Product
How Meahana WorksActivitiesCatalog
Resources
AI Session DesignerVideosBlog Posts
ServicesPricing
Book A DemoLogin

Curiosity & Constraints in the Life of Business Artists

Posted on 
September 12, 2023

When someone is fueled by creative passion, as most Business Artists are, their minds are non-stop machines fueled by intense curiosity. There is no pause button and no way to power it down. 

This can be exhausting at times. However, it is also the source of endless creative activities and inspiring conversations.

One of the best examples of a curious thinker is my former colleague Marta Zaragoza, who leads the Southern Europe and Latin America team for BTS. Marta has a reputation for always going a thousand miles per hour. She is intensely curious with clients and always tries to learn more. 

When a client opportunity is paused after a couple of days, Miguel Sequeira on her team tells me, Marta quickly asks, “What can we do? What are the reasons?  How are they viewing this and us?” Her approach is helpful because it helps the team find ways to look for new creative solutions.

Always Asking Why

The obsession with curiosity is the central driving force of the overactive mind. Many times over the years, I’ve told friends and colleagues that I’m a self-proclaimed social theorist. I have an active obsession with asking Why as it relates to all aspects of human performance in social and business settings. 

Why will certain people speak first in a room? Why do certain people feel compelled to challenge the status quo when others passively accept it? Why won’t this work, why does this work, why hasn’t this worked?

Why is a powerful question. Sometimes I even ask, Why do we ask why?

For example, in a sales or business meeting, sometimes I ask why simply to learn or probe for additional knowledge. Or I may ask why to validate or challenge an already-held opinion or hypothesis. Sometimes I ask why to understand how someone is feeling or where they are coming from.

And those are just the why questions! The mind never stops being curious, whether we’re talking about why, or even what and how questions. 

Balance & Burnout

But is it ultimately a good thing to have a mind that never slows down? If not, when can an active, racing mind get in the way of someone’s success? Can it produce negative consequences?

Perhaps. I know that I can come across as obsessed or intense at times.

I’ve had close friends say to me, “Adam, why don’t you just enjoy life instead of trying to figure it out all the time?”
I naturally reply, “You don’t understand. Trying to figure out life is how I enjoy it.”

The reality is that I’ve learned to have a balance. I’ve learned that I need to force myself to slow down at times or I can quickly spiral into a cave of curiosity that has no end. If you don’t do this, you will burn out from exhaustion and the never-ending adrenaline rush of intense curiosity.

Partners & Other Constraints

It’s also vital to partner with someone whom you trust, someone who knows how your mind works. 

I have a great colleague and friend, Matt Archer. He’s a co-founder with me at Meahana. Our minds are very different. Matt is masterful at execution and in his own artistic way, knows how to let my mind roam and get lost a bit. Then he will summarize, add his own points, and move forward. 

Matt helps to pace my thought process so the output is targeted to whatever we are working on.

When I don’t have a partner, I set other constraints. Great artistic output comes from constraints. In the world of music, if you play a certain note on a piano, you are already constrained mathematically to what good options you have next. 

It sounds counterintuitive but it’s true: art is best built in a constrained universe.

Wouldn’t It Be Cool?

Earlier, I mentioned Marta as a great example of curiosity. In addition, let me tell you about Fredrik Schuller, another Global Partner at BTS and Head of the Coach Practice.

Fredrik is one of the first people I call when I want to “dream up” new solutions for a client problem. I know he will ask me lots of questions I had not considered. Then the two of us will mentally co-create a solution together. We’ll laugh at how ridiculous most of the solutions are in terms of our ability to actually execute them.

Even so, we spend a lot of time asking, “Wouldn’t it be cool, though?” We will eventually bring in other minds into the conversation to help slow us down, ground us in reality, and find something practical we can execute.

These are the type of colleagues I love to innovate with. They are filled with curiosity and creativity. Naturally, those qualities often lead to situations where you need to confront existing realities. 

There are always limitations and constraints in the real world. But sometimes you have to challenge them in order to see what’s possible.

‍

Tagged:
Business Artist
Adam Boggs
Chief Executive Officer
view All Posts

Featured Posts

Meeting
The Office Mandate Nobody's Talking About: Fix Meetings Before Forcing Attendance
Meeting
Why Method Matters More Than Meeting Agenda
Why We Need Smart Meetings: A Case for Smarter, Not Fewer, Meetings
Meeting
Outnumbered by AI Notetakers
Meeting
The $37 Billion Question: What Type of Meeting Are You Running?
Meeting
From Chaos to Clarity: Leading Collaborative Decision-Making with Intention
Meeting
Transforming Panel Discussions: From Boring to Brilliant
Meaningful Meeting Takeaways
Workshop
The Whiteboard Conundrum: Are Digital Collaboration Tools Failing to Deliver on their Promise?
Meeting
Navigating Hybrid Meetings: A Practical Solution with Meahana
Meeting
Move Beyond Endless Brainstorming to Decisive Outcomes
Workshop
What Really is a Workshop? (Work+Shop)
Workshop
Facilitation and the Artist Journey
Workshop
The Rise of Canva and the Software 'Augmentation Era'
Workshop
Business is Like Jazz, Not Karaoke
Workshop
Future of Workshop Design: Meahana's No-Code Approach and Content Partnerships Empower Facilitators
The Hidden Cost of Misalignment: $2 Trillion in Failed Projects and How to Fix It
Meeting
Meetings: The Silent Killer of Productivity (And How to Fight Back)
Top 10 ways to crush your transformation and change initiatives
AI vs HI (Human Intelligence)
Exploring the Reasons We Are Drawn to Create
Three Kinds of Courage Every Business Artist Needs
Embracing Your Health and Wellness as a Business Artist
The Tension Between Creativity and Conformity
The Blueprint for Successful Selling: Trust, Collaboration, and Teamwork
Co-Opetition: Partnering with Competitors for Mutual Success
Three Visions for Business Artists
Business is All About Challenging the Status Quo
Are You Making Time to Create?
Two Most Important Skills for Sellers and Business Artists
7 Tips for Better Storytelling in Business
Business Artists Redefine What is Possible
Storytelling and Getting Out of Your Own Way
Is Your Creative Flow Blocked?
Curiosity & Constraints in the Life of Business Artists
4 Surprising Examples of Business Artists
Why Every Business Artist Must Learn to Think in Stories
Has Apple Become the World’s Biggest Cover Band
Avoiding the Path of Least Resistance
Yellow Brick Road of Innovation
The Real Meaning of Human Resources
Business is the Story of Technology
Understanding Today’s Realities and Preparing for Tomorrow’s Challenges
The Biggest Danger for a Business Artist is Imitating Yourself
Workshop
At the Core of Any Great Facilitation - Content Orchestration
Workshop
Cover Bands Don’t Change the World
Just a Little of That Human Touch
WeLearn and Meahana Form Strategic Learning and Development Partnership
More Posts

You Might Also Like

Apr 4, 2025
 in 

Meahana Achieves SOC2 Type II Compliance: A Testament to Trust & Security

Feb 24, 2025
 in 
Meeting

The Office Mandate Nobody's Talking About: Fix Meetings Before Forcing Attendance

Matt Archer
Feb 17, 2025
 in 
Meeting

Why Method Matters More Than Meeting Agenda

Matt Archer

Navigation

HomeAbout UsBlog

Follow Us On LinkedIn

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/meahana

Company

TrustTerms of Serviceinfo@meahana.ioPrivacy AgreementStatus