A look into “How To Do Nothing

Reading through chapter 1 of How To Do Nothing has opened my eyes to who Jenny Odell is as a writer. I feel as though the book gives off a more comfortable approach rather than following a specific structure of writing. With this, it is relatable and an enjoyable read. 

With creating this book, it could be interpreted that Odell wanted to portray that doing nothing is never actually doing nothing and great success can be achieved. By using a plethora of real life scenarios she has experienced, Odell motivates the reader to keep time for themselves to relax not only their body, but their mind. With her ongoing example of the Rose Garden, she speaks about how she had no intentions when going there, but only planned to let her mind explore. I personally believe there could be underlying intentions of giving people who do not feel motivated hope to have success in the future without having to do strenuous amounts of “work”. Without saying it, Odell emphasizes that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This idea became especially clear to me when she shared about paying to sit and observe the sunset because there is so much opportunity for different experiences and no two people will see the piece of art the same. Odell’s writing style is unique in the aspect that she motivates through sharing self experience and different ways of finding inspiration and success. 

Jenny Odell uses many different forms of texts and scenarios throughout her writing in order to keep the reader interested and as a way of showing it truly is possible rather than just saying someone can achieve it. In the beginning of chapter one she used her internship in San Francisco as an example of a learning experience for her and a pivotal moment in her career. She notes that this job was attractive to her because it involved using things that already existed rather than creating something new. Odell states “Part of the reason I work this way is because I find existing things infinitely more interesting than anything I could possibly make” (5). This example in particular stood out to me because it shows that a person does not have to invent something to be a creator. It is inspiring to read about how she reworked old pieces to make new art. As previously mentioned, the Rose Garden is the main source of inspiration Odell focuses on throughout the writing. Growing up within 5 minutes distance of it, she always found herself going there to relax and think. The Rose Garden is much more than just a park with flowers, as it is a place of imagination and creativity. It is a location that brought to life Jenny Odell’s ideas, and assisted her to collect her thoughts to inspire others. Another critical example used in the book is the idea of “Deep Listening”. Sharing that art is in more forms than visual opens eyes to many and introduces a different opportunity for creation.  From the first section of the piece of writing, I feel as though the author is attracted to inspiration that is open to opportunity and gives a chance of exploration. She seems to be a writer that looks to nature as a way of freeing your mind and being open to ideas. Jenny Odell does an excellent job of connecting her experiences to messages she intends to portray to the reader throughout How To Do Nothing. After sharing what she has gone through, she continues to explain how it helped her writing process and in what ways others can find success through similar inspiration strategies. However, the author does so without saying it out in the open. Her way of writing is comforting and easy to read rather than stated facts on how to be successful. Oftentimes books without a friendly approach can be unsuccessful because they are poor motivators and less relatable which causes readers to lose interest. A technique that I admire of Odell’s is her ability to motivate readers to find inspiration in the little things without just saying it. By sharing her past and what she has been through, it makes the reader want to have little successes for themselves and pushes them in a way that is not common. Overall, Odell is an inspiring creator who finds light in dark situations and turns nothing into art.