15 years before meeting Eminem…
Brian Grazer met Wu-Tang’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard (ODB).
Brian heard ODB on the radio and just wanted to meet him. So he did.
That connection eventually led Brian to create the movie American Gangster, the Made in American concert with Jay Z, and years later 8 Mile after a strange meeting with Eminem.
Brian does what he calls, “curiosity conversations”. He started this routine over 35 years ago. And does them as often as once a week.
Who is Brian Grazer?
He’s just a normal curious dude. But he carved out an impressive career and became one of the BIGGEST producers in film and television (nominated for 43 Academy Awards and 198 Emmys).
He produced some of my favorite movies/shows including Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Liar Liar, Friday Night Lights, 24, etc… The list goes on.
I recently discovered Brian and his curiosity conversations. And I LOVED IT.
Sometimes I get so excited and inspired it’s easy to take a DEEP dive.
And that’s exactly what happened.
But not in the way you might think.
I started with his first book A Curious Mind. It was SO good I read it in one day. (Note: I’ve never read a whole book in a single day). HIGHLY recommend.
Then 3 things happened.
- I decided I also will conduct my own curiosity conversations. I already sort of do…but this approach is WAY more fun.
(UPDATE: recorded my first one today 2/28) - An exciting insight sparked in my head. Not really a “goal”, but more of feeling or knowing — that I will have a curiosity conversation WITH BRIAN one day.
- I started my curiosity conversation target list. Only criteria… I have to be EXCITED about talking to them. I quickly listed 15 people. Man, this is already fun.
Whenever I’m inspired by someone… I GO IN.
I start reading and listening to anything I discover on the person. I follow on social media and start studying there too.
I also like to reach out to people directly when I love their work. I’ve sent handwritten letters, personalized videos, voice notes, emails, DM’s, etc. I just want to let them know and thank them.
After this excitement, I couldn’t help but notice two distinct forms of motivation. One is effortless and fun, vs the other that’s heavy and strenuous…
Push vs. Pull
“Push” is often an external motivator (a comparison/metric). While it can be an effective motivator…it also can be exhausting.
“Pull” is internal and much more graceful. When you’re pulled to something it doesn’t feel like work. It feels natural or rhythmic. It brings you into a state of flow.
Things you’re pulled into — you’d likely do anyway for fun.
You might even dance back to your desk from the bathroom — instead of just walking slowly with your head down. You’re more excited about this type of pull work.
I was definitely pulled to start this website. Sure, writing is challenging at times. But I love it. It’s a creative outlet AND I get to learn more by sharing.
When I discovered Brian and his curiosity conversations, I was pulled to it as well. I didn’t overthink it. I was just excited about it, so I read his book.
It’s clear that Brian was pulled into his curiosity conversations too. And he followed it.
The BEST part is… by following what we’re “pulled” into, we discover and create things we otherwise would’ve never found.
But if we ignore the pulls and focus only on the pushes… we might lose sight altogether. The journey becomes difficult. It feels more like an uphill trek — when it could be a downhill adventure.
So it’s up to you, which will you choose?
I’ve been pushing for a long time and just switching over to explore where I’m being pulled.
It feels right. It feels fun. And I’m legit EXCITED for more to come!
Can you please describe the feeling and sense of direction that “pull” creates for you?
Your encouraging terms, such as “in the flow” are lyrical and curiosity-creating. I would enjoy hearing you describe your experiences of those phrases you use from a kinesthetic and visceral sense. And what it’s like experientially to BE having those specific sensations. We might enjoy exploring what the word sensations means.