The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker [6/10]

If you have any interest at all in expanding your attentiveness or in finding new ways to see the world or in unlocking your creative spark, I commend “The Art of Noticing: Rediscover What Really Matters to You.” Brilliant design journalist Rob Walker is a magpie, picking out how artists and thinkers of many different types cultivate a muscle of paying attention, of “noticing.” The book is a cornucopia of 131 different exercises, some almost puny, some major projects, all persuading you to no longer just coast through life. Walker is an engaging, lucid writer who really sweeps you up. Me, I’ve decided to have a go at five of his 131, and just by listing them, you can tell if this book is for you: “Spot something new every day”; “Don’t photograph, draw” (I’m such a bad artist that I can’t wait to do this without fear of failure); “Follow the quiet” (just walk in the direction of least noise); “Take a photo walk, with no camera”; and “Interview a friend, loved one, stranger – or even an ideological nemesis)”. Marvellous