#060 I Can't See Anything

Jul 12, 2022

Common Discourse is a project designed to help others (and ourselves) think through creativity, focus, and intentional work—from Alex Tan & Alice Otieno.

Every Tuesday we share words from a journal, a few ideas, a quote from somebody else, and links worth sharing. On Fridays we invite a guest to share images from their camera roll and a sound that resonates with them.

One thing that never goes away, or shouldn’t go away when you choose to grow, is the hazy and unclear bits of the future that appear as we navigate through life, work, and relationships.

The trajectory of MW.S is changing a lot these days. In the past, there was always a list of deliverables, timeline, and clear understanding of what the final output would look like. And these days, not so much. A lot of our clients are coming to us with projects asking us to help them figure out what they need. They say, here is the problem, then we go on to develop an approach on how to solve it. It’s less about the what—and more so about the why & how.

It’s strange when you finally get good at something, then the challenges you face every day suddenly shift. It’s not necessarily starting at square one, because you’ve learned all along the way, but you find yourself once again stepping into territory that you’re unfamiliar with, bringing forward new obstacles and more difficult levels of decision making.

I think a lot about how startled I used to be by not having a clear path in front of me. Risk was always an inhibiter versus a fuel for confidence.

Molly Mielke @mollyfmielke

funny how the way ppl assess risk reveals whether their confidence stems from entitlement vs. compounding competence. it's much easier to be brave when you never really expected to get this far to begin with

Molly Mielke @mollyfmielke

think bravery is a speed thing too. if you built a lot of risk tolerance through consistent exposure therapy, you’ve probably trained yourself to crave forward momentum and the thrill of making big bets. having something handed to you doesn’t come with that same need for speed

But over time you become braver. You learn to love risk. You become okay with the blindfolded nature of life. You realize that you’re making your own way instead of following the footsteps of somebody else.

I like how Carl Jung said it:

“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.”

There are a few things in life that I choose to face every single day without any certainty that I’ll find the familial in it today—perhaps, in the same way I did yesterday. It’s become clear to me that those are the things and people I truly love. You just find yourself accepting the blindfold and taking steps forward, knowing that there will be something noteworthy on the other side.

It’s like we’re all faced with the choice to either open the unmarked door or turn around and go home. And for a few people and a few things, I’m gonna keep opening unmarked doors.

— Alex

A few ideas

I. PLAY

The one secret in life is to find the thing that you can effortlessly become deeply engaged with. It’s at that point you realize you’re playing, not working.

II. RISK

Safer bets generate just as much satisfaction in return.

Likewise, greater risks are almost always correlated with greater potential returns.

III. MOVING ALONG

Anxiety is the act of blowing up low impact scenarios or consequences.

Will anyone remember this or will it matter 5 minutes, 5 days, or 5 months from now?

Probably not. Moving along now.

A quote from somebody else

“If you want to be creative, stay in part a child, with the creativity and invention that characterizes children before they are deformed by adult society.”

— Jean Piaget

Links worth sharing

🎎 I Forbid You To Forget Me is a catalog of items and objects, collected by Daniela Spector, in remembrance of her mother.

☎️ The Only Living Pay Phones in New York, Ny Times

🔉 A Wall of Sounds

🌳 What is Missing? is a site that seeks to raise awareness about the mass extinction of species, and emphasise the effects that protecting and restoring habitats has on carbon emissions.

🎨 I Learnt Colour But Did Not Understand It a channel by Tess Murdoch that researches into one’s relationship with colour, specifcally: optics, visual perception, theory and forecasting.

Thanks for consuming!

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