Choosing curiosity over fear
The path of creative living and leaning further into truth.
I noticed something recently as I sat down to write a chapter of my book: I never get hungry when I write.
It occurred to me that many of us are starving for something we cannot eat. We hunger for purpose, expression, and fulfillment. At its core, creativity is exactly what nourishes that need. We were born to be makers, creators, artists, and storytellers.
Hundreds of years ago, before phones existed, we were much more in tune with two things that led to soul nourishment and generally lower levels of anxiety — community and creativity. Women would sit around tables, swapping stories while making quilts. Communities would gather around a campfire, sharing fables and myths with their children who would eventually pass them on to their children.
So, why don’t we do this anymore? Why do we push away that hunger and instead pick up our phones or reach for a piece of chocolate we don’t really want?
Because we’re scared.
Honesty is intimacy, and capitalism has made us feel that our creativity is something that can be commodified and judged on a points system. We’ve been made to believe that creativity is something only a talented and lucky few are born with, when, in fact, it is our birthright. Every single one of us is born with the gift of creativity.
Creativity connects us in a way that nothing else can. We all play the role of creator on this earth in some way every day, making an impact. We create life by raising children to be the next generation of makers and leaders. We contribute to our local communities, donate to charity, and help the elderly feel less alone.
Creativity can be defined in many ways, but I prefer Elizabeth Gilbert’s definition. She describes creative living as “choosing curiosity over fear.”
Creativity isn’t just about painting, building, or writing. It’s about taking something imaginary and unseen—an idea, a feeling, a dream, a desire—and making it tangible. A meal, a letter to a loved one, a new job.
Creativity is being open to life and all its opportunities for newness. It’s looking at a problem and getting curious about the solution. It’s examining our deep emotions and asking, “What’s really going on here?” and then facing it head-on. It’s not knowing our life’s purpose but being curious about the things that interest us in the moment, trusting that they’ll lead us down the right path eventually.
We are all creative, and we have the power to create ourselves and the lives we want to live at any given moment. I’m a big believer in manifestation, but I prefer to refer to it as creativity. You don’t just ask the Universe for something and wait for it to show up. You take action. You imagine things. You build momentum. You listen for answers, get curious, choose courage, and keep taking steps toward the goal you’re trying to manifest, trusting that the Universe will meet you halfway.
Not everyone will be brave enough to choose curiosity over fear, and many will criticise you for doing so.
A creative life does not look or feel ordinary in any way. It might go against every societal rule, family tradition, and expectation of you. As you destroy everything you thought you knew about life, asking questions you’ve never asked, you could lose people you love.
Martha Beck, an author and social scientist, committed to a year of telling the truth—no lies. At the end of that year, she lost her husband, her family turned their backs on her, she was exiled from the church she grew up in, and she left her reputable career. She had nothing left. Her life was completely destroyed because she leaned into curiosity, recognised something wasn’t right, and asked questions about her life. As she started being honest with herself and those around her about what she was seeing and feeling, the life she knew completely crumbled.
She says, “In telling the truth, I lost everything. But I also found myself.”
She created an entirely new life from the rubble. She followed her interest in helping people, having no idea where it would lead, and enrolled in a life coaching course. She went on to become Oprah’s life coach and a globally successful coach and author. She found love with a woman and now lives happily married. She’s written many books about her experience of suffering and living in fear in a life that wasn’t right for her.
Many will look at her success now and call it a miracle, how she manifested it. But she took those steps every single day and chose to be braver than most.
She’s also one of the lead researchers on the impact of creativity on anxiety. She’s found evidence that when you actively create, it switches off the anxious part of your mind. It silences your thoughts, calms your body, and brings you back to peace.
The opposite of depression isn’t joy—it’s expression.
Expressing our emotions and experiences in some way helps cure depression. When we’re suffering, there’s always a part of us we’re holding back from the world. Some truth, some feeling, some expression.
If you ever feel lost or stuck, it’s a calling. It’s a sign to get curious about your life and who you want to be. It’s asking you to create change, to dream a new dream, and to make it tangible in your reality.
Fear asks, “What do I do now?” Creativity asks, “What can I make now?”
Once you start creating something and stay still long enough to listen for answers, that creative part of your brain offers you solutions—the next step.
Instead of trying to control and strategise the next 10 years of your life, creativity just asks us to do the next “right” thing. Follow the next thing that makes us feel alive, connected, joyful, free, and at peace in our bodies.
In that place, truth can be found. In that place, you can create whatever you desire.
