#068 If You Could Look Through Anyone's Camera Roll...
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.
Happy Tuesday, you know the drill.
We’re looking for some new guests for Sights & Sounds in the coming weeks. Whose camera roll do you want to see?
I’ve really enjoyed the contributions from Maddy Weavers, Cynthia Igbokwe, and Adam Ridgeway lately.
Reply below or email us some names.
— Alex
A few ideas
I. “I”
The chronic overuse of “I” in front of our actions make life hard.
I did this. I had that. I deserve better than this.
We take losses more personally and feel more alone when we inflate our own role and importance in the world.
II. ATTENTION
The taco stand at the end of my block has no marketing, social media, or location information on Google Maps. I don’t even think it has a name. But every day, there’s a line down the block and the locals say it’s been popping up there a lot longer than I’ve been alive.
On the other hand, 1 in every 5 new restaurants in Los Angeles fail. With a perfectly curated Instagram, 5-star reviews that have been paid for, and dishes that are begging to have their photo taken.
Strategy can amplify but never compensates for poor product.
Attention is earned.
III. CHOICE
We have to be honest with ourselves when it comes to how often we willingly participate in our own suffering.
The things we aren’t making effort to change are the things we are choosing.
A quote from somebody else
“If you pay attention to coincidences in life, you can learn to hear their messages clearly; By understanding the forces that shape coincidences, you can influence in them and create your own set of meaningful coincidences, seize the opportunities they offer you, and experience life as an ever-evolving miracle that inspires admiration at all times.”
― Deepak Chopra
Links worth sharing
🐣 Someday soon, you will tweet for the last time
🌏 world.only.for is a page that explores new things that we can embrace as part of our day to day living. The page is curated and based on the question: “What would we put in a very small world”?
💿 Playlist Prompts is an ongoing collaborative project by Shea Fitzpatrick that features a collection of playlist ideas. You can contribute a prompt to this are.na channel, and sign up to receive prompts others have come up with via this newsletter.
❓The Right Questions by Lisa Marie
👤 ”Facebook’s Little Red Book” is a guidebook outlining the platform’s intentions, ethos and mission, and how it didn’t initally set out to become a company.
Thanks for consuming!
ABOUT
ℹ️ Read more about Common Discourse here.
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🗂 Here is every Common Discourse weekly briefing to date.
COMMUNITY
🐤 We have a Twitter feed where we populate things that resonate.
⭐ We use Are.na as a tool to archive specific aspects of this project.
🗣️ This project is more fun when there is dialogue amongst those who are reading. Use the comment feature at the bottom of this article to start a conversation, we’ll use your ideas for future briefings and food for thought.