Creative Quest

Questlove

Image | BOOK: Creative Quest by Questlove

Caption:

Questlove — musician, bandleader, designer, producer, culinary entrepreneur, professor, and all-around cultural omnivore—shares his wisdom on the topics of inspiration and originality in a one-of-a-kind guide to living your best creative life.
In Creative Quest, Questlove synthesizes all the creative philosophies, lessons, and stories he's heard from the many creators and collaborators in his life, and reflects on his own experience, to advise readers and fans on how to consider creativity and where to find it. He addresses many topics — what it means to be creative, how to find a mentor and serve as an apprentice, the wisdom of maintaining a creative network, coping with critics and the foibles of success, and the specific pitfalls of contemporary culture — all in the service of guiding admirers who have followed his career and newcomers not yet acquainted with his story.
Whether discussing his own life or channeling the lessons he's learned from forefathers such as George Clinton, collaborators like D'Angelo, or like-minded artists including Ava DuVernay, David Byrne, Björk and others, Questlove speaks with the candor and enthusiasm that fans have come to expect. Creative Quest is many things — above all, a wise and wide-ranging conversation around the eternal mystery of creativity. (From HarperCollins)

From the book

Decades into my career, with many albums and songs under my belt, I still don't know if I am truly creative. Most days I spend more time absorbing the creative work around me than actually creating myself. At times I feel like I'm a way better student than I am a teacher or a maker. The most creative thing I did today, for example, was waking up and texting Jimmy Jam about an obscure B-side from 1987.
But this isn't a bad thing; I feel like my life is complete because I'm only a text away from a lot of the artists in my childhood record collection. That leaves me almost as fulfilled as if I'd created the work myself. That's how many days go: I wake up, I engage with creative work, I don't create anything myself.

From Creative Quest by Questlove ©2018. Published by HarperCollins