Rob Walker is an author and journalist covering design, technology, business, the arts, and other subjects. He writes the Human Resource column for Lifehacker, and has contributed to The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Atlantic, TheNewYorker.com, and many others. He is on the faculty of the Products of Design program at the School of Visual Arts.

His new book is called The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday. If you live in New York City, you can attend free event on May 7th where Rob will discuss his book (details here).

You can sign up for the Art of Noticing newsletter at this link and follow Rob on Twitter.

In the interview, Rob and I discuss:

• How a broken coffee mug sent Rob on a creative path to launch the Significant Objects project
• Why a meaningless object purchased on average for $1.50 can sell for $36 on average on eBay if it has a story attached to it
• Where Rob’s creative ideas come from
• How Rob bombed a news interview with Steve Jobs and why this failure was a blessing in disguise
• Why we fail to pay attention to the world around us and the dangers associated with the war against seeing
• How you can awaken your senses and see the world anew
• What three strategies Rob uses most regularly from his latest book on the Art of Noticing

Resources mentioned:

• Significant Objects Project
• Jimmy Breslin, Digging JFK Grave Was His Honor
• Rob Walker, New York Times Magazine, The Guts of a New Machine (based on Rob’s personal interview with Steve Jobs)

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