Personal and Professional Satisfaction

It is week six in our fifty week calligraphy challenge and we were given two elements to our prompt. First, use a new tool. Second, use an aphorism for the text, which is a saying that includes a bit of wisdom. I had our ‘kitten’ wandering around my studio table, so as she kept getting in the way these words came to mind. I utilized two different parallel pens and a pad of circle printed paper to write the text. Both the pens and the paper were new. I created there or four versions until I nailed down how to best use the new pens. A bit of whimsical fun, and when I was done our kitten was fast asleep in a dog bed, buried under the blankets.

I had always heard the first portion of this saying, curiosity killed the cat. It was usually spoken as a precaution or reprimand for being too curious. It wasn’t until I was older that I found out there was the second half of the saying, satisfaction brought it back. Having both sides made it all make sense.

As I thought about these words while I was creating the piece, I realized that curiosity had served me well over the years. Not just for information, but to learn how and why things are done the way they are done. In my corporate roles being curious made me knowledgeable, it helped me put together pieces other people missed. And it allowed me to ‘see’ the internal elements at play, understand them, and be able to use that knowledge effectively for change. Often I found myself being in the know without trying to be in the know, which meant I mingled and meshed with levels far above my own who did not know. Information is indeed power, and how we choose to use it is wisdom. Curiosity served me well, and it brought satisfaction and opportunities others missed.

So my lesson learned, or more of a reminder – be curious. Try new things, learn how things work, get to know the people beyond just their job description AND pull the pieces together for the greater good. Being able to help, improve and change things brings a great deal of personal and professional satisfaction.