Passionate People are Creative Cheat codes

QD #72 🗺️ Final roll call for our New York event this Sunday!

and

Apr 25, 2025

In this weeks edition…
✷ Last call for this Sunday’s event in NYC !
✷ In London on 10th May? come to our playful picnic!
✷ Why passionate people are creative cheat codes
✷ A treasure trove of illuminating links!

Dear Questers,

Sam here 👋 We’re into the final week of our Maps themed Creative Quest and our crew of Questers are currently exploring how we turn the vast amount of inspiration gathered into creative action.

To end every Quest we encourage people to make or do something that feels like fitting act to round off their exploration. No big, bells and whistle projects - but thoughtful creative acts and experiments. Something that passes on the torch of inspiration to others.

Here is a mood board of where three weeks of Questing can take you!

Passionate People are Creative Cheat Codes

Yesterday I had a delight of spending a day at a conference called More Than Human Mapping - organised by the Living Maps Network: an ecosystem of researchers, community activists, artists and others with a common interest in the use of *counter mapping for social change, public engagement, critical debate and creative forms of community campaigning.

*Counter-mapping is a practice where communities create maps that challenge or subvert dominant maps produced by governments, businesses, or other powerful entities.

Attending such conferences is not something I usually do… but when you are on a Creative Quest exploring the theme of Maps and there just so happens to a meeting of the most map-tastic minds from around the UK (and beyond) - you accept the universes’ invitation to play.

It was a truly mind-expanding day. Covering everything from poetic explorations of coastline erosion - to empowering remote indigenous peoples to map their own lands - to dog walks as a form of ‘interspecies placemaking’ - to mapping the spirit world of balkan villages .

I went, full-well-knowing, I would be the least map-literate and map-intelligent person there. I knew there would be things I didn’t grasp, or industry jokes that flew right past me.

It was not in spite of these points, but because of these points that I knew I had to be there. I consider being in such rooms, not only a privilege, but a creative opportunity.

I wanted to learn more about Maps of course (like the dedicated Quester that I am), but mostly I wanted to amongst a sea of people that are ‘capital P’ PASSIONATE about maps.

Taken at the Living Maps Network conference yesterday.

Along the path of any Quest, or any learning journey in life, make it your mission to encounter real life, living people who live a life shaped by their passion for the subject you are trying to understand.

Why? Passionate people are cheat codes for supercharging your perception.

Our perception of the world, and how we express it is what makes each of us creatively unique.

A passionate person’s perceptions are vast and interconnecting. Their enthusiasm is inextinguishable and contagious. They often hold the keys to creative approaches that could take you a lifetime to find or realise on your own. It’s their passion that continues to propel them to see the world in the most fascinating ways.

I have met an all star cast of these passionate people over my years of Questing. These are not out of reach, creative celebrities - they are friends of friends and community minded people. Often a chance encounter, conversation, DM or email away.

A few passionate folks I’ve encountered through Questing:

Richard Cheetham MBE who I met on a Movement Quest in May 2016: a sports coaching fellow at Winchester University who uses play techniques and children’s party games to coach some of the UK’s most well known rugby players. Seriously - picture a room full of huge, burly, guys - all frantically and joyously trying to keep dozens of coloured balloons in the air in a sports hall - and that is window into Richard’s world.

Laurie Kanyer who I met on a Collage Quest in January 2022: an artist and publisher based in Washington who is dedicating her life to the exploration of collage as medium for healing and transformation. Her and her husband Doug own the largest private collection of collage work in the entire world. Laurie’s love for collage is an institution in itself.

Momtaz Begum Hossain who I met on a Colour Quest in March 2021. She is truly one of the most vibrant, technicolour people I have ever encountered - on account of her rainbow hair, makeup and outfits. Momtaz is the creator of a new colour philosophy, called Hello Hue: a manifesto for how to welcome the mood-boosting benefits of colour into your life. A very welcome addition to the familiar patriarchal palette of colour theory.

Each encounter with a Passionate Person is valuable as they have the magical abilities to fast forward your creative relationship to a subject / art form / idea very very quickly.

Where to find passionate people:

The beauty of passion is that it isn’t dependent on fame, degrees, or accolades. Someone practicing their craft every day for 30 years in their shed is just as insightful as someone who has released a bestselling book on the same topic. Some people are just more visible than others.

Some tips for how to engage passionate people:

Use your existing knowledge of their passion to show you’re serious in your curiosity and genuinely interested in their work.
Tell them about your Quest to learn more about their field.
Crucially, don’t make it about all you. Most people love to talk about the things they are passionate about – especially to someone who is starting out and genuinely interested to learn more.
Light their fuse with thoughtful questions and curiosity. You’ll know it’s working when their eyes gain a shiny quality. They might speak in unfamiliar terms or forget the question you asked. Something else takes over. Imagination blooms in real time. Let them run with it.

Your role as a Quester is to sit back, listen deeply, ask good questions, take notes and enjoy the fireworks!

A round up of illuminating discoveries from our Questers this month…

🎧 Mapology Guides: Illustrated self help guides for life’s journeys

🧐 Derive: an urban exploration app

❤️ American Museum and Gardens exhibition: Myths and Memories: Renaissance Maps Exhibition

✍️ Why take the quickest route when you could take the happiest one instead?

📍 Maps of Earth throughout time

🪐 Want some foodie inspo? Travel through the Taste Atlas

🫎 Territory Writing: an atlas of poetic writings tracing the relationship between humans and the territory on which they are established

“A map is great if you’re the kind of person who prefers to walk roads that already exist.” ― Craig D Lounsbrough

Finally…

New Yorkers! I know there are a fair few of you here. We’re back with another event on Sun 27 Apr (that’s in 2 days!) - games, exploration and conversation all about Maps -including a whole excursion in the local neighbourhood! Don’t miss out!

🗓️ Sun 27 Apr
⏰ 1-4pm EST
📍Now What, 45 Main Street, DUMBO
🎟️ $20 (use code QUESTER20 for 20% off)
https://lu.ma/44a2u2tf

That’s 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

🥾 Quest Guide / Founder
📲 @saaamfurness

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