Stay Curious

Welcome to Creatives Anonymous, a weekly newsletter that explores what it means to be a modern-day creative. It inspires, encourages, and empowers readers to take back their creative power.

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As I’m working through The Artist’s Way (I’m slightly behind schedule tbh), a theme that comes up over and over again is curiosity. 

The dictionary defines curiosity as “a desire to know” or “interest leading to inquiry.” The act of curiosity is nothing more than following our interests.  It has us ask only one question: Is there anything that interests us?

Human beings are curious by nature. Even from a young age, we’re always asking questions to understand better how the world around us works and to get answers to the most philosophical questions. 

Curiosity leads us to pursue sports, hobbies, and interests and to the career paths we choose for ourselves. 

Curiosity is the number one driver of creativity. It’s the guiding force that helps us experiment and push our limits. It allows us to ask “what if” and try something new. It’s the door that leads us to uncover parts of ourselves we didn’t know existed and work through emotions we didn’t know we had. 

In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert compares curiosity to a scavenger hunt. Even the slightest interest, she says, is a clue, and all we need to do is follow it. And then follow the next one. And the one after that. It could lead you to a passion you didn’t know you had or nowhere, but at least you’ll have the answer you were looking for. 

The beautiful thing about curiosity is that it has no strings attached. It’s low stakes and low commitment. It can be nothing more than doing a Google search or buying an inexpensive set of pencils and a sketchpad. We don’t have to uproot our lives for curiosity like we might when we follow our passions. 

There’s also an element of play that comes with curiosity. We’re more likely to play when we’re just following our curiosity. There’s less pressure to do it right or perfectly, but rather see where it leads us. We’re not worried about succeeding or failing but instead focusing on following our inquiries. There’s no better high as a creative than following our curiosity. 

Curiosity has always been a big driver in my creativity journey, even from a young age. It’s how I experimented with different mediums and thought I would be a photographer, an architect, or a fashion designer. It’s what kept my creative spirit alive throughout college as I taught myself how to create different design effects in the Adobe programs. Curiosity was the root of it all. 

This week, I chatted with Connie “Coco” Aramaki. Coco is a Seattle-based photographer who has shot for brands such as Eddie Bauer, Lululemon, and Samsonite. She is also the artist behind “The Nite Gardener,” a series of acrylics painted in the middle of the night.   

This interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness. 

From your website, it sounds like you’ve always had a camera in your hand. What attracted you to photography and what encouraged you to stick with it?  

I was 27 years old when my dad gifted me a Pentax K1000 and a brick of Kodak film.  I took it on a three-month backpacking trip through Southeast Asia. When I returned home, I was frustrated that half of my images had been properly exposed and the other half came back black. I immediately signed up for a photography 101 class at the local community college. After that, I was hooked.  

The two main reasons that encouraged me to become a photographer are the lifestyle it gives me to work with creative people and the purpose of exploring the world.

How would you describe your photography style? What elements are most important to you and that you gravitate toward when setting up a shot (composition, lighting, etc.)?

My style is a hybrid of photojournalism and fashion. I have always loved storytelling and clothes, and the combinations of the two lend themselves to advertising.  

You’ve shot for some really big brands, like Nordstrom, Eddie Bauer, and Lululemon. What has been your favorite project or brand, and why?

For me, it's not necessarily the projects or images I archive as my favorite experiences. It's always the people you have around you. So, for this year, I would say it was the photo story I did for The New York Times called Generation Connie. It was an opinion piece about the women named after Connie Chung.  

You’re not just a photographer but a multi-passionate creative. For example, your paint series, The Nite Gardener, shows you’re a talented painter. How would you describe the relationship between all of your creative work? How does one relate to and influence another?

Before I painted, all my focus was on photography. When you only have one outlet, it puts all the energy and pressure into that craft. I am fortunate that I stumbled upon a new medium to release my creativity. I find the more creative outlet you have, the better.     

What’s one creative project that you’re working on now?

My dad gave me his High 8 camcorder from the 1990s. I'm going on vacation to Europe in a few days and going to explore by shooting video for pure enjoyment and see where that leads me. 

You can learn more about Coco by visiting her website or Instagram. 

Interested in being interviewed for a future issue of Creatives Anonymous? Fill out this form. 

CREATIVE CORNER

• 🎞️ What I’m Consuming: I finished Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand and have A Court of Wings and Ruin next in my queue

• 💡 What I’m Loving: Spending time at the beach here in Seattle. I’ve never been a beach girlie, but I have loved it this summer.

• 🎨 What I’m Working On: I bought a new notebook for my upcoming trip to Greece that I plan to use as a travel journal/sketchbook hybrid. A great aunt of mine was a history teacher and used to take her students to Europe and encourage them to keep one, so I’m inspired to do the same for this trip.

• 💭 Weekly Musing:

Thank you 💕

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Alexa Phillips is a writer, brand strategist, and multi-passionate creative. She is the founder and Chief Brand Architect at Bright Eyes Creative, a creative studio that helps consultants, service providers, and coaches monetize their zone of genius and creativity through courses, content, and productized offers.

Where to find me:

• Join the waitlist for my new offer, Musing to Monetized, launching soon!

• Listen to my recent podcast episodes here