33 min listen
CM 133: Rob Walker on the Art of Noticing
ratings:
Length:
42 minutes
Released:
May 7, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
How can
paying more attention to the world around us increase our engagement and
creativity?
Most of us are fighting a daily tug-of-war with distraction – from phone alerts to streaming video to open office plans. Yet, when it comes to what we can do about it, we're mainly encouraged to manage our tech and prioritize productivity.
Rob Walker offers a different goal, along with a very different set of solutions. Author of the book, The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday, he contends that our lives become richer when we engage more fully with the world around us. In fact, he reveals what most creatives already know, namely, that paying attention to the everyday can refuel us: “It’s kind of just a basic building block of having a distinct point of view or creating something new or coming up with an innovation of almost any kind.”
In this interview, Rob shares practices we can use to become more observant and more connected. One example involves taking a moment to notice which phase the moon is in: “Most people have no idea, which is kind of astonishing, because there was a time when everyone on the planet knew what phase the moon was in.”
Rob is a columnist for Life Hacker and contributor to The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, and Bloomberg Businessweek. He’s also author of the books, Buying In and Significant Objects, and he serves on the faculty at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.
The Host
You can learn more about Curious Minds Host and Creator, Gayle Allen, and Producer, Rob Mancabelli, by visiting @CuriousGayle and www.gayleallen.net.
Episode Links
@notrobwalker
School of Visual Arts in Manhattan
The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu and link to my interview with him
A Painting Only You Can See by Randy Kennedy
Davy Rothbart and Found Magazine
John Cage and 4’33”
Marcel Duchamp and the concept of Infrathin
On Looking by Alexander Horowitz
Roman Mars 99% Invisible
The SLANT method
Letters to Strangers
Rick Prelinger
Ian Bogost
Easy Ways to Support the Podcast
First, subscribe so you’ll never miss an episode. Second, tell a friend or family member. You’ll always have someone to talk to about the interview. Third, rate and review the podcast wherever you subscribe. You’ll be helping listeners find their next podcast.
A Short List of Places Where You Can Find Curious Minds:
Spotify
iTunes
Tunein
Stitcher
Google Play
Overcast
paying more attention to the world around us increase our engagement and
creativity?
Most of us are fighting a daily tug-of-war with distraction – from phone alerts to streaming video to open office plans. Yet, when it comes to what we can do about it, we're mainly encouraged to manage our tech and prioritize productivity.
Rob Walker offers a different goal, along with a very different set of solutions. Author of the book, The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday, he contends that our lives become richer when we engage more fully with the world around us. In fact, he reveals what most creatives already know, namely, that paying attention to the everyday can refuel us: “It’s kind of just a basic building block of having a distinct point of view or creating something new or coming up with an innovation of almost any kind.”
In this interview, Rob shares practices we can use to become more observant and more connected. One example involves taking a moment to notice which phase the moon is in: “Most people have no idea, which is kind of astonishing, because there was a time when everyone on the planet knew what phase the moon was in.”
Rob is a columnist for Life Hacker and contributor to The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, and Bloomberg Businessweek. He’s also author of the books, Buying In and Significant Objects, and he serves on the faculty at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.
The Host
You can learn more about Curious Minds Host and Creator, Gayle Allen, and Producer, Rob Mancabelli, by visiting @CuriousGayle and www.gayleallen.net.
Episode Links
@notrobwalker
School of Visual Arts in Manhattan
The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu and link to my interview with him
A Painting Only You Can See by Randy Kennedy
Davy Rothbart and Found Magazine
John Cage and 4’33”
Marcel Duchamp and the concept of Infrathin
On Looking by Alexander Horowitz
Roman Mars 99% Invisible
The SLANT method
Letters to Strangers
Rick Prelinger
Ian Bogost
Easy Ways to Support the Podcast
First, subscribe so you’ll never miss an episode. Second, tell a friend or family member. You’ll always have someone to talk to about the interview. Third, rate and review the podcast wherever you subscribe. You’ll be helping listeners find their next podcast.
A Short List of Places Where You Can Find Curious Minds:
Spotify
iTunes
Tunein
Stitcher
Google Play
Overcast
Released:
May 7, 2019
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
CM 006: Mick Ebeling on How to Achieve the Impossible: Mick Ebeling is the Founder of Not Impossible Labs, an online crowdsourcing platform that dramatically improves the lives of millions by creating low-cost, open-source, and do-it-yourself devices. For example, by Curious Minds at Work