What A Wonderful World - Michael Buble

Claire Bown teaches people how to connect more with art. Her guide "How to Look at Art (Slowly)" is a rich compendium of curiosity practices.

Claire's professional focus is museums, but she'd be the first to tell you: the skills she shares are useful anywhere...

"As adults, we don't spend too long in observation. We tend to want to jump straight in to interpreting and what we think. It's actually quite useful for us to take a step back, and just dwell in observation for a little bit, because those details that we notice will help fuel our curiosity."
~ Claire Bown  

Photo used with permission of Claire Bown

SPROUTS 

04.12.23 / Slow Looking and Visible Thinking with Claire Bown

Periodically I set myself a curiosity scavenger hunt theme with a fixed duration – 77 days of feet, a long hot summer of art, a month of biophilia, a week in the kitchen – and then I just keep my eyes open and my camera handy.

It's a joy. The thrill of the hunt; the challenge and delight in finding something new in the very familiar; the excuse to get outdoors, whatever the weather; the visual puns; the surprisingly sentimental moments -- all culled from the everyday world around me.

It is very much in the spirit of what journalist and author Rob Walker would call “The Art of Noticing.”

Find Rob Walker on Substack: https://robwalker.substack.com 

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Inessential” by Bayou Birds, via Blue Dot Sessions.

Ep. #254: The Art of Noticing, with Rob Walker

Leland Ko came on my radar when he was one of four gifted young cellists selected by Yo-Yo Ma to participate in a program called Music-Art-Life in 2023. 

It was, for me, a chance to luxuriate in curiosity. I wondered: Did their knowledge, skill, and feel for the music mean their curiosity about it was qualitatively different than my own? If so, how?

Find Leland Ko online: https://www.lelandko.com 

Recording of Leland Ko performing Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8 — III. Allegro molto vivace used with permission.

Photo of Leland Ko by Tam Lan Truong used with permission.

Ep. #255: Cellists' Puzzles & Curiosity, with Leland Ko

Scott Sklar is a self proclaimed gadget guy. In his home, he has almost any clean alternative energy technology you can think of. On this episode, we visit him there, and he explains how he accomplished something almost no one else around here has... energy independence.

This episode has just a taste of all of the systems at Scott's house. See links below for more info:
http://www.thestellagroupltd.com/home/sklars-zero-energy-home-office/
http://energy.gov/eere/videos/energy-101-fuel-cell-technology
Arlington home energy rebates - environment.arlingtonva.us/energy/rebates/

Music
"Hurt Me" by Benjimanji is licensed under CC BY 4.0
"The Wonder" by Dave Depper is licensed under CC BY 4.0
" Cicadas in Rhododendrons on the Trail to Ghorepani, Nepal" by Samuel Corwin is licensed under CC BY 4.0
"How it Fades" by Scott Gratton is licensed under CC BY 4.0

The Gadget Guy - with Scott Sklar

Choose to be Curious is a show all about curiosity. We talk about research and theory, but mostly it's conversations about how curiosity shows up in work and life.  

Now syndicated and available via Pacifica RadioNetwork.