Noticing tools

Realizing how simply holding a pen while reading can change the way I read led me to think that there might be a category of practices that increase my attention in a similar way. I am interested in practices that alter my perception. Practices that produce a particular state of mind, a kind of awareness that is otherwise difficult to reach. I have started calling these “noticing tools”.

Notetaking
Notetaking is how it all started for me. Once I started to regularly take notes, I started noticing what I am noticing throughout my days.

Photography
I carry a pocket camera with me every day. Having it in my pocket makes me slightly more attentive to everything around.

Sketching
I ocassionally sketch as a way to notice details more closely. I carry a small sketchbook with me and draw trees, plants, and urban landscapes.

Haiku
I realized while reading Matsuo Bashō that haiku are noticing tools as well. They are great for catching fleeting moments. I'm trying build a habit of writing haiku.

Writing a novel
Reading how Joan Didion kept fragments for years while writing Run River made me wonder whether being in the process of writing a novel might make someone more attentive to the details of daily life, aware that those details might later find a place in the story.