The Dairyman and the Power of Curiosity

Trending industry buzzwords and jargon fill the pages of media sites.  But, in our complex and highly technical world, people look for ways to make a difference; to stand out.  They want to inspire change and to effectively communicate ideas.  An often-overlooked method to accomplish this — one that anybody can utilize — is the concept of curiosity. 

Everything starts with curiosity. As children, one of our most-asked questions, the one that drove our parents crazy, was: why?  We were curious. We wanted to know.

Curiosity can be applied at work or at home and it goes hand-in-hand with storytelling — one of the hot topics in business communications right now. Journalists find good stories because they are curious.

Curiosity is wanting to know more. I start my day with curiosity. Well, that and coffee. 

Coffee gets me going in the morning and keeps me going all day. No cream, no sugar, just strong and black, the way it’s supposed to be consumed. A cup of coffee will also act as an ice-breaker to any conversation and keep it moving along. I’ve heard countless stories while downing cups of coffee.

So, I brought some extra coffee with me recently to meet Johnny Sixma at his house. I heard about Mr. Sixma from a couple of people. He was a former dairyman in the western part of Volusia County in Central Florida and his place was down a dirt road in the middle of suburban sprawl. It was hard to imagine that this was, at one time, the home of a thriving dairy with 100 cows on 500 acres. He still has 175 acres with a wonderful view overlooking old barns, farm equipment and pastures. My curiosity level was high. I wanted to know how a dairy got started and thrived in these parts.

“Morning Johnny. How about some coffee?” I asked.

“I don’t drink coffee,” he said.

Uh, okay. But, Johnny didn’t mind a conversation about life as a dairyman.

“How did it all get started?” I asked.

“My grandfather got the dairy business started in the early 1900s with probably around 10 cows. When I got started, it just continued to grow.

“For years, we produced raw milk. We just put it on ice and delivered it. We delivered milk in the old days by horse and wagon. Then, he got a little fancy and got a Model T. Big-time.

“My day started at 2:30 a.m., so not too early. We would deliver milk to the customer's doorstep and bring the old bottles back to the dairy. We would make deliveries to customers about every three days.”

I drained my coffee cup as he continued telling stories about the old days. I heard about pasteurization, homogenization, milking machines, feed corn, soybeans, molasses, milk cans, creamery, hay balers, dry cows, udders and cats. 

I glanced over to the barns and old dairy buildings, and asked if he was up to showing me around. He didn’t get around too well, but he was eager to show them to me.

Slowly, we walked over to the former dairy barn. The cinder-block building contained an assortment of farm and ranch paraphernalia. In the center of the barn was a small table where cat food had spilled out of a small bowl, as well as some empty water bottles; for man or cat, I wasn’t sure. Names of horses were written out on old boards and attached to the stalls. The dairy business changed over time and Johnny eventually got involved in horse racing.

There were also a few chairs and Johnny sat in one.

“This is one of my favorite spots.”

Here, I surmised, Johnny just liked to sit and reminisce. I asked if he would mind if I made a few photographs of the old barn and a portrait of himself.

“I’d be upset if you didn’t,” he said.

There were a lot of photo opportunities close by to make Johnny’s portrait, but I decided to have him sit right where he was. I set up my large-format camera, took a meter reading and made a few exposures. 

Johnny was accommodating and friendly, and he had a dry sense of humor that I like. 

I marveled at how, on this day, my curiosity led me to sit in an old barn and learn about the dairy business in Volusia County.

Curiosity drives everything including empathy. To understand Johnny Sixma, I had to want to know more about him and, as a result, I had a new experience that added value to my life and work. 

I am a bit of an introvert and keep to myself. It’s a major effort to get involved in business networking events and I’m typically not someone who will easily seek out new people. But, curiosity gets me out of my comfort zone and into experiences in which I would not normally find myself — like that day.

Curiosity is big-picture thinking. It is wanting to see things a little differently and creating new opportunities for a fuller life. Travelers create new experiences and adventures because they were curious about what lay ahead. Books are read because we are curious about what happens next (I read one of the worst books I have ever read last year. While it garnered major awards, I thought it was a terrible piece of fiction.  But, I kept at it because I was curious to find out if it would get better.). 

I spent a morning learning about a dairy business and the results could appear in any number of media. I might add Johnny’s story and photograph to a new book project or marketing efforts. Curiosity leads to opportunity, which leads to discovery, which leads to storytelling. And, storytelling creates an engagement with an audience.

What are you curious about? 

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Eric Dusenbery (B.A. Cinema & Photography, Southern Illinois University) is founder, executive director and photographer for Cinderic Documentaries Inc. He utilizes the power of the still photograph for documentary work and frequently uses the traditions of the large format film camera for storytelling. His documentary photography has been widely exhibited and his work has appeared in numerous national publications. He is also a speaker, consultant and award-winning freelance journalist who writes/photographs frequently about media, agriculture, self-sustainable lifestyles, human interest profiles, history and off-the-beaten path features.