Is Creativity Dead?
Issue #60 📈 we are 92% funded on the Kickstarter for our debut book! Plus early bird for our 2025 programme!
THE QUEST DIGEST by Creative Quests is a treasure chest of ideas & stories exploring what it means to live an illuminating, creative life. Written by Sam Furness and delivered when inspiration and creativity strike. Subscribe to receive each issue or send to a friend in need of a creative boost.
Dear Questers,
Sam here 👋 Happy Thanksgiving eve to our American friends.
We have SIX DAYS left of our Kickstarter campaign for our debut release ‘The Quester’s Guide’. A book, card deck & online portal - exploring the theme of MAGIC!
We’re at 92% funded! Can you help us cross the finish line?!
We just announced that (if we are successful) every backer will receive a digital goody bag of creative resources to see you through the Christmas holidays.
The return of our live Quest Programme (in January 2025)
You can get early bird spaces (at a reduced price) through our Kickstarter campaign. Alongside a copy of the new book of course.
Imagine immersing your curiosity in a mystery theme for one-month, alongside the most interesting people in the world.
⚡️ Live sessions ft guests which explore our collective theme
🧭 Weekly creative missions to fuel your exploration.
🏕 Virtual campfire chats on illuminating topics.
👩💻 Join our virtual hub and connect with our global creative community
📍We are introducing IRL chapters in some cities. More on that soon!
”For anyone who wants to develop their creativity through a collective exploration, to see things in a new way and learn from the bright minds of others from around the world. 10/10 - would recommend.” - Hannah, Oct 2023
Is Creativity Dead ?
So reads the title of a new video piece in the New York Times by documentary maker Kirby Ferguson. It’s a great watch, exploring how algorithms have created an echo chamber for creative references… which has resulted in a bland-sameness across all kinds of mediums. It’s well worth of five minutes of your time.
Recently I have been giving a lot of talks on the power of curiosity and how we improve our creative lives. So I thought I’d add my two pence to the conversation.
First all of - Creativity is not dead.
But the ways in which we are feeding our creativity are very much in life support mode.
The ONLY mainstream conversation that is happening about creativity in the world right now is to do with AI - which is complete insanity to me.
Of course we need to talk about AI. The ethics, the practicalities, the impact on jobs. I get it. For more on this thread… I recommend the thoughts of Mo Gawdat.
But where is the conversation about human centric creativity?
In time where we are all at risk of becoming more robot - where are the places / spaces doubling down on nurturing our humanity?
How do we help people remember their creativity as adults? This is the work we do with people and orgs through Creative Quests and parent company Channel Twelve.
If you want to know more about out work and what we offer companies, I'd love to tell you! Just reply to this email.
As a culture we are obsessed with the WHAT or 'the output' of creativity. It's all about the final product that ends up on screens in front of us or as physical product in our hands.
I am much more interested in the HOW of creativity. The process, the exploration, the questions, the learning, the relationships, , the mistakes. HOW we communicate our unique perspectives. HOW we are changed by the process.
This is what AI and an algorithmic existence erases from the human centric creative experience in my opinion - and precisely why we need to be so careful and conscious when adopting AI into our lives.
AI, algorithms and viral trends are stealing our curiosity superpowers from us.
From 9 years of actively exploring, researching and living what it means to be creative…
I can say that the single most important thing you can ever do to feel and be more creative is consciously exploring topics outside of your interest / comfort zone.
When we are 'intentionally curious' (I.e: choosing to explore and be interested by new subjects) our experience of the world changes.
We go to new places.
We meet new people.
We learn new things.
We have conversations we've never had.
These novel environments are where inspiration thrives. Brilliant and original ideas exist in these intersections. It's where our understanding of the world meets somebody else's.
It's where we feel a sense of universal connection and realise that perhaps there are infinite other ways to perceive the world, beyond our own.
In short: INTENTIONAL CURIOSITY REVIVES CREATIVITY.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
A round up of illuminating finds from Quester world.
🍿 At 7pm GMT / 2pm EST today we are having an Instagram live conversation with Tree Carr about why ‘The Modern World Needs Magic’.
⏳ The inaugural issue of Long Now’s new annual print journal synthesizes the most important learnings of our first quarter-century.
💜 RADAR are open to submissions for micro-grants for projects building ‘A Future in Love’.
❓ Adore this frame of ‘Magical Questions’ from Priya Parker. We are including our own Magical Questions in the pre-xmas goody pack for all backers of our Kickstarter (if we are succesful!)
🥁 Finding Rhythms deliver collaborative music-making courses for those at risk of (re)offending either within the prison estate or in the community. Incredibly powerful work.
👽 This A$AP Rocky video is essential viewing.
🌋 The winning entries for Landscape Photographer of the Year
Finally…
Please do check out our new book! (only 6 days left of me promoting the crowd funder!). It’s a very unique way to explore your creativity and has been made by 20 people in our Quester community (this is no small feat).
I love hearing from readers in the comments and ❤️’s always feel good.
If you enjoy I’d love it if you shared it with a friend or two; you can send them here to sign up.
Big love,
Sam x
Quest Guide / Founder
@saaamfurness
THE QUEST DIGEST by Creative Quests is a treasure chest of ideas & stories exploring what it means to live an illuminating, creative life. Delivered when inspiration and creativity strike. Subscribe to receive each issue or send to a friend in need of a creative boost.
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