The Art of Noticing: A Mindfulness Practice for Everyday Life with Willow Older and Deborah Huber

MP3 Download

On what was meant to be a museum outing, Willow Older and Deborah Huber arrived at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art only to find it closed. With a few unexpected free hours on their hands, rather than let the day go to waste, they wandered the city, and somewhere in that wandering, a practice was born. They turned their unplanned afternoon into an experiment: notice one thing, write it down, then draw it. Eight years later, "Today I Noticed" has grown into a book, an Instagram community, and a workshop practice embraced by teams across industries, from tech companies to hospitals to remote workforces scattered across continents. Older and Huber describe how this deceptively simple ritual builds resilience, deepens empathy, and dissolves the perfectionism that keeps so many people from creative expression. They share how the practice carried them through pandemic isolation, why it works even for self-described "non-artists," and how a single sentence and quick sketch can transform a passing moment, a stranger's hat, a wilting flower, an unsent wedding invitation, into a lasting point of connection and gratitude. (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)

Bio

Willow Older is an award-winning writer who runs her own editorial services business. Raised in the South Island on New Zealand, Willow is a self-taught artist and determined knitter.

Deborah Huber has spent most of her career in the high-tech industry in a variety of creative and management roles. She writes children’s books and dreams of taking a daily swim in the chilly San Francisco Bay.

They are the cofounders of Today I Noticed, a creative mindfulness practice based on the power of paying attention. They lead Today I Noticed workshops for organizations of all sizes and share their observations about everyday life on Instagram @today.I.noticed

Willow Older and Deborah Huber are co-authors of:

Today I Noticed: The Little Book of Mindfulness That Will Change the Way You See the World. (Blue Star Press 2023)

To learn more about their work go to www.todayinoticed.com and Instagram @today.i.noticed

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

•  What is the origin story of the practice of “Today I Noticed”
• How this practice is a bite-size meditation and mindfulness practice
• How everyone can draw when we get beyond the barrier of self-criticism and judgment
• How this practice taps into the right brain’s intuitive and creative processes
• How this practice helps us slow down, connect with the present moment, and find a sense of gratitude
•  How this practice fosters empathy
• What makes this practice easy to maintain over time

Host: Justine Willis Toms    Interview Date: 8/12/2026   Program Number: 3869

Music Playlist

Album: Skylife
Artist: Turtle Island String Quartet

Track: 03 You Noticed too