Curiosity, imagination’s best friend
- eveliinakauppinen
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 11
Each of us knows that children are incredibly curious, they ask questions and come up with all sorts of things. I’ve heard so many funny stories about my sister’s kids. Once, one of them asked, “Why do people have ears?” and another time I heard that one of them had stuck slices of ham onto the kitchen cabinet doors. We couldn’t stop laughing. Children are a perfect example of curiosity.
As adults, do we still wonder why a watermelon is red inside, or why an elephant has a trunk? Probably not. We tend to be less curious about the world, and life can easily become a series of tasks to complete.
But when we take the time to observe, explore, and seek answers, we start to discover new things. Curiosity begins with wonder, which leads to a question. And when we’re curious, our imagination is free to flow. Pause for a moment. Look around you. What do you see? How do you interpret it, and what thoughts does it spark? Let your mind go with whatever comes first 💡
As a child, I had a vivid imagination. I invented all kinds of curious characters and imagined different animal figures around me. As I grew older, I lost my sense of curiosity completely. Life became a balancing act between performance and survival until I learned to pause. That moment of stopping opened up a whole new world: living in the present moment, and most importantly, rediscovering my forgotten imagination.
Being curious is not something to take for granted. It’s something you have to find as if you were rediscovering your inner child.
One day, while walking in nature, I saw an apple that had fallen from a tree. Later, when I returned home, I began thinking about new ideas for my art. I remembered the apple and started to wonder: What would an apple look like if it were a donut? What if a rainbow grew out of the apple? What if the apple had a door and a window?
That was the beginning of a playful stream of thoughts that has continued to inspire my art, allowing me to create inner worlds again and again.
When I start drawing new ideas, the process itself usually generates more and more themes. If I have many ideas, I make quick sketches—stick-figure style or write the ideas down. My notebook helps me remember them if I decide to return to them later.
I see curiosity as a vital part of life. It sharpens the mind and brings us into the present moment. It helps us gain insights not just on the surface, but more deeply. It invites us to ask questions, seek answers, and give form to entirely new worlds.
Tips: How you can challenge to your imagination 🌟
Choose three subjects you can see around you, whether you’re at home, in nature, in the city, or anywhere else. Write them down.
Now comes the fun part:
Create 9 different pictures using only these three subjects.
Try not to overthink it, just go with the first ideas that come to mind. And most importantly, have fun!
