the external factors that nurture creativity; mindfulness versus ‘mindlessness’ ...  and much more" Britt Lawton, the David Krut Podcast

"In Hardman's rigorous and intellectual study, I find validation and support for approaches to creativity that do not prioritise idea-led work or the rational brain. It recognises an embodied experience - a fluid way of being; processes that avoid a neat, graspable, linear path by detouring, expanding and tapping into what is unique and deeply personal in each of us ... This book invites artists and teachers to embrace this necessary uncertainty, and it gives us the tools to defend a way of being that resists the rigid confines of so many educational structures. ” from the foreword by Chloe Briggs, founder of Drawing is Free www.drawingisfree.org

Dr Theresa Hardman is Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture, University of the Free State. Many of her architectural projects are in the Karoo, but she works countrywide. She also facilitates art, qigong and workshops and retreats that focus on nurturing creative intuition.