#089 So Back
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. Words from the Journal come once a month.
I felt like I was never going to write again over the last two weeks.
But my God, we are so back.
— Alex
A few ideas
I. THE ULTIMATE GOAL
It’s a common trajectory for successful creative people to have their moment, then land forgetful after a span of time has passed.
At the beginning, we wander, dig, search, read, experiment, and fail. Then finally, when something works, we lose the appetite to start over.
The ultimate goal is not to become an expert but to remain a beginner.
II. OPEN UP
Better outcomes happen when we’re less expectant and more open. Whereas when we are desperate and anxious for certain outcomes to happen, they simply don’t.
III. BEAUTY AND FUNCTION
Most things in life suddenly become less beautiful when they fail to function. And purpose goes unnoticed when it fails to resonate with humans emotionally.
Truthfully, beauty is function.
Our demand for beauty must be positioned at the same level as the demand for function.
A quote from somebody else
“So then: watch the intervals between people, the things that aren’t said, the things that are tacit, the things that are implicit rather than explicit in all life. And then you begin to get connected.”
— Alan Watts
Links worth sharing
💎 Heavy Metal Objects of Use is an ongoing series by Rebekah Kosonen Bide which combines sculpture and jewellery pieces that use experimental and archaic techniques. The works are designed to be passed down throughout collective and individual time, space and personhood.
✍🏽 Squibler is an app designed to encourage the consistent practice of writing.
⛅️ Sunstream is a digital clock in the form of a 24-hour song that shifts based on the amount of a visitor’s “available light.”
Thanks for consuming!
ABOUT
ℹ️ Read more about Common Discourse here.
📬 If you like this newsletter, please consider sharing with others who might enjoy it as well.
🗂 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.
🗣️ Use the comment feature at the bottom of this article or reply via email to start a conversation.
💬 Download the Substack App and use Chat to interact with us and other subscribers to Common Discourse on a more frequent and casual basis
Good to read again