The Unsettled Quest
In Pursuit of Quality. #18.
I stumbled into a wild experience a few days back, and honestly, I haven't stopped buzzing about it since. It's one of those things that's a little hard to pin down. But it's got something to do with quality—even if I'm still trying to figure out exactly what.
Here's the scenario: a friend dropped me an email asking if I was up for joining this "workshop/play-shop" thing at a local arts college. My first thought? Why not! I'm all for diving into the new and the unexpected. Her ask was simple but quirky: bring four printed images from within the past year—a snapshot from a TV or movie, a piece of art, a fashion photo or ad, and a book cover that means something or catches your eye. Sounded like a fun little project.
And here's what I came up with:
Armed with these chosen images, I figured I was all set for whatever this experience was going to throw at me. Came in with an open mind, bright eyes, and yeah, a full-on excited heart.
Time Ghost.
The whole shebang was about finding out what sticky bits of our culture have in common. What's the thread that ties together subjects as diverse as Taylor Swift, ChatGPT, wide-leg pants, and therapeutic psychedelics? Is there some secret sauce, some cultural code, that binds them together? And what if we could crack that code to come up with the next big product or service?
With about ten of us in the mix, the mission was to dig into the zeitgeist—that fancy German term that translates cutely to "time ghost"—using our images as clues.
Led by the brilliant and charming Sem Devillart, we first tackled our images solo, trying to suss out any common vibes.1 My picks felt kinda spiritual, maybe a bit otherworldly, and a little, well… unsettled? Next, we buddied up to share what we saw in our images. That's when the magic started to happen. These shared visions started to paint a picture of our pretty dark and searching times, with everyone seemingly looking for something—be it power, intimacy, or knowledge. It wasn't about getting it "right." It's more intuitive; the vibes we picked up from this cultural mishmash.
Then we went big, grouping up to pool our images into a mega mix of what's what in today's world. Despite a few odds ones out, it was nuts to see how much our picks overlapped. Seriously, it was eye-opening… and a bit unnerving.
Across our pictures, we zoomed into common themes. The images seemed universally dark and mysterious. They invoked anxiety. Depicted individual journeys for understanding and meaning. Showed people searching for more—maybe looking for the quality that I've been so deeply trying to pursue! Yes, people are on the quest for something. We're lost.
Could the zeitgeist of our times be about the unsettled quest? That’s where we landed.
Creating Meaning.
Our session only lasted for a couple of hours, but the sentiment of these unsettled, questing times have stuck with me. I'm starting to see it everywhere. It's reflected in the viral TikTok layoff recordings; in the sea of Open to Work rings across LinkedIn feeds; in the uncertainty around a tumultuous election year. What are we looking for? And how does a backdrop of anxiety and instability cloud the quest for better, quality outcomes?
In reflecting on that whirlwind evening, it dawns on me that perhaps the quest itself is what enriches us. In a world that often feels like it's spinning just a little too fast—where the search for meaning looks as ubiquitous as the air we breathe—there's something profoundly beautiful in acknowledging our collective unsettledness. It's not the answers we seek that define us, but the courage to ask questions. To admit we're searching. And to embrace the journey—however dark or uncertain it may seem.
Nearly a week later, the echoes of that workshop still resonate with me. They serve as a reminder that we're all part of a larger story, each of us contributing a line or two to the ongoing narrative of our times. I'm left wondering whether the quality I'm chasing is found in our shared experiences, the unexplored insights that surround us, and the moments of vulnerability that connect us.
So, as we navigate these (potentially) "pretty dark and searching times," let's not forget the power of community and the light it can shed on our paths. Together, we don't have all the answers. But perhaps we'll find some comfort in the quest, discovering bits of quality in the meaning we forge and the stories we share along the way. All that from a short little workshop.
So, now I invite you to reflect:
What do you think about the "zeitgeist" of our modern times?
How are you finding a signal amongst the noise?
Where are you finding meaning on your quest?
With warmth, respect, and gratitude.
Here’s more about Sem: https://harmonylabs.org/team/sem-devillart
This is so compelling Eric.
It struck me that as I read "We're lost", my instant reaction was "Are we?" I wondered if we are lost or if we're forging a path in unchartered territory (a post-information age, post-social media, post-algorithm, post-COVID, pre-generative AI territory). And it made me think about what it took for the generations before us to navigate the unknown in ways that were healthy for themselves, others, and the environments they came in contact with.
And then the phrase "getting grounded" popped up in my head. I wondered that maybe it wasn't a mental exercise that would help us connect with the meaning we'e searching for, but instead a physical one. Maybe in a era with so much vying for our attention, it's about creating space from all of that and making space to connect with ourselves physically - a practice that innately quells our anxiety and helps us hone in on our intuition.
Maybe getting grounded in ourselves is what's needed to help us find a signal in the noise and/or meaning in our quests. Because it's hard to find our way if our navigational tool isn't working.
I love this notion of a workshop/play-shop...We all need more of these!