On Being Curious

Rediscovering Astonishment

One evening in early 2012, my wife asked me what was it that I missed most about myself. I had returned with an MA in Design Studies. It had been a year of extensive research and discovery, an indulgent year. It was spent meeting new people and learning about new things. And now there was nostalgia mixed with uncertainty. What was I going to do next? I guess the answer sprang out of that frame of mind. I said, I missed being astonished. And it was true.

Here’s an equation | Curiosity + No Expectations = Astonishment

It basically means that curiosity for its own sake will eventually lead you to discover something you didn’t know before, but is relevant to you and the joy of discovery is astonishment. As creative folks, we need to experience this often, it’s one of the things we have signed up for — to discover and share — create astonishment for ourselves and others.

It means being interested in the world around you, the world outside of you. Reading more, listening more, observing more. It’s about finding a little facet of something, starting your journey, and having no fixed destination. At the very least you’ll learn a few facts, at best, you’ll discover a new interest. Ukulele anyone?

Here’s a checklist for the Indulgently Curious. It’s in no way comprehensive.

1. Flipboard | Download it on your tablet or your phone, and it’ll be your new friend. Keep your subscriptions eclectic. Great for casual musings, or causal research. It invites you to meander along and dive into diverse topics while you travel. I recommend Cracked, Bored Panda, Neatorama, HBR and Big Ideas.
2. Walk Everywhere | I prefer to cycle, but it meets the same ends. There’s a rich universe of information in your backyard. Discover your local spaces- tiny lanes that connect the big roads have secrets to share. Talk to people who catch your interest. It’s hard to talk to strangers, but when you have nothing to lose, you have everything to gain.
3. Read Everything | Be a book slut.Read something every day and not just the newspaper. I make it a point to read a fiction and a non-fiction book every month. Not all of what I read is awesome, but a lot of it is very good. Great information has great karma, it gets reincarnated in new ideas.
4. Tinker | New technology, musical instruments, puzzles, origami, make use of your hands to kick start your brain. Fiddle with stuff, you never know what you might take to.
5. Meet Strangers | Join an interest group and meet people offline. People’s stories will inspire your own. Book clubs, foodie clubs, sporting groups, tech meet ups, join something, anything and listen to people.

Coming back to where it all began, having told my wife I missed astonishment, I got back to pursuing it wholeheartedly. I co-founded a small advertising agency and advertising is curiosity friendly.Rewards are insights, and fodder for late night conversations.

My team of young guns hears this every day — Be Curious. Creativity stems from curiosity. The reward is astonishment. I’ll say the same to you but you probably already know it. Go forth and discover something new. It’s an adventure.

I’d love to hear your views. How do you indulge your curiosity?