MY OUTFIT

& Other Stories Top and Skirt | Boden Sunglasses c/o | Castañer Espadrilles

Initially, this blog post was going to be all about my new color obsession: saffron yellow. But then I looked at the photos and thought I'd say a bit more. Go a bit deeper. So, today, I'm going to say why you should never stop being curious. Never stop opening your mind to new things. And never shy away from asking a few questions.

Why'd these photos get me thinking that way?

Well, see the ones with a little pink in the corner. No, it's not a thumb or an after-effect applied in photoshop. It's actually a flower petal held slightly in front of the camera lens—a trick Supal shared with me while we were shooting.

It's so important to take mental notes and learn from each and every situation you encounter. Keep your mind open. Look around. Listen. I think I've mentioned it before, but in past jobs, I've always made a point to ask people questions—even if they're not directly related to my own work.

It's a bit nerve-wracking to admit you don't know something or to go up to someone that you don't know too well. But people are so much more often than not happy to share their tips and tricks!

At my last company, I sat with designers and I was always in awe of how they could do certain things in Photoshop, so I'd ask how they did that. I was genuinely interested in how they created graphics or retouched photos a certain way—it looked like magic when they did it! And those little tidbits have stayed with me and are so helpful now when I'm editing photos for my blog.

In the job before (another floral start-up), I was tasked with prepping flowers and making bouquets in the morning that would be sent out later in the day. I wasn't a florist (by any stretch), but in the warehouse, I'd be sure to position myself near the professionals, watching their techniques, asking them questions now and again (far enough between to not hinder productivity) about stem names and floral arranging methods.

Soon enough, a lot of them would voluntarily share things with me, almost taking me under their wing.

I'll admit, I didn't love that job, and I could've sulked about it and done just enough to get by, but I knew that it was such a good opportunity to learn. I made the most of every day I had there and took mental notes on anything I was curious about—be it flowers or otherwise. And you know what? That newfound knowledge came in handy when interviewing at Bloom & Wild.

Even the worst experiences—whether they're school, work, relationships or travel related—can teach valuable lessons. And more often than not, the bad experiences are where I've learned the most.

As you move from experience to experience, you'll acquire knowledge and transferable skills that you can use in the future. The things you're curious about might not seem useful, but over time, things will without a doubt fall into place and you'll be so happy that you kept an open mind!

So how to be curious (and courteous)?

Show genuine interest

Don't ask questions because you feel like you should or feign being interested if you're not. Seek out things and people you find fascinating. You'll not only learn more because you're following your interests, people will also see your genuine curiosity and be more willing to open up.

Ask questions

This part can be intimidating. Maybe you want to reach out to someone on Instagram or a colleague at work. If it's something like Instagram, just add a comment or direct message (and it's always going to win you points if you make it personalized).

If it's a colleague, ask if they might have time to show you how to do that or discuss what you're interested in (keeping in mind they might not have time straight away, and it might need to be during lunch hours—offer to buy them tea or coffee while you chat!). The worst that can happen is they say no!