How to develop 'taste'

Whether it's food, fashion, music, books, or any given hobby - cultivating your own personal sense of taste can be a deeply awakening process.  People that don't have any passions or interests they are invested in also often don't have an established interior self. 

What's an interior self?  All of the specific things that you are aware of and own that make you, you.  The foundation and layers of your critical thinking.  Your moral compass and core values.  Your deepest dreams and fears.  With self-possession of your interior self you are not just aware of all of these components, you understand how they came to be, how they have evolved, and how they continue to permeate your everyday experiences, perceptions, and decisions.  If you're still blinking as though no one is behind the wheel - I have a separate blog here for you to start cultivating your inner self.

Developing taste is a journey, not a destination.  If you ever decide you are 'there' with understanding, exploring, enjoying any given pursuit - you've just limited yourself.  Developing taste is three parts: learning about whatever it is, experiencing whatever it is, learning about yourself experiencing/participating in whatever it is - rinse, repeat. 

Example.  I want to get REALLY into coffee.  I start with thinking about why, what do I love about it, what kind of doors might it open (travel, pairings, social, etc), how do I currently scope my understanding, knowledge, and enjoyment?  Then I start to explore.  I read books about coffee, find magazines, articles, read critiques by global experts of the best places coffee is grown, why, and how it impacts the taste.  I learn about ethical considerations and decide what about that is important for my purchasing, travel, explorations.  As I'm learning, I'm deciding what I'm drawn to - it is certain roasts, certain notes of flavor, certain regions, certain blends, is it espresso or black coffee or is it all about transforming it?  Then I meet others that share my passion.  A coffee farmer, a barista, a coffee buyer, a chef focused on infusing coffee into their cuisine, coffee lovers of all kinds.  We discuss, we enjoy together, we learn from each other.  We start to build friendships, travel partners, business relationships, all kinds of connections.  Deciding to explore 'coffee' can turn into a life changing pursuit. 

Now replace coffee with anything else like fashion, a genre of music, a section of books, a new craft like woodworking or knitting or home improvement or gardening or becoming a shepherd.

Developing yourself, your interests, your body of knowledge, and your ability to experience many things on a wide spectrum will not only bring you joy it will bring joy into the lives of those around you and bring joy from others over to you.  This is part of how we share the human experience together, we connect through shared interests.  It's never too late to get deeper into your interests, no matter where you last left them.  And it's never too late to start developing new ones.  There's very little to lose and everything to gain.