At the centre of Street Wisdom lies the idea that every moment is extraordinary and every street is full of inspiration – that there’s no such thing as an ordinary street, just ordinary thinking.
Category: Featured
The Senses by Pietro Spadafora from the School for Communication Arts
This morning I was wondering if my first “Street Wisdom” experience can improve me as a street photographer. The two activities resemble in many ways. They both put me into a state of meditation but the day spent with David Pearl (doing Street Wisdom) has additionally been constructive and has helped me to shed light on some of the problems that I usually encounter when I take photographs, such as having a mechanical (or electronic) device standing between myself and the external world, sometimes a limit or an obstacle.
New Urban – published in Bulgarian newspaper ‘Capital’
“If you can pass by the church” St. Sevens so that the pigeons in front of her do not fall off, so you’re moving with the correct speed for Street Wisdom , “says Evgeni Mitev. He is one of the organizers of the so-called slow-speed walks around Sofia that resemble the world-wide Street Wisdom format, and allow us to discover things that are overlooked in our daily racing around the city.
How Street Wisdom is good for mental wellbeing
Street Wisdom is a simple but powerful way of using your everyday environment to find answers and inspiration. It’s also the perfect way to find calm and focus on the busy urban streets. It’s a guided walking mindfulness experience and the perfect antidote if you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed or just a little stuck…
These are just some of the many ways in which Street Wisdom can improve your mental wellbeing on a daily basis:
Slowing down. One of the first requirements of Street Wisdom is to slow. right. down. It’s not often we are able to do this (let alone be told to!) but taking the time to step back and slow the pace down is important for our mental wellbeing. It isn’t something we should just be doing on holiday – Street Wisdom teaches you to make slowing down a part of everyday life.
A new way of thinking. Street Wisdom teaches you to see your everyday environment with a fresh perspective. We have so much inspiration all around, we just need to learn how to tap into it: Street Wisdom gives you the skills to do just that. You don’t need expensive retreats, just open your eyes to what is already around you.
Walking mindfulness. Mindfulness is brilliant for finding clarity and calming an anxious mind. Street Wisdom enables you to easily apply mindfulness to your everyday routine. If you struggle with finding the time to sit and be still, try a mindful lunch-time wander….
Focus on you. An important part of looking after your mental wellbeing is taking time for reflection, to focus on you. Street Wisdom works by creating a reflective headspace, giving you the time to wander and wonder and then reflect on your experience – with no phones, no distractions. Bliss.
Snap out of auto-pilot. Street Wisdom takes place right in the hectic, urban streets we often find ourselves rushing down. Instead of going about your normal busy-ness – you are walking, breathing and thinking at a slower pace, making you very aware of your surroundings. This feels liberating and snaps us out of that auto-pilot behaviour we so often find ourselves in.
Walking problem-solving. When faced with a challenging decision, we often just try to battle it out at home or in the office. Street Wisdom is all about getting outside, going for a stroll and taking the time to find a new perspective on the situation. Not only will you benefit from the fresh air and exercise but you’ll find that different surroundings offer different answers.
There are various ways you can get involved and benefit from the powerful impact of Street Wisdom. We have events taking place all over the world, you can see a full list of these here. You can also download our audio guide Wandercast and learn the Street Wisdom approach at any time, wherever you are in the world.
You can try out Street Wisdom at any time by downloading our FREE audio guide Wandercast. It will take you through a one hour guided Street Wisdom experience, ideal if you want to find some answers or just find some calm. So get outside, slow right down and be inspired. Enjoy!
1 Year Wander-versary
Standing at the meet up point I had a sudden insight – not only was this event part of a World Wide Wander, a collection of groups exploring streets all over the world, but it was also an anniversary. This event marked the 1 year anniversary of Street Wisdom being held in Munich. I was reminded by the arrival of a familiar face – one of the participants from last year had returned to help me facilitate!
Despite all the registration support, I never know who is going to show up – until we get started. Once again, we had 8 curious and adventurous souls, ready to explore and gain insight (or at least a nice walk). As it’s still Tourist Season in Munich we weren’t the only groups walking this part of town. So stopping to take photos, look more closely, or going slow wasn’t so unusual. Everyone was able to quickly stretch certain perception muscles. I so wished I could have recorded the brilliant things people were saying each time we stopped to exchange.
