DIY Magic: A Strange and Whimsical Guide to Creativity by Anthony Alvarado

Author:Anthony Alvarado [Alvarado, Anthony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-04-06T22:00:00+00:00

The art of walking does not require a great deal of seriousness, and the flâneur is always free to pause to chat with other strollers and loafers and perhaps to flirt, to gossip or tell stories, to smell the roses, to roll about in the roil of urban life, and to brazenly gawk at the world. A flâneur understands that walking is not just about getting somewhere; the act of walking can be its own reward, pleasurable, relaxing, and fun. One can be a true flâneur only in the city. If you try to be a flâneur in the forest, it is something quite different; it is hiking.

What is the difference between the hiker and the flâneur? you might ask. Aren’t they both just walking about? Ah, yes, on the surface they appear very similar. The difference is that the hiker goes to escape from society and civilization and seeks some peace and quiet amid the trees, whereas the flâneur revels and wallows in society and civilization; the flâneur is as much an exhibit as a looker. The flâneur is one who appreciates looking at everything, and because of this the flâneur tends to dress well. It is a give-and-take. “Look at me, I’m walking!” the flâneur says.

I want to point out two other important qualities to being a flâneur. One, it is revolutionary. We live in a world created, designed, and maintained for cars, but the flâneur insists on traveling by foot, refusing to take the world on the terms dictated by technology and choosing to slow things down to an older and more natural way of travel. It seems strange that we let the environment of our cities shape us instead of the other way around. I grew up in a landscape of suburban sprawl. People hardly ever walked anywhere because the sidewalks were ugly—crowded with fast-food chains, billboards, and the noxious fumes and noise of passing trucks. But if more people were walkers, it seems it could be the other way. What would cities look like if walking were commonplace and cars unusual?

Even more important than the fact that walking can reshape our environment, walking reshapes ourselves. The way we think while going on a walk becomes calmer, deeper, more insightful, and more meditative. There is a quality to the thoughts that come while walking that is unlike any other mode of thinking. Many of the world’s most original thinkers were huge lovers of walking. Beethoven would take a long walk every day, rain or shine, to compose his music in his head. Other prodigious daily walkers include Einstein, Erik Satie, Beckett, Darwin, Tchaikovsky, Steve Jobs, Thoreau, Aristotle, Charles Dickens, and Goethe.

To be a flâneur, appreciate everything as it passes by on your walk. The art of walking does not require a great deal of seriousness, and you are always free to stop for a moment when the mood strikes. To be a flâneur is to be always open to trying a new route, to exploring a new side street or a path.

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