Noticing Matters—a place of pause and consideration for matters of noticing

What began with essays of how and why noticing matters (in value and relevance) has grown into an exploration of expanded notions of matter. No separation of physical-spiritual, real-imagined, us-them, memory-dream. This moment calls us into new ways of sculpting with matters we are learning to see and feel and be again.

It’s all matter. And it all matters.

Hi, I’m Melissa. Welcome to Noticing Matters.

In this community you’ll find play, wonder, reverence, and delight for the immensity of small things (moments, questions, words, objects, creatures, and more). You’ll also find slowness, unknowing, remembrance, awe—dissolving and revising what and how we see, and unfolding who we are and why we’re here.

Thank you for being here.

When you join Noticing Matters as a free subscriber, you’ll receive my monthly public essay, along with news about upcoming opportunities and events.

When you join as a paid subscriber, you’ll be part of our weekly community with access to unique content (more experimental, reflective, freshly in-process) with more opportunities for practice and integration of ideas. I share resource links to things/people/books/music that inspire me, provide glimpses into my own creative practice, and offer my honest self, present each week to explore big questions and their subtleties alongside you.

Weekly posts are sent to you each Friday and kept for you in the Noticing Matters archive (you’ll have full access).

New in 2024, paid subscribers will also be invited to participate in occasional online conversations, as well as engage with newly developed course material designed for asynchronous practice related to essay content.

No matter how you choose to subscribe, your participation matters. I value your attention, appreciation, and contribution. Thank you for being you.

as delight, Melissa

curious, joyful, deeply-rooted learning and living

“Noticing is finding what’s there, what’s not there, what may have been there, what might be dreamed there. Noticing is more than a process of looking closely, it’s a process of getting into the skin of what is being noticed. Seeing beyond what is there. Seeing into one’s own seeing, thinking, and feeling about noticing itself.” (from How to Notice, 2021)

Read more about me and my work: melissaabutler.com

Find me on Instagram: noticingmatters