Curiosity Saves Me
by Julie, loving the weather but sick of pollen in Somerville
Sherry recently recommended a BBC Maestro course to me. Harlan Coben’s course is on writing thriller. Now, I’m not a thriller writer. Not sure I want to be necessarily. But I was curious, so I bought the course and spent an afternoon listening to it. Talk about time well spent! I learned a few things and got inspired.
I still teach arts administration courses to theater students. And every semester I teach I spend hours reading books and articles, and thinking about both what the students need to learn, and what has changed in the field. Is there a better way to talk about this? What are the new skillsets students would find most helpful. Now let me be clear; I know the subject very well. But being curious, and continuing to learn, makes me a better teacher. FWIW, I found a book about producing circuses that may be the text for the semester, so it pays off in different ways.
When I wrote the Clock Shop series I loved learning about clocks and watches. And I did a ton of research about them both. Very little of that showed up on the page, but my curiosity helped me understand the passion of a clockmaker. Which is not unlike the passion of any other artist. The work is hard, so the passion has to fuel you.
Because of my Harlan Coben experience, I’m diving into curiosity this summer. I’m rewatching From the Earth to the Moon, and doing side research into the space program. Which is leading me to read more about Katherine Johnson. And had me put The Astronaut Wives Club on my teetering TBR pile.
I’ve also had two conversations with people about the partitioning of India recently. I know enough about the subject for a gloss over, but I don’t know the stories. I’ve started reading articles about the subject, and suspect I’ll read more. There are lots of wonderful books set in India during the 20’s, the period before, and adding those to the mix is a great way to add more depth.
And don’t even get me started on the notes I’ve been jotting down on con games based on getting my paperwork in order. Is it odd to think about saving for retirement and scamming people at the same time?
I believe that curiosity is going to save me. My brain will stay active, my sense of humor will be engaged, my conversation starters will be fabulous, and my involvement with the world will have more layers of understanding and intersectionality.
Readers, what journeys has curiosity taken you on?
