#mycuriouseyes with Karen Ward

Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio closes his book Why?: What Makes Us Curious with this, “They say that curiosity is contagious. If that’s true, my advice would be: Let’s turn it into an epidemic.” Think of Karen Ward as a contagion vector.

Listen to Choose to be Curious #40: #mycuriouseyes with Karen Ward.

The 1950s ad man Leo Burnett once wrote, “Curiosity about life in all of its aspects…is still the secret of great creative people.” I found myself leaning into the question of creativity — and the inspiration that sparks it — in this “Curiosity to Go” segment with Karen Ward and musician AJ Smith.

Listen to Curiosity to Go, Ep. 13: It Started with a Spark

That was the inspiration. I asked myself,”What if a group of people around the world got together for a week and shared their lives, through their eyes?”

It wasn’t about the artistry of the pictures. It wasn’t about the profundity of the prose. It wasn’t about anything other than noticing. For ten days, I kept the prompts in mind and wandered about, camera in hand, capturing what caught my eye. (I confess, I had a whole collection of pictures from inspiration I found in the shower — although those required me coming back with said camera.) It was an eclectic selection.

Karen Ward’s invitation to spend a little time each day being curious about how a handful of words — color, shape, texture, pattern — showed up in my day was like taking a staycation. Tourist-like, I regarded my surroundings with new interest. I inspected the unexpected. I marveled at the beauty I found in the every-day. I paid attention.

When we choose to be curious, when we open ourselves to the sights and delights of what’s around us, we literally see our world in a new way. What a gift.

I hope you’ll join me for Karen’s next round of #mycuriouseyes, starting soon on social media near you.

Click on any image to start a slideshow and to read about the image and its inspiration.

To participate in an upcoming #mycuriouseyes project, visit CuriosityGlobal.com.

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