Sunday Art Dialogue: The Art of Paying Attention

Last week, while I was in Bath, I went to a fascinating lecture at BRLSI by the philosopher Julian Baggini, talking about his new book, The Book of Coffee: A Philosophy.

His idea of "Coffeeism" stayed with me.

It is, in part, about recognising that the simplest things in our daily lives can offer us pleasure, connection and even meaning — if we actually stop long enough to experience them.

A cup of coffee. A Conversation. A trip to the deli. A moment of sunshine. A flight high above the clouds. A bunch of flowers.

Something we might see every day, but perhaps no longer really see.

And this immediately made me think of David Hockney, an artist I have admired throughout my life.

Hockney has an extraordinary ability to make us look again at the familiar. A tree, a swimming pool, a room, a landscape, a few flowers - things we might ordinarily pass without much thought — become intensely alive when he puts them before us.

As I listened to the talk, I wondered whether this is where art and philosophy meet and the emphasis is on mindfulness — on being present rather than constantly living in the past or worrying about the future.

To really taste the coffee. To really see the tree. To listen to the person sitting opposite you. To enjoy the colour and pageantry of a market. To notice shadows falling across the walkway.

Perhaps these are not insignificant things. Perhaps they are the substance of life itself.

My recent trip to Valencia for my birthday made me particularly conscious of this. I found myself enjoying not only the galleries and art, but the smaller experiences: sitting with friends, eating tapas, walking through the streets and taking time to look around at my leisure. 

Hockney encourages us to look at it differently, and find the extraordinary in them.

And perhaps one of the greatest lessons of life is learning that we simply need to become more attentive to those things around us, already here.

THE ART OF LIVING MAY SIMPLY BE THE ART OF NOTHING