I was doing some filming at a food festival today, the Wakefield Rhubarb Festival in Yorkshire. Before I went, I was in two minds as to how I felt about it. Who am I to be any kind of authority on the topic? What knowledge do I have? Then it struck me. I’m not trying to portray that. I’m there to learn, to observe, and to interact with people so I find out more.
My focus changed from being someone with imposter syndrome, to someone curious to find out from others about their skillset, their knowledge, their experiences. This made me feel so much easier. This made me much more open to finding things out. This curiosity and desire to learn from others was nice.
Asking others about their experiences, how their weekend had been, how they felt, and what things meant to them – all this was from a position of interest, not expertise. This was an openness from me and an opportunity for others to share their thoughts.
Asking questions is a good thing. Being curious is a good thing. Paying interest in others is definitely a good thing.