25: Practicing Curiosity
“Living life as an artist is a practice. You are either engaging in the practice or you’re not. [...] We tend to think of the artist’s work as the output. The real work of the artist is a way of being in the world.” ― Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being
A single white feather lands beside your morning coffee like a bright whisper, do you swat it away in disgust, or do you look up?
In practicing curiosity, we are more likely to look up. I’d argue that we live in a world where adult humans are taught to do the opposite, to tune out and remain on the linear path guiding our to-do lists and plans, as if by an invisible leading force, a string of self-determination instead of fate. I imagine the strange amorphous wormhole that leads Donnie Darko around his living room after time and space has bent out of order, revealing to him his supposed predetermination.
A still from the film “Donnie Darko”, 2004
This morning I was drinking coffee on my terrace when the white feather in contemplation gently landed on the ledge beside me. I immediately looked up to find no bird, pigeon, or seagull above--only the ghost of one--shed like my own curly hairs that adorn the floor and streets like a trail. I leaned forward, closed my eyes, made a wish, and blew it over the edge.
I believe you can wish on anything. In dreaming, there are no rules, only possibilities. I’ve wished on eyelashes, horses, candles, fountain coins, a handful of flower petals, a cat whisker, a thrown bead, a new freckle. The key is to use subjects or objects with a fleeting existence, beautiful lively things that often pass by quickly, like shooting stars. Wishing involves throwing something away, burning it, some aspect of impermanence. A wish needs to include an offering, and sometimes we can only have three.
A still from the Disney film "Aladdin", 1992
In exchange for the feather, I wish for [fill in the blank]. Yes, actually do it. Make a wish with me, I don’t care if you think it’s corny, do it silently to yourself if you like. You deserve a wish.
“As artists, we seek to restore our childlike perception: a more innocent state of wonder and appreciation not tethered to utility or survival.” - Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being
In wishing, in being curious about possibility in the world, we remain open to all its strange and wondrous gifts. This is a call to be curious. Ask yourself why things are the way they are. We must ask questions to better understand the world and ourselves, but we are also at liberty to remain curious just for the sake of beauty, entertainment, art, or adventure.
“The magic is not in the analyzing or the understanding. The magic lives in the wonder of what we do not know. [...] The universe is only as large as our perception of it. When we cultivate our awareness, we are expanding the universe. This expands the scope, not just of the material at our disposal to create from, but of the life we get to live.”- Rubin
Exactly. “Interesting people are interested.” Have you ever asked someone, a stranger, a question, and ended up on some random side quest? Like, “wow that’s a beautiful watch, where did you get it?”, and the stranger says, “oh my friend made it, their workshop is actually just down the street. Would you like to see it?”. The answer is YES. But…
You cannot get an expansive answer without asking an expansive question.
Sometimes life gives us a curiosity that seems too big, or too scary, a “what if” that feels out of our league to entertain. I am here to urge you to entertain it. If you can imagine it, it means it can exist. If it can exist, it is not out of your reach indefinitely or under every circumstance. It’s all a matter of choosing our perspective.
"I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I've never let it keep me from a single thing that I wanted to do." - Georgia O'Keeffe
Let’s be curious and make wishes and beautiful experiences for ourselves, even when we’re afraid. A door cannot open if you do not want to see what’s behind it more than you are fearful. If you act in fear, you will always stay on the other side of whatever door will lead you to an answer.
You know how people say time moves faster the older you get? Well, part of that is because the everyday lived experience of older people often begins to stagnate into monotony, things become predictable, rote, they begin to lack mystery because we may no longer have the energy to make new discoveries. When we are young, we are often the most free and able to pursue our curiosities, and our brains are more open to receiving.
“As we get older, our brains aren't wired to take in as many things from the outside world, or to learn in the same way. Therefore, three years ago can feel like yesterday: not much has changed in our brain, our perception, or our lived experience.” - Psychology Today
In practicing curiosity, we are practicing creating newness, different experiences, expanding our map of understanding, unlocking another level. Being curious makes you wish on a feather instead of swatting it away. Being curious keeps you young in spirit.
Thanks for reading, friends. If you made it to the end, leave a comment to let me know you’ve been here, it means the world to me.
-gab
