Curiosity and Creative Inquiry

The Door Task

For our first task we were asked to select from six doors and choose which one satisfied us the most, and spend ten minutes exploring the link that it sent us to, and another ten minutes discussing what we found.

I chose the second door in the bottom row and it took me here https://www.brainpickings.org/

As a way to guide us through this task we were given a list of questions:

What choice did you make and why?

• I chose the second door on the bottom row. I chose this door because the heart on the door reminded me of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland and I have always liked Wonderland and the Mad Hatter

Does this say anything about you?

• I think so, I think it shows how I connect with memories, and how I’m constantly in my head

What did you learn?

• The door took me to an article about Loss and Grief being a portal to aliveness. I didn’t really learn anything, however it did get me thinking about how I had been through a time of loss and after a few months it's like I had started fresh. I think it’s a similar idea.

What inspired you to dig deeper?

• The title grabbed my attention (Nick Cave on Living with Loss and the Central Parodox of Grief as a Portal to Aliveness), I didn’t completely know what I was going to find when I read it.

Did you enjoy wandering the web with free to discover knowledge at the whim of your curiosity?

• I liked the idea of reading something new and different to what I usually would, I might not do it again very often but it was nice to do something different.

Did the lack of clearly defined knowledge quest leave you feeling a little aimless or frustrated?

• I did feel aimless because I didn’t know what I was looking for, I prefer to have a set topic that I need to research

What part of this task did you enjoy most? Why?

• The part I enjoyed most would be looking at something that I wouldn’t normally because I like the idea of something new

What part of this task did you enjoy least? Why?

• I like the idea of not knowing what I was supposed to be looking for

Curiosity Plan

All my life I have been told I am a very curious person. I don’t always see where people get that from but I believe them sometimes.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3045148/8-habits-of-curious-people

In the article ‘8 Habits of Curious People’ by Stephanie Vozza, she discusses how we are naturally curious and how we can relearn curiosity if needed. The younger we are the more curious we are and that is why we sometimes need to relearn curiosity. Children under six are more curious than anyone above that age.

The 8 habits are;

1. They listen without judgement

2. They ask a lot of questions

3. They seek surprise

4. They’re fully present

5. They’re willing to be wrong

6. They make time for curiosity

7. They aren’t afraid to say, “I don’t know”

8. They don’t let past hurts affect their future

I think these are accurate. Curiosity causes you to ask questions, and also wonder about new things. In their minds there is no such thing as asking the wrong question.

I don't always ask a lot of questions and sometimes I don’t even think of questions to ask and if I do, I never know how to word them.

I don’t think curiosity is something that we have to learn because I think there can be many different levels to one's curiosity because all minds are different.

My Curiosity Test

As a part of this I also took my curiosity profile test, found here https://hbr.org/2015/12/assessment-whats-your-curiosity-profile

You are an unconventional thinker

• People with high scores in this area typically question authority and have an independent thinking style. They regard themselves as “free spirits” and avoid following mainstream trends. They are often early adopters and trendsetters. Those with low scores are careful to follow etiquette and protocol, and they’re happiest when they don’t stand out. They often have traditional values and find new trends to be distasteful and superficial.

You are interested in learning

• Test takers who score high on this dimension are philosophically inclined. They gravitate toward cultural hobbies and enjoy exploring a wide range of educational subjects. They regard themselves as avid thinkers. Those with low scores are more practical. They typically rely on their experience and common sense to solve problems, because they prefer to spend time doing rather than ruminating. They’re interested in learning only when it has a clear purpose.

You adapt to new situations

• High scorers enjoy trying new things and interacting with a variety of personalities. They are generally disappointed when life feels predictable or familiar. They tend to be thrill-seekers and love an adrenaline rush. Low scorers are usually happiest when spending time with close friends; they don’t care much about meeting new people. They like to plan ahead and prefer known situations over unfamiliar ones. When something works, they don’t see the point of changing it.

Do these results surprise you?

• I am not surprised by these results. I scored where I thought I would

Do you agree with these results?

• I agree with these results. I have always been interested in learning and easily adapt to new situations

Are you as curious as you thought you were?

• I did think I was curious and the results are roughly where I thought they would be