The Art of Noticing

The Art of Noticing

Moving, Music

TAoN No. 191: Author Ben Ratliff on flipping the relationship between running and music; how writing enlivens listening; being inefficient; and more.

Rob Walker
Jul 14, 2025
∙ Paid
Photo by Echo on Unsplash

Today we return to the topic of open-earedness — that is, staying curious about new and different music (or about the music we think we already know). I first wrote here about this variety of noticing and attention just over two years ago, and have revisited the theme several times, notably including this interview with the terr…

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