Hypothesis: There are three levels of consciousness. On the bottom are the things you do without really thinking (autopilot), the way you behave when you are moving through your day without putting much thought into what you are doing. You go through the motions, walking the dog, doing the dishes, eating whatever is nearest and scrolling on your phone. On the middle level are the things you do consciously, with planning or intent. Setting goals, making deliberate choices, speaking conscientiously and carefully, exercising self-discipline to fulfill obligations and complete tasks. Finally, at the top level, are the things you do to control the way you think and feel, to manipulate your defaults and hopefully improve the autopilot. If the brain is physical and the mind is non-physical, the third level is the mind tweaking the brain in order to indirectly alter the mind. Things like running to fight depression, meditating to improve grounding, or using mind-expanding drugs to alter your perspective and court realizations.  

Materials: Old acrylics we bought for the kids during COVID, cheap bulk canvas, acrylic pens, sharpies, various neuroscience and philosophy texts, three years in the desert (one in psychological crisis, one in the bottle with the lightning, one in conscious transition), DMT, LSD, MDMA, psilocybin, 2CB, ketamine, peyote. 

Procedures: Reading, notes, painting, drugs, long yelling conversations in various kitchens, painting, chemical structure diagrams and analyses, emails to old neuroscience/philosophy professors, conversations with former colleagues, painting, submissions, rejections, drugs, painting, acceptances, showings, quieter conversations in various galleries, dissemination. 

Conclusions: Various. None. It appears that free will, to the extent it exists at all, is a bit player, present only in fits and bursts.