#12 Tiffany Valvo: Being interested & amazed (quantum level)

Tiffany Valvo

Welcome to blog post #12 of The Insightful Creative.

Tiffany Valvo describes herself as a “high-energy human,” and it’s easy to see why. Our conversation covered everything we love: classical music, teaching, creativity, and non-fiction books, with her enthusiasm shining through as we spoke.

 Tiffany says, without hesitation: “I’m really into energizing people and making an impact. You know you’ve energized someone when you have their full attention. You can feel it when someone isn’t quite receptive, but you can also feel it when the opposite is true. I believe in the amazingness of all of it—how do you get someone else excited? I can’t imagine not being able to empower or energize people.”

 Her energy was contagious. As we spoke, I couldn’t help but think about how Tiffany modeled what it means to be fully engaged, listening deeply to every word being shared.

 As if reading my mind, Tiffany said: “What if we let go of trying to prove ourselves or be interesting? How about being interested? You can ask yourself: in what ways can I show that I’m truly interested?” [1]

 Being Interested

 Being interested is about noticing, observing, and truly taking in the other person. It shifts the focus outward, while being “interesting” is often about ourselves. When we fully listen and engage with what’s happening around us, we open ourselves up to new learning and discovery.

For Tiffany, this ability to be deeply interested is part of what fuels her energy. Her curiosity about others, and her willingness to listen - being truly interested - brings her to life.

Tiffany’s words reminded me of Pauline Oliveros and her concept of Deep Listening, which has always resonated with me. Oliveros describes deep listening as “listening in every possible way, to everything possible to hear, no matter what you are doing.” In conversations, this could mean not having a response prepared, but instead fully absorbing the other person’s words and presence.

I had the chance to work with Oliveros at the University of Wisconsin-Madison many years ago when I was in grad school while she was in residence there. It was a transformative experience. I fell in love with the idea of listening deeply, and all the ways she invited us to do so.

Quantum Listening

Lately, I’ve also been exploring Quantum Listening [2], a book filled with Oliveros’ thoughts on deep listening, with a beautiful introduction by Laurie Anderson.

So, what is quantum listening?

Quantum listening merges the idea of deep, focused listening with principles of quantum theory [3]—where subatomic particles exist in multiple states at once. In the same way, quantum listening invites us to tune into various layers of sound, emotion, and meaning simultaneously. It encourages us to pay attention to subtle and complex interactions unfolding in real time. Oliveros writes: “Quantum listening is listening in as many ways as possible simultaneously—changing and being changed by the listening.”

(I especially appreciated that the book touches on the 28 million people in the U.S. who have hearing challenges, 60% of which are genetic—something I personally relate to. Oliveros advocates for the importance of consulting audiologists and emphasizes the need for inclusivity discussions around listening.)

Listening as an Active Process

Quantum listening feels like the ultimate form of listening. It’s not passive – it’s inspiring and active, requiring us to embrace the moment with all its complexity and nuance, much like the subatomic interactions it mirrors.

Returning from the subatomic, Tiffany’s curiosity to stay present and engaged lies at the core of who she is. She says,“I get so much energy from others, and so I attempt to be as deeply present as I can in each interaction. I really find such joy and excitement in being with people, and I want to do my best to have this come across.”

 One of her guiding mantras, featured on her website, speaks to this:

In a world where proving ourselves can feel like a constant pressure, Tiffany’s focus on curiosity and process over results offers a refreshing perspective. It’s active and inspiring. It feels in the moment, rather than worrying about the outcome. It’s being present, truly interested, and creating space for deeper understanding and insight.

Tiffany’s own creativity thrives when she lets go and creates space for new ideas. She explains, “I try to cultivate a mindset of curiosity, and trust that I’ll figure it out. Of course this doesn’t come easily all the time. It’s required practice.” 

With this mindset, she reminds herself by asking: What questions do I have? What don’t I understand? What do I want to learn?

Being energized, present, curious, and open, and focusing on others by “being interested” is a way we can tap into a deeper source of energy and creativity. It’s an invitation to explore listening more deeply sometime today, either to ourselves, someone we are talking with, or the world around us. It’s an invitation to be amazed - quantum level!

How can you be more interested today?

[1]  Tiffany learned this concept of being interested versus interesting from Elizabeth Rowe.

[2] Thank you to composer Jacob ter Veldhuis for introducing me to this amazing book.

[3] I’ve been learning a bit about quantum theory as fivebyfive prepares for its 10th anniversary season which happens to correspond with the 100th anniversary of quantum technology. I am also fortunate to have a new work written for me for alto flute and electronics that is about quantum mechanics by Sean William Calhoun titled Duality Keys. I will be premiering this new work on December 7 in Rochester, NY.