We talk every day without thinking much about it. But what makes a conversation land? Why do some questions open doors while others close them? How does understanding happen in the space between people?
I’m Craig Constantine, and these questions have shaped my work for years—through hundreds of recorded conversations and countless hours thinking about what makes dialogue actually work.
Open + Curious is where I share what I’m finding. Not techniques or scripts, but explorations of the kind of listening and curiosity that makes real connection possible.
What you’ll find here:
The field notes are essay-length pieces that follow threads from conversations into something larger—ideas that linger, tensions worth examining, questions that resist easy answers. Each one explores how we listen, what we miss, why connection sometimes happens in the gaps between words.
Why this matters:
There are countless traditions that describe the idea of speaking reality into being—that our words shape not just how we communicate, but how we experience the world. Open + Curious is my perspective on that: How can our conversations shape our understanding? And how might better dialogue change what’s possible between people?
Following
I advocate for open systems of collaboration, and for calm technology. I try not to put my efforts into others’ walled gardens or closed systems.
There’s an RSS feed for this web site. And, what’s RSS? ↗️ …in case you just asked.
You can also follow my Open + Curious writing in the Fediverse (aka Mastodon):
Podcaster. Writer. 👋 Hello, I want us to go from simply having conversations, to actively creating better conversations — https://craigconstantine.com/ has more about me, and my ongoing projects.
Origins
I started writing Open + Curious because I wanted a place to clarify my thinking. In all my experiences—particularly my podcasting experiences—it’s the conversations which have had the biggest impact on me. The more I dug into the art of conversation, the more fascinated I became.
The tone and structure of what I’ve been writing for Open + Curious has changed over time as I’ve learned how to more clearly communicate my thinking; it’s striking the further back you go here in the Field Notes. But I’ve left everything published as-is because I think showing my work is just as important as doing the work… working with the garage door up, so to speak.
Who am I?
Hello 👋 I’m Craig Constantine.
I invite you to cultivate a meaningful life—through presence, not pursuit. You can learn more about me and all my projects at, https://craigconstantine.com.
There are a ton of conversation related posts on my personal blog. What’s posted there is often the raw material which becomes clarified (I hope) writing here for Open + Curious.
Cheers!
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Contact
I can’t reply to everything, but…