Anatomy of an idea
QD #74 π Turning fragments into fireworks: Release Day is on 30 May
In this weeks editionβ¦
β· IRL goodness and updates on our debut book
β· How ideas come together
β· Release Day is coming on 30 May - 115 people signed up so far!
β· A treasure trove of illuminating links
Dear Questers,
Sam here π Itβs all happening! Last week was one of those weeks you dream about.
As a global community, we donβt get to gather in person nearly as much as Iβd like. As we grow into new territory as a collective co-creating projects - and running community programmes - Iβve felt the desire for more IRL moments.
Last week, after a year of virtual collaboration on our new book (thank you Zoom, Slack, Notion, and Miro), we had our first print-out - and got to do it in person with some core CQ collaborators (shout out Sparks, Ana and Annie). It was magic, and we are getting so close! To all those waiting on your copy⦠it will be worth the wait.
Not only that, but we also hosted a picnic in London, attended by Questers from all eras of our four-year existence!
I had multiple moments last week where I just sat back and enjoyed the feeling of truly being with my people: collaborating on big ideas, talking about the future, and enjoying the freedom of creative exploration. Blissful!
π Anatomy of an Idea: Release Day
Ideas rarely, if ever, arrive fully formed. They come in fragments, piece by piece, to build a bigger picture. The clues are all around us - in conversations, desires, and noticings.
The skill of the artist / entrepreneur / innovator is to pay close attention to the world and trust intuition enough to recognise the creative potential of these fragments when combined.
βWhen you catch one fish that you love, even if it's a little fishβa fragment of an ideaβthat fish will draw in other fish... Soon there are more and more fragments, and the whole thing emerges. But it starts with desire.β
β David Lynch
On Friday 30 May, weβre trying out a new idea called Release Day - a 24-hour celebration where creative people collectively release their work. The hypothesis: a shared launch moment gives us both the deadline and the community we need to get our ideas out of the drafts folder and into the light.
115 people are signed up so far! Will you join the release party?
To demonstrate my thinking about fragments⦠here is how the idea for Release Day was formed:
𧩠Fragment #1 - Music industry nostalgia
I used to work in the music industry, managing artists. Over nearly a decade I worked with all kinds of artists - from global touring acts to baby bands putting out their first songs.
One thing all music artists have in common, no matter their size: releases. The industry is built around release cycles: singles, tickets, press - but none more celebrated than the album release. Itβs a moment that creates momentum, collective purpose, and urgency. The big communal deadline fuelling everyone - team and fans alike.
I always loved when album release day finally arrived. The office corridors and my inbox would fill with βHappy Release Day!β messages - not just from immediate collaborators, but from the wider industry too. Everyone recognised it as a moment to celebrate. Three little words that felt great to give and receive.
About nine months ago, it struck me how much I missed this eruption of collective recognition - and how unlikely I was to experience it again for my own creative projects. Most personal projects are solo. No big team. Who says βHappy Release Day!β to you when you share a new poem, launch a public art experiment, or take a new creative direction? They are all releases.
It will be customary on our Release Day to congratulate participating artists with those three words.
𧩠Fragment #2 - A local fireworks display
Watching fireworks erupt over the beach where I live, I was struck by how the time-bound intensity is what makes them special. Itβs not about a single explosion - but the sequence: some huge, some colourful, some small and sparkling. I knew this is how Release Day should feel. A firework display of realised ideas.
As a result of this experience, fireworks are what inspired the visuals for the poster by Alessandra Ellis.
𧩠Fragment #3 - Quester projects
Our Creative Quests programme is not just a learning journey - but a design process too. Dozens of eclectic creative projects have been born through our guided process in the last few years. But significantly more projects havenβt seen the light of day because we have no structure to see them into the world. Weβve experimented with βQuestlabβ months - an incubator of sorts. This was successful but ultimately too labour intensive to continueβ¦ Iβm hoping that Release Day fills this role.
𧩠Fragment #4 - βThe Lonely Creatorβ
and are doing some of the most exciting work in the world of creativity right now - in my humble opinion at least. Yancey writes beautifully about the concept of βreleaseβ and the state of creativity. A while back he wrote about the idea of the βlonely creatorβ - who posts for clicks and likes, chasing clout, often feeling like they are in a void.
It gave language to something Iβd been feeling but not naming.
With Release Day, I hope we soothe that feeling. When you participate, you become part of a club - supporters and audience, all at once. Individual projects, collective energy.
𧩠Fragment #5 - a personal desire.
Tsundoku (η©γθͺ) is the Japanese word for the act of acquiring books and letting them pile up without reading them.
I think there should be a word for formulating creative project ideas and letting them pile up unrealised.
Iβm guilty of it. So is nearly every creative person I know.
When I have a deadline, Iβm driven and focused. I donβt necessarily doubt myself less - but I push through because I have to. Professional projects have deadlines - thatβs why they get done. Personal ones often donβt. So they gather dust.
Why not give your creative project the same weight of importance you give your professional life?
As David Lynch says: βIt starts with desire.β
Mine is to move past ideas - and release more tangible work into the world. And to create structures that help others do the same.
π RELEASE DAY: FRIDAY 30 MAY
A 24hr global celebration where creative people collectively release their work.
π RSVP to participate / for weekly updates
β· Follow us on instagram for more regular updates
#CQReleaseDay
A round up of illuminating discoveries from our Quester world..
π§ Are you a community leader or expert gatherer? Join the Community Council from 14-17 October in Normandy, Franceβ¦ This is an amazing looking experience for leaders who see beyond transactions and are dedicated to building relationships that last.
π A love letter to the people who believe in people from Tina Roth Eisenberg
π³ Sam is leading a walk and workshop about the iconic London Plane Tree for the Urban Tree Festival this Sunday (May 18) in Kilburn Park, London
π Get up to Β£3,000 in funding toward your collective imagination project! Closing on Monday 19th May. We were very grateful recipients last year for the research phase of our first Quest town! (more on this soon)
π Oilwell is a wellness app to help you embrace climate chaos (this is irony of the best kind)
πΏ Submit a piece of creative writing to Rock Solid Stories - a newsletter written from the perspective of statues (itβs brilliant!). Created by
π§ A new study from Ohio University has found that if you want to do your best, most creative work, moving to a new place, or working from several places, can accelerate the process
π§ A New Creative Era: a podcast exploring how creative people release work and develop their practices
"I was waiting for something extraordinary to happen, but as the years wasted on, nothing ever did unless I caused it.β
βCharles Bukowski
Finallyβ¦
Thatβs all for this week. Thanks for reading! A lot of time, heart and energy goes into writing these each week. If you enjoy what we do at Creative Quests - you can support by joining a Quest (next one is in July!) or booking us to run a workshop in your community or organisation. If you want to know more - just hit reply on this email!
Sharing this newsletter with a curious loved one is also deeply appreciated.
Quest love,
Sam x
CQ HQ
π₯Ύ Quest Guide / Founder
π² @saaamfurness
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