fbpx

Why Zest and Curiosity?

Our purpose is to bring you joy. Zest and Curiosity is made for people who want to discover the fine art of living through meaningful art and travel experiences.

Calder Light, High Museum of Art - Zest and Curiosity
Calder Detail. High Museum of Art. Photo by Tijana.


Have you ever been struck by the lightning of love? Love of travel … Art …Experience, aesthetics, expression? 

Welcome to Zest and Curiosity. 

Bring your questing spirit. Your joy. Your awe. Welcome to wonders on the wild frontiers of the imagination.

Zest and Curiosity – How it All Started

Zest and Curiosity began with the staggering discovery that I had over 50,000 photos on my iPhone, but I had barely shared any of these photos. In the spur of the moment, I purchased this website domain zestandcuriosity.com. Those were the two words I thought would describe my passion the best: zest and curiosity. Unorganized photos from cultural travels, architecture and thought-provoking art events were slowly turning into digital dust. I longed to share my experiences while spark interesting conversations with people who have the same passions. Like you, dear reader.

Glo Performance, Atlanta, GA
Glo performance among Sol LeWitt’s Sculptures in Atlanta. Photo by Tijana.

This was the beginning of a remarkable journey that is so much bigger than I could have ever imagined. Not only did my expeditions find their voice in photos and stories, but I am learning so much more from a growing community of like-minded individuals. These are some of the important values of life – zest and curiosity. And community, above all.

Cambodia Boat Ride Kampot
Cambodia boat trip Kampot. Cambodia is my happy space.
Read more about beautiful Cambodia.


Swimming through the emerald waters of Vietnam.
Read more about Halong Bay.

Zest

A component of the virtue of courage, zest is defined as living life with a sense of excitement, anticipation, and energy. Essentially, approaching life as an adventure.

In his book, The Conquest of Happiness, the great philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and writer Bertrand Russell focuses on the positive psychology of zest.

“What hunger is in relation to food, zest is in relation to life”. (Bertrand Russell)

‘Zest’ is Bertrand Russell’s word for the first way to conquer happiness. While taking an interest in things and people, we have the capacity to enjoy moments for their own sake.

The more things a man is interested in, the more opportunities of happiness he has, and the less he is at the mercy of fate, since if he loses one thing he can fall back upon another.

-Bertrand Russell 

Whether it’s dining, reading, architecture, art, or travel – the more aspects of life from which you can draw pleasure, the better. Live it fully.

Here is a summary of the book chapter on Zest (thank you, blogger Bert!). Additionally, you can enjoy this great post about Bertrand Russell’s philosophy of zest. 

Tijana in Tijana at Tuileries Garden, Paris.
Tijana at Tuileries Garden, Paris. Photo by Patrick Chelli.

Curiosity

In 2015 Doreetha Daniels received her associate degree in social sciences from the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California. But Daniels wasn’t a typical student: She was 99 years old.

I would like to be like Daniels. After all, there is so much to learn! It is humbling and beautiful to see that, without a doubt, it is never too late to start a new journey.

Endless curiosity is the magic of life. As a result of my curiosity, I have traveled to faraway places, read a lot, and was fortunate to have some enriching experiences.

Because of it, I am now going through thousands of photos of art, travels to find and share those unique moments. I want to help ignite curiosity for others while fostering inspiration and conversation.

According to the dictionary, curiosity is the state of being inquisitive, wondering, ready to poke around and figure something out. It’s described as a strong desire to know or learn something.

I am also a lifelong learner.

Interested in how Curiosity can impact your business life? To learn more, read this great article about the benefits of curiosity from the Harvard Business Review (HBR). Also, check this interesting article from the Harvard Business Review regarding the benefits of lifelong learning.

Zest & Curiosity Outreach

I started Zest & Curiosity to share my worldwide travel and capture marvelous art, architecture, design, and cultural experiences. Those explorations brought me joy and an exhilarating way to see the world. My biggest surprise and joy was the discovery that Zest & Curiosity is read in 161 countries, and has reached many readers. My heart is full of gratitude.

Annual Page Views346,461
Annual Sessions147,061
Annual Users114,760
Tijana, Founder of Zest and Curiosity
I loved this moment when I was traveling and enjoying the stunning exhibition by Egon Schiele. While I do enjoy art, it was also so wonderful to find this museum room with a beautiful view, and simply – to just be. To soak it all in. I call it a happy space or being in the zone that gives me so much joy. Photo by artist Petar Pavlov.



Lifelong Learning

“ The reasons to continue learning are many. And, the weight of the evidence indicates that lifelong learning isn’t simply an economic imperative but a social, emotional, and physical one as well. We live in an age of abundant opportunity for learning and development. Capturing that opportunity — maintaining our curiosity and intellectual humility — can be one of life’s most rewarding pursuits.”

– Harvard Business Review article

Zest and Curiosity – Parting Words

Above all, this life is all about people and the meaningful connections that we have. My dream for Zest & Curiosity is to create a community of art and culture travel lovers while inspiring each other.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. I always read your comments carefully and with great interest. Also, I had the privilege to meet some of you, and to do interesting projects together. As a result, I am eternally grateful for those conversations and opportunities. Our common passion continues to inspire us and that makes my heart sing.

Thank you for joining us.

Enjoy Zest and Curiosity!

Tijana
Founder and Editor-in-Chief

15 comments

  • sirgliofrei

    Real clear site, thanks for this post.

    • zestandcuriosity (author)

      Thank you, I appreciated that you you enjoyed it.

      • Duda

        Cao,
        super ti je sadrzaj i sve kako si objasnila.
        Komunikacija je “top” 😊
        Odlicno !
        Go on my dear !! 👍👍

        • zestandcuriosity (author)

          Thank you so much for support. It is very appreciated. This is such a passion project, and it makes me happy when people enjoy it. You are wonderful! Hugs.

  • Charles McNair

    T, it’s wonderful to see a spirit like this, a bird flying higher than coronavirus clouds and petty problems. Thanks for the reminders of goodness on our globe. I’ve subscribed to the newsletter. c

    • zestandcuriosity (author)

      Thank you for such a gracious comments dear Charles and for subscribing. This is such a delightful passion project and the community of readers is growing with the astonishing speed. I am so humbled and grateful. It is not the most usual way to sort the photos, but it was such a reflective and joyful one.

  • chwilówka

    I reckon something truly special in this website.

    • zestandcuriosity (author)

      Thank you so much! Glad to have you as a part of our community.

  • Zor

    Just a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding design and style. “Reading well is one of the great pleasures that solitude can afford you.” by Harold Bloom.

    • zestandcuriosity (author)

      Thank you for the lovely quote. Yes, reading is a joy, it is like a mind journey. Wishing you all the best and Thank you for being here.

  • Roberto M.

    It is always a pleasant time to read your posts and watch the photos you publish, Tijana, our permanent curiosity is always satisfied with zest.

    • zestandcuriosity (author)

      Thank you so much for the support and for this delicious note. I loved it!

      Wishing you simply all the best, and the zesty year ahead, full of joy, health, and happiness.

  • Phryne Ioannidou

    Dear Tijana,
    it’s is very rare that one finds a person with similar zest and curiosity across the globe… keep evolving and we … with you…!
    Thank you,
    Phryne

    • zestandcuriosity (author)

      Thank you for this beautiful comment Phryne. It means a world. I am so grateful that we all have connected through our passions and can exchange what brings us joy. Have an amazing day!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *