Recap: “Curiosity and A Curious Mind” with Matt Eastwood and Brian Grazer

“Curiosity isn’t something you do on the couch, with a remote in one hand and a brew in the other. It’s active and acquisitive. It’s not always polite,” said Matt Eastwood earlier this morning in J. Walter Thompson’s “Curiosity and A Curious Mind” seminar with Brian Grazer.

Following on the heels of Heineken’s “Thirst for Creativity” seminar yesterday, which emphasized the high risk, high return nature of creativity, “Curiosity and A Curious Mind” started from scratch, dissecting the waning and waxing of curiosity as we age.

Neuroscience studies have shown that during moments of high curiosity, memory is sharper. A curious state of mind primes us to learn not only about the topics that interest us; it also enhances our abilities to recall the peripheral information that we observe during times of wonder.

Hollywood vet Brian Grazer, one of the most perpetually curious minds, attests to curiosity leading to “a bigger career, richer life. And because you’re a good listener, [having a curious mind] helps you with women.”

In a world dominated by technology, text conversations tend to take the place of real ones, of meeting up at a coffee shop to ask someone that burning question that’s been harboring in your head. Grazer, who has famously conducted ‘curiosity conversations’ with strangers and celebrities alike, attests to the power of the human connection in nourishing curiosity and expanding perspective. “I think we all have curiosity, there’s a baseline curiosity that exists within all of us. What I did and what others can do is just bring it to another level…these conversations are so valuable. They’re really the best dates you could ever have.”

Grazer soon realized that the more people he talked to, the more he cared about travel, culture, different ideas and disciplines, and that the more he seemed to care, the more people were likely to trust him and open up. As a young, ambitious 20-something, he learned that people loved talking about themselves and their experiences, and that they were more apt to want to talk than he imagined. “I was this 24-year-old kid in a small job at Warner Bros. who realized that if I was articulate and charming and persuasive enough, I could get my way into anyone’s office in Hollywood. And I did,” said Grazer.

The most productive outlet for curiosity is talking and inquiring. Grazer realized this and so did Eastwood, who believed so strongly in Grazer’s work that he has been leading ‘curiosity conversations’ of his own for the last ten years. Not everyone is an extrovert, but having the ability to connect with someone will connect you with the world in ways that you never thought possible. Curiosity is rewarding, it is motivating and sparks creativity, which, in the ad world, is the ultimate key to success. If you are creative, you are valuable and you can create insightful, unique work that has the ability to inspire curiosity in others. Curiosity and creativity go hand-in-hand. Talk to as many people as you can and ask an annoying amount of questions.