The Essential Element in Every Creative Endeavor

“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”—Albert Einstein

Curiosity is ingrained in our DNA. The mysteries of the world have always been an impetus for us to peek and poke and prod for answers, learning something about our surroundings as well as about ourselves. Nowhere is this truer than when we watch the youngest among us, our children.

Children are known for sticking their fingers in places where young fingers should never be. They are famous for putting all manner of objects and substances in their mouths—everything from plastic blocks, the dog’s ears, and any object in the room not nailed down or sufficiently weighted.

In adults, curiosity guides us toward a lifetime occupation, drives us to search out potential mates, stimulates us to travel to new destinations, and holds our hand as we move into old age and the unknowns of the future. By in large, we are relentless at asking questions. We want to know more than we know; we want to expand our horizons, try out the new and undiscovered; and pursue experiences that deepen our comprehension (and appreciation) of the world we live in.

But, curiosity is much more than a simple search for answers. It is also the generation of possibilities. When we look at the world from multiple perspectives, we permit ourselves to examine a wider range of resolutions and remedies. We open up our minds to explore the unexamined and unknown. Ian Leslie explains it this way: “Curiosity is essential to an exploring mind; it opens our eyes to the new and undiscovered, encouraging us to seek out new experiences and meet new people.”

Einstein once said, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” For Einstein, curiosity was the engine that drove his creativity. Curiosity is the catalyst for questioning and questioning is what propels us to seek out the unfamiliar and the unknown. For, without questions, knowledge becomes stagnant and immovable. It does not progress, nor does it have sufficient power to poke and peek and prod what may lie just below the surface or just slightly out of reach.

Source: Ron Lach/Pexels

Ten Strategies to Enhance Curiosity and Promote Creativity

1. Ask more questions in conversations. Dig deep and explore further. Tap into the background knowledge of others to improve your own. Expand your horizons through the experiences of others.
2. Travel widely. Seek out new places, new cultures, and new viewpoints. Regional and international travel opens your eyes to new ways of thinking and new ways of experiencing the world. Taste new foods, see new sights, and talk with folks on the street. Absorb their life experiences; be part of a different way of life.
3. Read outside your experience. Expand your reading horizons. Read from several different genres: the classics, poetry, science, anthropology, music, agriculture, computer science, ancient history, botany, pre-Columbian cities, whatever. The more widely you read the more curious you become. Creative people, by choice, read extensively. The best books to read are about subjects you never studied in school.
4. Hang out with curious people. What makes them tick? What drives their desire to learn more? Why are they so inquisitive? What are the strategies that keep them driven? Curious folks are models for us all. They give us personal examples to emulate. They allow us to see curiosity as an active verb.
5. Question yourself. Don’t assume that everything you learned in school is all you need to know in life. Studies have convincingly demonstrated that the most lasting education is the one we give ourselves. Question the validity and timeliness of your educational career. Is it still relevant? Is it still valid? In short, question everything you ever learned. Refresh regularly.
6. Go exploring. Take a trip to a place you’ve never been before. It doesn’t have to be far; it could be just around the corner or in a local shop. Go with the mindset that you want to learn something new; you want to experience something you’ve never experienced before. Ask questions. A lot of them.
7. Talk with different people. Branch out from your circle of friends and associates. Chat with the server at your favorite restaurant, converse with a taxi driver, engage with a local teacher, or communicate with the bellman at your hotel. Every personal encounter allows you to learn something new.
8. Walk in nature. There is a raft of research to indicate that time spent in nature is time that ignites our curiosity. When we take a hike, stroll through a long forest, paddle a kayak, gaze at a flock of ducks, or enjoy a picnic at our local park our mind is stimulated to inquire, to ask, to discover. When your curiosity batteries are on low, a walk in the woods is the surest way to recharge.
9. Spend time in a library. Stroll through your local library, pull books off the shelf, sit down, and read them; not because it’s an assignment, but rather because you’re actively looking for something to discover or explore. Your library card is your ticket to a whole new world of possibilities.
10. Be interested in everything. Move out and beyond your comfort zone. Examine the unexamined, explore the unexplored, and investigate the uninvestigated. Tap into topics and subjects you’ve never tapped into before. Move beyond what you learned in school. The wider your reach the more expansive your discoveries. And, that is what curiosity—and it’s close cousin, creativity—are all about.