How can you keep a colour journal along an ordinary route?
Choose one colour on a familiar route and record where it appears, its material and neighbouring colours. Keep a few observations each time and describe them in your own words. New equipment and polished photographs are unnecessary.
Give the walk one question
- Choose a route you already use.
- Select today's colour.
- Stop somewhere that does not obstruct others to make notes. Looking for blue might reveal the difference between a faded doorframe and a bright sign; observe relationships without taking intrusive photographs of private homes.
Turn observations into material
At home, draw approximate swatches and note how light and texture affected the impression. These are personal records, not calibrated colour measurements. Return at another time if you want to compare conditions. Do not enter unsuitable places merely to complete a collection. A small page with context is enough for a finished entry.
A worksheet you can use
Route: __. Colour: __. Object and material: __. Neighbouring colours: __. Light: __. Swatch and description: __.
Can I skip photography?
Yes. Use words or remembered swatches, labelling memory as memory.
Evidence and scope
This is an original creative exercise, not a mental-health intervention or a reproduction of the author's book exercises.
The author’s introduction concerns everyday creativity. Not a full-book reading. Austin Kleon — Keep Going: author’s public introduction
Sources and further reading
This collection in Chinese and English · Life possibilities library