Developing an idea about complexity and emergence which looks at the stages of an emergent cycle—that being how a substrate gives rise to an emergent phenomenon, which reaches equilibrium providing the substrate for a the next phenomenon. The way I see it, it goes something like this:

quantum randomness > is predictable at a certain scale > reaches equilibrium > becomes base + randomness (as a byproduct)

or this

substrate + free energy > patterns emerge (disturbances in the uniformity of the free energy) > equilibrium reached > substrate + free energy

This echoes Hegel's cycle regarding history...

thesis > antithesis > synthesis (thesis - the substrate for further development)

But it's cumulative. Like a spiral (so is Hegel's actually, as it refers to History which moves forward so cycles don't fold back on themselves)

Karl Popper has a related cycle related to intellectual discovery...

Problem 1 > Tentative Theory > Error Elimination (equilibrium) > Problem 2 (the byproduct left out of the solution to P1)

Popper suggests that this is analogous to inorganic physics, biology (using the example of an amoeba responding to heat) and intellectual discovery. Popper refers to organisms as problem-solving structures (to my mind the problem being solved is how to serve entropy probably, organisms are said to be dissipative structures, that while being ordered themselves increase entropy more efficiently than if they weren't there).

My sense is that all creative or emergent processes follow this pattern. substrate + randomness, patterning (un-uniforming), equilibrium, substrate + randomness.

I'd be interested if anyone else has criticism, or better codifications of this, or elements I've missed in this very rough outline, before I solidify this kernel of an idea into a proper post (probably with pictures or interactives).