#105 Heat check
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 an idea from us, 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.
I’m in a cafe in Barcelona engaging with this project for the first time in five months. People keep asking me if I’m still “Writing that newsletter…”
I always respond “Yes” and feel guilty, but not like I used to.
During busy seasons I’d take breaks, then disassociate. If I wasn’t publishing then I’d find ways to convince myself that I wasn’t a writer.
“Are you still writing that newsletter?”
“Oh haha, no I was just messing around.”
I don’t feel uncertain anymore. I am a writer, observer, and storyteller. It took a long time for me to say so confidently. It’s also taken me a long time to realize that being any of those things, like all creative practices, is a seesaw of gratifying highs and tumultuous lows. In high seasons, it feels as if I can close my eyes and words that fit together appear on page. And in low seasons, I can’t buy a vowel.
The business coach I meet with has become somewhat of a work therapist, whether he likes it or not. We identified in a recent session that the practice of writing, as much as it is beneficial to others who may consume it, has ultimately become a central and necessary component of my life.
When I’m writing, I’m confident and collected both in my life and work. Whereas the opposite presents itself a set of issues with negative impact such as stress and insecurity.
In other words, I owe it to myself.
– Alex
A few ideas
I. POSITIONS OF HONESTY
What feels like a consistent theme for most founders, freelancers, and people who work for themselves, is that they are forced to respond to their life from a position of honesty.
It is only possible to dislike the work you do when you are doing it for somebody else. For all the others, you either learn to like it or change it.
II. COMPARABLE EFFORT
We either make ourselves tired and miserable or strong and resilient. The effort to get there is comparable.
III. NICHE DOWN
Setting out to be the best food critic in the world is a tall order. It may take your entire life and you’ll probably get tired before you even scratch the surface.
But what if you set out to be the best food critic for people looking to get lunch in New York City when you only have 30 minutes to eat and want to spend $10 or less? That sounds manageable. And maybe after a few years of focusing on that, the trust you’ve earned will carry over when you decide to cover restaurants that require more time and more cash.
Start broad then niche down. And once you’ve niched down, niche down again.
Impact starts in a small, quiet room.
A quote from somebody else
“The slower I walked, the sooner I reached places”
Links worth sharing
🫐 Burberry’s latest outerwear campaign takes big creative risks, including familiar faces doing seemingly nothing.
🥐 People are using AI on novelty ideas to distort reality.
🧶 Niche hobbies are being ruined by capitalism, or TikTok, not that there’s much of a difference.
🧠 Things I know for sure by American artist Andrea Zittel
🪡 Javier Guijarro is a Catalan based fashion designer re-thinking how we interpret classic menswear garments. One of my favourite pieces include the despiece striped tee, which presents multiple ways of wearing a singular item.
⚒ Reconstructions is an infinite computer-generated poem offering lines of poetry that are syntactic mirror images of one another.
Thanks for consuming!
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