Then everyone was off – eager to test the new tools and see what the streets had to tell them. Once we met back up and had warm drinks in hand, conversation and sharing flowed. It was a time for many people to actually stop their busy striving and just Be.
“I just sat and watched – I don’t often sit.” Someone shared.
Another said, “There are all these DO NOT signs, but what would be more helpful is if they offered what I could do instead. So instead of “DO NOT ENTER” why not, “ENTRY AROUND THE CORNER.”
We all agreed that there are many things in life (like work and family communication) that could benefit from this approach.
Questions were forming a pattern this time around:
- Where do I want to live in 3 years?
- Should I stay in Munich or move on?
- What’s my next best step?
Insight came from all over. Some of the ones I over-heard:
“I don’t have to fight for what I want, but I do need to pursue it, and I need to break some rules.”
“What we just did, it’s a new tool in my tool box.”
“Now I realize that between two options that seem equally good and bad, that actually I can experiment and try bringing positives together that might weaken the disadvantages I have in the other.”
I was buzzing when I left the café, hugging new friends goodbye while they continued sharing resources and encouragement. I also left knowing that there was momentum behind this around the globe – to keep waking up and maybe even breaking some rules.
Susanne Taylor
Brisbane Street Wisdom
A beautiful Brisbane morning. We meet at the Queensland State Library at Kurilpa where the First Nations people of Australia have gathered for thousands of years. It seems fitting to be seeking wisdom and sharing stories in this place.
It is a sublime morning that lucky Queenslanders get to experience in Spring – cool and crisp mornings and evenings and lovely blue sky days. We are also greeted by the Brisbane Writers Festival which has been running this weekend. Lots of creative energy flowing. Gradually the curious Street Wisdom Adventurers meet and we spend a bit of time getting to know one another. People are intrigued, curious, excited and calm. I share with the group the background story to Street Wisdom and also David’s poignant story about his brother when they were children.
The Tune Ups begin – we warm up to each other and Street Wisdom. And then we head off on our Quest. Our curious questions bubbling as we explore the Southbank area – galleries, library, literature festivals and nature abound. It really is a rich environment to explore. After our Quest we head to the Gallery Of Modern Art for some much needed sustenance and share stories. The connections, metaphors, sharing and learning is quite remarkable. People have amazing insights and aha moments. Interactions with our surroundings has provided insight for people.
Gradually people depart with a strong sense that this has been a worthwhile and, as one person says, profound experience. There is much to mull over and from the feedback I think this will reverberate for some time. The responses from people have been very positive. I think we will run another Street Wisdom in Brisbane – watch this space.
Cathryn Lloyd
Join our World Wide Wander September 8, 9 & 10
This autumn (or spring if you’re in the Southern hemisphere), we’re bringing together our community from the four corners of the earth in one big weekend of wandering and wondering, Street Wisdom-style. The inaugural World Wide Wander is happening over three exciting days – the 8th, 9th and 10th of September. Join us as a participant or take the opportunity to run an event yourself, bringing magic and insight to the streets of your town.
Street Wisdom was recently described as ‘walking-based problem solving‘. During our global street takeover, we’d love to see hundreds of people all working together to solve problems, using the streets as their inspiration – and making some new friends along the way. Imagine what we could achieve. Let’s come together and make our world a more connected, inspiring place for everyone.
If you’d like to run an event, just sign up, download our free toolkit and follow the instructions to set up the event on our site. All you need is some friends, work colleagues, family members…and a street! And if you’re happier participating, keep checking our events page and social media to find out where you can join in. If you’d like us to contact you, please register your interest here. We’re thankful to Psychologies Magazine for partnering with us for the event and welcome all their readers too.
Help us to build a better, more inspiring world – one street at a time.
See you on a street in September!
Mel, Mark, David and Rachel – the Street Wisdom team.
Photo courtesy stephencotterell.com photography
Mindfulness at Walk – the sequel
The first event with our collaborators, friends and mindful allies Mindfulness at Work was so exciting we just couldn’t leave it there. Not least because, the more you practise Street Wisdom, the more your learn. This time we joined MaW’s growing community of Mindfulness coaches among the Halva and Hookahs on London’s distinctly Middle-Eastern flavoured Edgware Road.
