Curiosity today has a weird form of "what's in it for me." It has to provide instant value and certainty at a specific point in time. But one of the most rewarding things in life is learning about things with no goal in sight. It is a necessary practice to increase the creative output.
Occasionally, I hear someone mention Steve Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford about how connecting the dots is essential. The often-forgotten part is how important it is to collect dots in the first place. You can't connect what you don't have.
The creative act revolves around exposing oneself to new experiences and ideas just for the sake of it. Doing it only when needed, ahead or during a big project, would seem more practical. But that investment is misguided. The best connections often require time to mature, and doing that only in the context of projects forces projects into a low common denominator.
The best creatives regularly end up in the most diverse rabbit holes to quench their curiosity. And they're better because of it.
The creative act requires a certain faith that should be practiced daily instead of the occasional prayer when help is needed.
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P.S.: Writing this after very long day of plane travel. This is the view that inspired the writing.
