Being ready and being curious are two different creative perspectives.

Confronting both concepts made me think about my friend Silvia. She wanted to be a writer.

Wherever she went, she always had a book in her hands. Additionally, she also had a pocket dictionary to look up any new word she stumbled upon. Silvia wanted to fully understand the content she was consuming to the last bit.

Silvia’s dedication to reading and endless curiosity for words was unparalleled. The most impressive part? When she wrote his own stories, she sounded like a seasoned author. Her structure was flawless, and her vocabulary was out of this world. She could have gotten herself a book deal whenever she wanted.

I’ve lost contact with her, so I don’t know what she decided for her writing career. I really hope she’s living her dream.

However, even when it seemed that she had everything to stand out in the writing world, I remember hearing her say this dreadful phrase from time to time:

“I’m not ready because I need more experience”.

How many times have you heard that statement from friends or colleagues? How many times have you caught yourself saying those same words?

“Being ready” is not the ultimate green light to get started on your creative projects.

Being ready sounds like a huge act of courage to take the first step. In some cases, loops of questions come up: “Am I brave enough?” “Do I really have what it takes?” “Is this the right call for me?”, and so on.

Why not trying a lighter approach in the form of a statement.

“I’m just going to stay curious and see what happens.”

Staying curious may look like learning new aspects about your craft. It may also look like connecting to like-minded individuals and be part of a community. Or developing tech skills that facilitate your craft. Or reading a book that gives you new insights. Examples are endless.

At the end of the day, curiosity allows you to be excited about your next discovery instead of being worried about big decisions.

The feeling of “being ready” could be overwhelming. Being curious feels like fun. It’s more about having relentless enthusiasm for your craft. Like my friend Silvia. As soon as she saw a new word on the book she was reading, she needed to learn its meaning. She was happy about expanding his vocabulary. Did she need to “be ready” for that? Of course not. She was just deeply involved in her literary world.

As long as you stay curious, opportunities will come your way to help you gain experience. No need to gather courage to take a leap. You’re already leaping as you commit to explore while consuming relevant content, experimenting on your own, and sharing ideas and thoughts with like-minded individuals.

What are you curious about these days? What kind of tools or experiences can help you spark a sense of curiosity?