We didn’t have much time but it’s amazing what you can discover when you really pay attention. About presence. About passion. About perfume (yes, awakening senses also led to a lessons in scents). Even about the Police – the ones guarding Tony Blair’s nearby mews house were very curious about our slow walking past his door!
If anyone who took part would like to add their thoughts, comments, perspectives…we’d love to hear them.
What is it like to be a Street Star?
On Sunday 14th May I facilitated my first ever Street Wisdom event. It was a blast. The sun was beaming down on us, the market stalls were buzzing and 11 strangers embarked on a Chichester quest to find answers to some of the most important questions they hold.
Some of you reading may be wondering about running your own Street Wisdom event and what it takes to be a ‘Street Star’ (our Street Wisdom name as facilitators). I hope this post provides a flavour of what’s in it for you as a group leader and, I hope, provides a gentle nudge of encouragement to get involved with this global movement.
Getting ready
The team at Street Wisdom couldn’t make it easier for you to be a facilitator. Once you’ve decided to give it a go you get access to a 15-minute video that explains everything you need to know plus a handy download guide. It surprised me how quickly it took me to prepare. There was just one exercise that I couldn’t quite get to grips with so I popped Street Wisdom an email and the super Mel got back to me within 24 hours with a response.
Everything else was scoping out location, finding a good coffee stop, and making sure I left home on time!
Meeting the group
Of course there were a few nerves and jitters. But I knew I was ready with my list of attendees to hand, a few notes jotted on a Street Wisdom sign, and a fellow Street Star supporting me in the wings. Christopher Bemrose led me on my first quest back in chilly January and it was his inspirational facilitation that encouraged me to run an event myself – I was honoured that he came to join the madness. Thank you for your support Chris and bringing along little notebooks for people to use (good tip!).
I had a super group to spend the afternoon with. Some had come alone, others with a friend, most had never taken part in Street Wisdom before. All had some levels of anticipation, excitement, enthusiasm, and intrigue.
Tuning in
This is where you have the most content to guide people through. It’s your role to help the group connect, have fun, and let go of their inhibitions. The 10-minute exercises you will use in this section help you do this really well. They offer people time to explore alone and learn from one another with mini discussions.
As the Street Star, you’ll probably stay close to the meeting spot but it doesn’t stop you from joining in the activities too. I found myself walking backwards around the bags I was looking after as part of the ‘slow right down’ exercise. Yes, I may have had a few funny looks but it was a great opportunity to empathise with what the group may have been experiencing.
The quest
What’s great about this section is you also get time yourself to go on your own quest!
I recommend taking time at the start to ensure everyone is really clear on their question. Nothing too big, nothing too small. Those who are stuck may require some gentle coaching, or another option is to get participants to chat in pairs before heading off on their quest. This can help with accountability and focus – an hour seems like a long time but it goes in a flash.
I chose to make it to the final meeting spot a little early to ensure we had a comfortable space set up, and the cafe knew they were about to have a sudden demand for drinks as they neared the end of their day.
Learning from one another
This was possibly my favourite part of the day. We split into mini groups to share our stories from the past hour before coming back together as one group and laughing at the funny things that had happened, reflecting on the epiphanies of others, and generating more questions around how to apply the answers to our questions.
It was wonderful to see a group of strangers bond so well over the course of just a few hours. I was overjoyed when a couple of the group voiced their interest in becoming Street Stars themselves – I took that as evidence of a rewarding afternoon. One participant, Bryony, was so taken by the event she wrote a pretty awesome blog the very next day. Check out Bryony’s experience of seeking answers from the Street.
So what do you think? are you up for it? I hope so. Street Wisdom is a fab event where, as a Street Star, you can create an extraordinary experience that generates meaningful answers for others. You’ll also get to practice hosting an outdoor event with people you don’t know, you’ll likely enjoy it and probably make a new friend or two also.
Will I do it again? YES, Definitely! In fact myself and Chris are already planning events as part of the Arundel Festival in August… watch this space.