I’m a big fan of the newsletter The Art of Noticing, written by Rob Walker. It shares useful ideas, practical prompts and unexpected inspiration to help its readers pay attention more and better.

When I go for a walk, I think. And not always in a good way. I replay conversations, I mull over things unsaid, and sometimes feel like I'm spiralling into negative thoughts - often the very opposite of what a walk should be doing for me.

So last year, inspired by that newsletter, I devised a practice to help ‘distract’ myself, keep me in the moment and be present and curious.

I call it ✨ Rainbow Walking ✨

When I go for a walk, I look out for things in this order:

🔴 Red
🔴 Orange
🟡 Yellow
🟢 Green
🔵 Blue
🟣 Indigo*
🟣 Violet*

*In all honesty, I'm not totally sure what indigo and violet are, so I usually look for something bluey-purple and more reddy-purple and I'll accept pink if needs be. It's not really about being perfectly correct, it’s more about looking and finding.

I find it a very easy thing to remember ('Richard of York gave...') and looking around me keeps my mind away from the thoughts I'd rather not have. Some of the colours are pretty easy to find (red, green, blue) and it's great fun finding something orange, indigo or violet. I’ve actually laughed out loud finding them.

And it's easy to put into practice anywhere - walking alone or with friends, on the street, in a park, and in a museum or gallery.

Here are a few artworks which feature all or most of the colours, a perfect way to practice.

Thank you for reading + until next time,