A small manifesto for wandering well
There is a particular kind of pressure that creeps into creative life the moment we name a goal.
Suddenly, the path narrows. The map stiffens. The outcome looms large and shiny and demanding, and everything else begins to feel like a distraction instead of an invitation.
But creativity has never thrived on straight lines.
Goals are fantastic. Necessary, even. They give us a lighthouse to steer by, a reason to pack snacks and sharpen our tools. Yet when we grip them too tightly, we risk missing the quieter magic happening just off the main road.
Enter the side quest.
The side quest is the unexpected turn taken while the plan is still forming. It is the curiosity that tugs at your sleeve mid-process.
The experiment that “isn’t the point” but insists on being explored anyway. It might look like procrastination from the outside, but inside, it feels like oxygen.
Side quests are not abandoning the plan. They are enriching it.
When you allow yourself some wiggle while developing your creative path, you give your work room to breathe. You notice textures you would have walked past. You collect ideas that would never have appeared on a perfectly efficient itinerary. You learn things about your process that no spreadsheet could ever reveal.
The key is intention, not rigidity.
Leave yourself metaphorical breadcrumbs. Sketch notes. Photos. Voice memos. Half-finished sentences. Gentle markers that say, “I was here, and it mattered.” These breadcrumbs ensure you can always find your way back to the main road, wiser and carrying unexpected treasure.
And here is the quiet truth I keep seeing, again and again. When side quests are welcomed into a creative practice, outcomes often exceed the original vision. The work becomes richer, more surprising, more alive. The destination shifts, but it shifts toward something truer.
This kind of wandering is not always possible. Deadlines exist. Life has seasons. Sometimes the most creative thing is simply finishing the thing. But when you can, when the moment allows for curiosity to lead a little, take it.
Follow the glimmer.
Chase the question.
Let yourself detour.
You may arrive somewhere you never planned to go, and discover it was exactly where your imagination wanted you all along.
At the Wild Imaginarium, we honor both the map and the marvels found beyond its edges. Goals guide us. Side quests grow us. And the magic happens in the conversation between the two.
If you’ve been on a creative side quest lately, I’d love to hear about it. What did you find when you wandered?