Long before he was the world’s most famous scientist, Einstein use to sit on the bus and imagine what would happen if the bus traveled at the speed of light. His curious nature was responsible for the bizarre thought experiments he loved so much, and his continued curiosity is what motivated him to keep playing with the ideas for long periods of time. 

Creative people are incredibly curious people. They’re always tinkering with ideas. They’re curious about how things work and about how old ideas can be repurpose for something new. Curiosity is one of the most important personality traits for creative people. It effects all three of the core components of creativity: It leads to uncovering new knowledge, it invites us to apply our creative skills, and it motivates us to take action. 

Curiosity is a surprisingly powerful motivator. Most people attempt to push themselves toward their goal. They think about all the reasons they should get out of bed or get off the couch and start working. Once they have enough reasons, they finally force themselves to get up. 

Curiosity doesn’t “push” you toward taking action. It pulls you. Curiosity never “forces” you to do anything. But it’s such a powerful motivator that something it feels that way. If you’re addicted to getting news or constantly checking social media to see what’s happening, then curiosity is what’s pulling you to do it. My curiosity often pulls me into my email box, even when I know that I’m opening a door that I’d rather stay closed for now. 

Curiosity is a tiny snowball at the top of a mountain. We can choose which direction we roll it. The longer it rolls, the more momentum it gets, and the less control we have over it. What was a tiny idea at the top of the mountain is now a powerhouse at the bottom. One that will likely shape your behavior in the future. 

When we use curiosity to our advantage, we feel pulled towards achieving our goals. When you wake up wondering what a creative solution might look like, you set your brain down a path of curiosity and exploration. That path can then pull you towards your goals and motivate you to take action.

But motivation by itself doesn’t make you a creative person. It just allows you to take more action. When it comes to a person’s creative potential, nothing is more important than the knowledge and skills they’ve built up inside their industry. 

This is where curiosity might play its most important role. Industries are highly specialized and complex. You could spend your whole life learning about your field and never run out of new things to learn. The most highly creative artists tend to spend over 10 years in their field before creating their first masterpiece. How do creative people gain so much expertise and knowledge in a field? Curiosity might be the only weapon that’s up to such a huge task. Pushing yourself forward only works in the short-term, but it fails miserably in the long-run. Creativity is a marathon, not a sprint. 

Curiosity is going to pull you in one direction or the other. It will motivate your behavior. The question is what behavior is it going to motivate? Will it motivate you to turn on the news? To scroll the social media? Would your curiosity even be satisfied if you did? Will you be able to stop the snowball when it’s half-way down the mountain?

Before starting your creative work today, take a few minutes to get curious about all the great things that could happen today. If you’re a writer, think about the amazing ideas that you’d like to explore. If you’re an entrepreneur, think about how great it’d feel to breakthrough on a problem that’s been nagging you. Spend the first few minutes of your morning in a space of creative, constructive curiosity. Your curiosity can pull you toward social media or the news, or it can pull you towards asking questions that lead to creative solutions. You’re holding a snowball at the top of a mountain. The decisions you make at the top will shape the rest of your day. Guide your curiosity while it’s still small and manageable.