I learn quite differently now

Discovering the joy of learning

Last week, as I was winding down and massaging my foot, I started thinking about learning reflexology.

To some people, that might seem like a strange thing to study, given the work I do now. But I’m not very concerned about that anymore. I’m more focused on checking in with myself and noticing what I’m curious about next.

In that moment, I realised something: curiosity is what guides what I want to learn. There’s no pressure to perform or reach a specific goal. Just a genuine desire to explore something that interests me.

That feeling is still fairly new to me.

Growing up, I didn’t learn to learn. I learned to score the first rank.

Somewhere along the way, I picked up the idea that coming first would make people love and appreciate me—even though no one ever said it out loud. I still remember lying awake at night because I couldn’t balance one chemical equation in my science exam. It meant I would score 99 instead of 100.

Reflecting, I can laugh at this now. But not when I was living it.

Learning during my childhood invited stress because the goal was never to learn. It was to perform.

That madness for the first rank slowly turned into a deep fear of failure. Which made me follow the path that most people follow. The safe one. The expected one.

I can’t change my past. But I can live a better present to build a more intentional life.

Thirteen years ago, I quit my job.

And everything I’ve learned since then has been led much more by my curiosity to grow in fields I feel aligned with. I started as a content writer, grew into a learning experience designer, and now I’m running a bootcamp that teaches people how to convert what they read into simple hand-drawn visuals.

---

People who attended my bootcamp said:

Through Rachna’s bootcamp, I now feel confident that I have the skill of thinking visually and a workflow for turning ideas and concepts into visuals. What surprised me most was how quickly I was able to develop the skill of visual thinking. Anyone wanting to create visuals to enhance their ability to communicate messages will find the bootcamp useful. It’s also a great tool for remembering ideas and concepts you learn about in books (and other sources).

Anfernee Chansamooth, Cultural storyteller, marketing advisor & writer

---

None of this was planned. All of it was curiosity following curiosity.

And what I’ve realised is that nothing I ever learned went to waste.

I once joined a course on Nervous System Mastery, not just to understand my own nervous system but also to see how such a complex topic could be taught in an online setup. At the time, I had no idea how I would use that.

In my bootcamp today, I'm drawing on everything I've ever learned just for fun. The grounding exercise from last month's yoga class has found its way into my sessions. My years as a learning experience designer shape how I structure my bootcamp with a focus on practice rather than theory. The tools I explored just for fun help me facilitate better. The books I've read on human behaviour help me write emails that actually encourage my bootcampers. Learning to illustrate ideas (out of pure curiosity) gave me the ability to convert what I read into simple visuals — and eventually teach others to do the same.

Everything connects as we keep going.

I am still learning every single day. But I can witness the difference in this learning. This learning invites curiosity rather than stress to perform. The only person I wish to race ahead of is the person I was a moment ago.

We’re living in a time where learning never really stops. A one-time degree can only carry you so far. What this world needs keeps changing faster than we can predict.

The only real edge any of us has is knowing what we’re genuinely good at. And that can’t be built from a single skill. The most interesting things we can offer the world come from combining many things — including the ones we learned just for fun.

So here’s what I want to leave you with.

You don’t need a career reason to be curious about something. You don’t need to know how it will be useful before you start. Curiosity doesn’t sustain in thinking. It thrives in doing.

Maybe one day, massaging your foot leads you to reflexology. Maybe reflexology leads you somewhere you couldn’t have imagined.

That’s the beautiful thing about following curiosity. You never quite know where it ends up.

So go explore :)

Take a Little Pause 🌼

What’s one thing you’ve been curious about lately that has nothing to do with your work or responsibilities?

What would it look like to just explore it?

I’d love to hear what’s pulling at your curiosity right now. 😊

Love my visuals? Now learn how to create them 🌸

Starting March 2026, I’m running the third cohort of my bootcamp, Book to Visuals: A 4-Week Practice Lab. Transform one book into simple hand-drawn visuals using pencil and paper. No drawing experience needed.

Live sessions & personalised feedback every week. 10 seats only. 85 Euros for a limited time. Click the button below to register your interest.

People who attended my bootcamp said:

Before starting the bootcamp, I was not confident that I could make visuals. But after going through her sessions, I am pretty confident that I can come up with something based on what I read. The visual-making frameworks that she taught really helped. I am still learning. :)

Kanika Pal

Ways to support my creative journey 🎨✨

• Register for my 4-week practice lab to learn how to communicate ideas in simple visuals. Third cohort starts in March!

• License my illustrations – Love any of my illustrations? Use it for your brand.

• Hire me to illustrate for your brand, concept or upcoming book.

Take a Little Pause is an illustrated weekly newsletter for anyone navigating the beautiful messiness of building a creative, calm and intentional life. If you’re on a similar journey, subscribe for free or become a paid supporter to support my writing and help bring my dream of publishing a coffee-table book to life. 💛