Wonder As a Compass: Letting Curiosity Guide Your Creative Life

A simple scribble... and what might be seen hiding inside it.

There are plenty of reasons to make art: to process emotions, to explore beauty, to tell a story, to make sense of the world. But lately, I keep coming back to one guiding force that feels more important than ever: wonder.

Not perfection. Not productivity. Not even purpose. Just wonder.
That wide-eyed sense of "what if?" That spark that tugs at your sleeves and says, "Look at this! Try that!"

For me, wonder is a compass. It's how I decide what project to start, what marks to make, which mess to lean into. It’s what gets me to pick up the brush—or to sit with a scribble or a stain—and say, "Let’s see what’s here."

One of my favorite ways to play with wonder is through something called pareidolia—that delightful moment when your brain sees a face in the clouds or a creature in the coffee rings on your desk. I’ve come to love making a quick, random scribble on paper and then pausing to ask, what do I see hiding here?

Sometimes it’s silly. Sometimes it’s surprising. But it’s always an invitation into a playground of curiosity.

I'll share an example below. On the left: a simple, spontaneous scribble. On the right: a little something I saw when I stepped back and let my imagination wander.

You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going. You just have to follow what’s tugging at your heart. That’s what wonder does. It leads you—not with a map, but with a magnet.
Some days, it takes the form of a flower petal curling just so. Other days, it’s a child’s laugh or a smudge of color on your fingertip. And sometimes, it’s a strange little creature peeking out of a blueberry stain.

I’m learning to trust that pull. Even if it doesn’t seem practical or polished or productive. Because every time I follow wonder, I end up somewhere real. Somewhere that feels like home. For example, these two little scribbles I made really quickly without thinking—just letting the pen dance. Then I stepped back, took a breath, and noticed a character starting to appear - a girl looking back over her shoulder. Maybe she's imaging bugs flying around her - those spots where my pen just lightly landed randomly! Pareidolia is like that—letting your imagination lead, and trusting that wonder will meet you in the mess.

So this is just a gentle nudge—from me to you: let yourself follow wonder a few moments today.
Just make a quick scribble on a scrap of paper, step back, and see what you notice. No art skills required—just your imagination and a sprinkle of curiosity. 

Even if it’s just for five minutes.
Even if it leads you somewhere beautifully odd.
Even if it doesn’t make sense yet.
Wonder knows the way....to put a smile in your heart.



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