Source:
Reputation score can be manipulated only through upvotes or downvotes. Curation does not have any effect on Reputation score.
Upvotes:
If someone with higher or lower rep upvotes your post, your rep will get a boost. Higher rep will give you higher rep points, lower rep will get you low rep points.
Downvotes:
Thanks to the STEEM Alog, a person with lower rep can downvote you as much as they can but it would not affect your rep. But if a person with higher rep downvotes you, it will lower down your rep as well.
Remember, getting higher rep score gets more difficult with each point. You will take more time/upvotes to reach from 26 to 27 than 25 to 26. All the best!
Note: Question in the "blog's title" was asked on @musing. And above^ is my answer.