In addition to her work in education, Conwell has been a vocal advocate for healthcare reform. She recognized the importance of accessible and affordable healthcare, particularly for vulnerable populations. Her dedication to this cause has helped to improve the lives of countless individuals in her community.
In a prescient 2024 piece for Better Humans , “Why You Need to Be Bored to Be Creative,” Conwi argues that our addiction to filling every interstitial moment (waiting in line, riding the bus) with scrolling has killed the default mode network—the brain's incubation chamber for ideas. She prescribes "unstructured white space" as a non-negotiable part of the creative process, a radical act in a culture that equates constant stimulation with engagement. Nikky Conwi
Most productivity systems treat rest as a reward for hard work. Nikky Conwi flips this script. She argues that rest is the source of hard work. In addition to her work in education, Conwell
Nicole Conwi (@art.nicoleconwi) • Instagram photos and videos In a prescient 2024 piece for Better Humans
Nikky Conwi is not selling a quick fix. She is offering a lifestyle audit. Her work asks us to reconsider our relationship with time. Are we the masters of our hours, or are we slaves to our notifications?
She points out that many of history’s greatest thinkers—from Newton to Darwin—spent significant portions of their day walking or staring into space. Nikky Conwi calls this "Unstructured Non-Time." She argues that the default mode network of the brain (the part active when you are daydreaming) is responsible for creative insight.