The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday

by Rob Walker

Overview

A handsome, beautifully produced compilation of meditations and exercises to inspire us to find joy and expand the ways we engage with the people and places, the objects and tasks we encounter in our everyday lives.

Long-time workplace advice columnist for The New York Times, Rob Walker, draws from his annual School for Visual Arts course and from interviews he conducted with men and women from a wide range of disciplines, has designed 131 exercises and meditations to encourage and guide us in rediscovering joy and creativity in our lives.
     In a world ruled by distraction and increasing demands on our attention, it's never been more important to notice what matters to you. To stay eager, to connect, to find interest in the everyday, to notice what others overlook, these are skills that are both vital and delightful--and this gorgeously illustrated volume can help you acquire and hone these very skills.
     The short, playful entries that make up The Art of Noticing include "Look for Ghosts and Ruins," "Look Slowly," "Make It Art," "Compose a Personal Plaque." Here is a book that will provide inspiration to everyone, from the artist or designer developing an aesthetic to the techie looking to disrupt a new market. But, it will be its own joyful reward for anyone, in any walk of life, who takes a chance at noticing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525521259
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	343,339
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

ROB WALKER is a journalist who writes about design, technology, business, and the arts, among other subjects. He writes The Workologist for the Sunday Business section of The New York Times, and contributes to wide range of publications, including: The Atlantic, NewYorker.com, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The Boston Globe, and Bloomberg Businessweek. His previous books include Significant Objects: 100 Extraordinary Stories About Ordinary Things (coauthored with Joshua Glenn) and Buying In. He is on the faculty of the Products of Design MFA program at the School of Visual Arts. He lives in New Orleans.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2019

In his latest book, Walker (Buying In: What We Buy and Who We Are) urges readers to pay attention by seeing things commonly overlooked, listening instead of simply hearing, and noticing what matters to them in order to experience a greater feeling of vitality and connection. To this end, Walker outlines more than 100 enjoyable exercises to stimulate a deeper awareness. His ideas encompass studying the behavior of museumgoers as well as the art, making a list of smells during a 24-hour period, and interviewing an elder. Readers can pick and choose activities or even be inspired to make up their own. VERDICT A delightful read recommended for both individual and public libraries.

Library Journal

These simple, low-stakes activities can open up the world.”
—Tim Herrera, The New York Times

"The book suggests the solution to digital overload involves conscious engagement rather than self-denial; you can keep your smartphone, so long as you remember to look around every so often, too."
—Quartz

"Excellent."
—Disquiet

“From ‘unitasking’ to the ‘mindful shower,’ The Art of Noticing is filled with clever, eminently deployable strategies for getting more from the world around you. It’s a paean to alertness, a sensory upgrade, a delightful field guide to being alive.” 
—Tom Vanderbilt, bestselling author of Traffic and You May Also Like

"The Art of Noticing is a book about reading, verbal and non-verbal reading, which is how we increasingly read now, and how we have always read. Walker encourages us to make a non-literal reading of our world, which can mean non-judgmental and more enlightened."
—Leanne Shapton, author of Guestbook and Swimming Studies

"Rob Walker's writing has always been wonderful because of his unique eye for noticing what other people miss. With this new book, he's basically teaching you all his secrets for seeing.”
—Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of Ego is the Enemy and The Obstacle Is The Way

"Attention is a precious resource, one we waste in stupid ways. And attention is a muscle, one we can easily develop. In this refreshingly practical book, Rob Walker gives us 131 ways to treasure and improve our ability to see."
—Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing

“If you want a more interesting and creative life, the first thing to do is to start paying better attention to it. In The Art of Noticing, Rob Walker provides an essential guide to becoming an explorer of your everyday world. I found a ton to steal here and so will you.”
—Austin Kleon, New York Times bestselling author of Steal Like An Artist
 
“In the tradition of John Berger, Susan Sontag, and George Nelson, Rob Walker offers a guide not to looking but to seeing—and why the difference is crucial. At once passionate and charming, he makes the case that noticing what’s there is the first step in creating what’s new.”
—Michael Bierut, cofounder of Design Observer and author of Now You See It and Other Essays on Design

From the Publisher