1.31.2017

Patterns of Curiosity


Dear relentless child, 
Stay curious. Keep questioning, everything. You are not bad; you
just need to find things out for yourself. Dogs will bite. The coffee
will burn. You will make messes, and some adults will frown. Still,
stay curious.

Recent digital patterns made from portions of a painting.


1.18.2017

What grows and what kills curiosity? Hint, you.


What kills my curiosity? 
  1. Being busy. Avoiding or not making time and space to think, practice, or play.
  2. Avoiding challenges.
  3. Only skimming and scanning, and not thinking about what I read and see.
  4. Worrying about the results and not enjoying the process.
  5. Not writing down my thoughts, reactions, and questions.
  6. Not sketching ideas.
  7. Not listening to or having time for interesting people.
  8. Keeping thoughts to myself. Or, wasting time with people who do not listen.
  9. Not trying anything new, or not looking at routines and habits in a new way.
  10. Not asking questions. Or, trying to find answers too quickly.
  11. Missing connections, or ignoring them.
  12. Repeatedly ignoring those fascinations that keep me wondering.
  13. Me.


What grows my curiosity? 
  1. Making time to think, and space to practice and play.
  2. Taking on new challenges.
  3. Reading and intensely observing, and then thinking about it.
  4. Wondering 'what if', and not worrying about the results.
  5. Writing down my thoughts, reactions, questions.
  6. Sketching thoughts, reactions, questions.
  7. Listening to inquisitive, curious people.
  8. Sharing ideas with people who really listen.
  9. Trying something new, or something old in a new way.
  10. Asking big and little questions, and then allowing time to ponder them.
  11. Making connections, and then making more.
  12. Repeatedly following those fascinations that keep me wondering.
  13. Me.




1.06.2017

In 2017, stay curious, my friends!






2014 BRAVE
2015 COLOR

2016 FREE


2017 CURIOUS


"What is creative living? Any life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear." Elizabeth Gilbert

Stay curious, my friends! A fox crossed my path while driving home late on the 31st, a few miles from our home, in the same place where I found a dead fox a year and a half ago. Before that, I had been thinking about the importance of curiosity (and hope, and trust) in life and in the creative process. When the fox crossed my path, I wondered why. Why are there so many fox in that specific area? After the influx of coyote and wolf into our larger area, how do the fox survive in what appears to be a small protected zone? Maybe local farmers aren't protecting the fox, as much as the livestock. Is the food around there what the coyote and wolf do not want?

The metaphor of the fox (Resilient Fox) was important in my work for awhile, and then the wolf appeared (When Wolves Enter, Curious Wolf, for Avery). Now, the fox may be back. A fox crossing your path has many meanings, but what does it mean for me in a new year? With all these questions, my word for 2017 is CURIOUS. We are all passionate and fierce at times, but I think everyday curiosity is what really moves us along.

A year ago I said:
Choosing one word isn't an easy task, yet 
that is what I assign myself to do every 
new year, now. BRAVE in 2014. COLOR in 
2015. This one large word/idea, like a block 
of raw basswood, begins the new year with 
a promise. If I will work at it with both 
wild abandon and careful hewning,
something from within it will be set free. 


I don't know where my curiosity will lead this year, but I am convinced that admitting I do not know is the best way to stay curious and engaged, daily.




"We keep moving forward, opening new 
doors, and doing new things, because 
we're curious and curiosity 
keeps leading us down new paths." 
Walt Disney