Curiosity didn't kill the cat. I think it made its life richer, more interesting, adventurous, and possibly even longer than it would have been. Why? Yesterday, we were talking about the power of questions. And when you label the fire that motivates questioning, you find...

CURIOSITY.

From: http://www.creativesomething.net/post/15674012928?

Curiosity is the thing that allows us to ask, "why?", "how?", and "what if?", to innovate, to keep our sense of wonder in trying times, to have breathtaking moments of beauty in the middle of everyday life, to grow and stay engaged in life.

Curiosity is key to being a writer--and as a musician and tech geek, I can widen that to say it's key to being any sort of creator.

For writers and artsy makers like us, technology can seem machine-like or mathematically confining. Authors and musicians tell me they feel forced into social media participation, SmartPhone app usage and such to promote their creations, but would often rather spend time brainstorming, editing, reading, and performing. BUT. I'd say that the best uses of technology and social media are creative, and come from the same musing curiosity as that which propels poems, novels, or a journalist's investigation. (Aloha, SheWrites.com!)

Let's envision the internet and technology as a tool for the curious, a space full of resources and peers for pursuing whatever your goals might be. Have you experienced this online? How is your creative process enhanced by technology? What blogposts, Tweets, Facebook groups, mobile apps, videos, etc. inspire your work? What tech gurus or sites/projects blow you away? We'd all love to hear.

For the rest of the week, I will highlight dazzling books, projects, and causes headed by women (100% picked by me, not sponsored in any way) that will spark your curiosity and creativity, and help you mesh your muse with your tech/social media life. Right brain and left brain, unite!

And in case you're wondering why I'm focusing on women--the same issues of sexism and respect that She Writers have commiserated about are present for women in tech too. But, technology and social media are also proving to be great battlegrounds and new types of spaces for changing these problems. You've seen this video of a girl asking about pink vs. blue toys, right? Her curiosity (and frustration!) about the oppression of gender roles became a powerful viral meme, enabled by technology.

From: http://youtu.be/-CU040Hqbas

Multiply that by adult capabilities, and you've got incredible uses of technology that get women's words out there and champion their causes--which often are for women's empowerment. Women are still underrepresented in tech fields, on technology panels, and so on. But, with curiosity in the lead, we make noise about what we object to and what we want to learn. We produce our own media from books to community sites to videos, and we contribute to a changing landscape.