Curiosity Is The Key To A Successful Career

Is there a tried and true path to creative success? Some say follow your passion, but that’s not what worked for this week’s guest. In this episode, Chris talks with YouTube design trend forecaster, Philip Van Dusen, about how following his curiosity led him to where to he needed to be

Starting out in the arts, Philip was teaching art classes to university students in the south of France. When he came back, he found himself starting a t-shirt company with the monotypes he’d produced while teaching.

He quickly realized that sales was not his forte, and dove headfirst into design and creative work at a competitor’s t-shirt company.

Philip spent a number of years moving up the chain of creative positions in the fashion industry. An integral piece of his role was to travel around the world and spot trends, crediting this time in his life as the birth of his ‘trend eye.’

Philip has had one heck of a career if we’re being honest. He went from teaching art in the south of France, to designing t-shirts for his competitor, to spearheading the t-shirt designs at Old Navy for 11 years.

What was the catalyst for all of this? Well, the episode title kind of gives it away, but it’s pure curiosity.

Philip credits his pursuit of curiosity to the exciting opportunities he’s been able to experience. He says, "when I coach people, I always tell them to pursue what you're curious about because curiosity will lead you to places that passion never would have pointed you.”

Curiosity was the exact thing that led him from designing t-shirts, to becoming a VP at one of the world’s largest clothing retailers.

If there’s one thing to learn from Philip, it’s that passion leads us to the door, but our curiosity is what beckons us to open it.