Book SummaryCreative Quest, by Questlove

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Creative Quest

How do creative geniuses come up with their groundbreaking ideas? In Creative Quest, musician and producer Questlove explores the creative process, arguing that creativity isn’t an innate talent that some people have and others lack. Rather, creativity is something we can all boost by making our own creations or interacting with other artistic works. He provides tips and strategies to access your creativity, collaborate with others, and overcome obstacles, so you can create work that you and others enjoy.

Questlove (Ahmir Khalib Thompson) is a four-time Grammy winner and cofounder of The Roots, the house band for The Tonight Show. He also hosts the podcast Questlove Supreme. His experience...

Creative Quest Summary Part 1: What Is Creativity?

Questlove defines creativity as the process of making something new. He argues that being creative isn’t just something traditional artists do—everyone can be creative. A parent who designs fun activities for their kids can be just as creative as a professional filmmaker.

According to Questlove, creativity allows us to leave our imprint on the world. When we create something, we prove we can change our surroundings and make a difference in our communities and in other people’s lives. For example, if you’re an indie game developer, you can see how your games inspire people, give them comfort, or help them connect with friends.

Other Definitions of Creativity

While Questlove views creativity as...

Creative Quest Summary Part 2: How to Be Creative

According to Questlove, you don’t need special training to be creative—you just need to practice using the skill and learn to trust your creative instincts. In this section, we’ll discuss how to be creative using tips like keeping your mind open to new ideas, setting up your workspace, planning creative projects, and maintaining your creativity as you age.

Keep an Open Mind

First, Questlove writes that the key to creativity is to let your mind remain open and receptive to ideas. You can do this by:

1. Accepting all ideas that come to mind. When doing creative work, it can be tempting to immediately judge ideas that pop into your mind as good or bad. But if you’re too quick to dismiss ideas, you might prematurely filter out valuable ones. You’ll also feel frustrated as you try to generate perfect ideas. Questlove argues that by entertaining your ideas longer, no matter how strange or far-fetched they may seem, you might discover connections you’d otherwise miss and also stay in a creative flow. To stay open to initial ideas, remind yourself that editing and refinement can come later.

2. Relaxing your mind. Research shows it’s easier to be creative when you’re...

Creative Quest Summary Part 3: How to Find Creative Inspiration

Now that we’ve discussed how to practice creativity, let’s explore ways you can find inspiration and grow as a creator.

Interact With Other Creative Works

Questlove writes that exploring and experiencing other creative works can inspire you with ideas and help jumpstart your creative process. He suggests three exercises:

1. Get organized. Simple organizing tasks like sorting art supplies or arranging recipe cards can be good warm-up exercises that put you in the right headspace to pursue creative work. Questlove writes that organizing slows your heart rate and puts you in a contemplative state that’s conducive to creativity. Also, when organizing, you may notice details or patterns in the artwork you wouldn’t ordinarily notice. For example, when going through a binder of art references, you might notice how artists use lighting in different ways, inspiring you for your next drawing.

(Shortform note: Questlove’s advice mainly deals with organizing creative inspirations, but psychologists explain that organizing your space, in general, can also trigger [psychological benefits conducive to...

Creative Quest Summary Part 4: How to Navigate Success and Failure

Questlove writes that every creative person will face both praise and criticism. When people praise your work, it’s easy to feel pressure to keep making things that are just as good or better. When people criticize your work, it’s easy to feel discouraged and want to give up. The key is to find a middle ground: Stay confident enough to keep creating, but humble enough to learn from feedback.

How to Cope With Failure

Questlove acknowledges that getting your work rejected or criticized can hurt, but he urges you to treat failure like a lesson that helps you grow. He points out that even famous artists faced failures and rejection in their careers. Each time you bounce back from a failure, you become stronger and more willing to try new things in your next project. Once you’ve experienced failure and survived it, you realize it’s not as scary as you imagined. As a result, you become less afraid to try bold ideas because you know that failure won’t destroy you—it just becomes another learning experience.

(Shortform note: In Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert suggests you treat failure like a lesson by reframing all creative...

Shortform Exercise: Break Out of Your Creative Comfort Zone

Questlove says creative growth often comes from pushing beyond familiar territory. In this exercise, you’ll identify an area where you feel comfortable in your creative work and design a specific challenge that pushes you to try something completely different.

Think about your primary creative outlet—whether it’s writing, music, visual art, or another medium. What’s your most comfortable or typical way of creating?