#106 Has anyone seen the sun
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.
Good morning! I’ve been in London for over a week working on a project which happened to be a three day photo & video shoot on the three coldest days of the year so far. It always ends up that way.
I’ve drank 15 Guinness, attended launch parties thrown by my friends, spent time with Alice and other MW.S family members, and found time to write in my hotel room.
I’m in Chicago this week with family and back to LA after that.
I would like to see the sun and hit a tennis ball.
A few ideas
I. IT HARDLY WORKS
In 1886, Karl Benz’s first automobile had to be hand-cranked and couldn’t exceed 10 mph.
In 1903, the Wright Brothers “successfully” flew an airplane—for all of 12 seconds.
And in the 1980s, the only function of a personal computer was to power on.
The same story holds true for every groundbreaking product, idea, and invention at launch: it hardly works.
When people have the courage to release something imperfect, it inspires others to nurture, share, and refine it—until we can’t imagine a world without it.
II. LIFE AS A GARDENER
If you’re somebody who makes things for a living, you could probably take some notes from the life of a gardener—I know I could.
Think about it:
A gardener does not dig up a seed the day after it’s planted to see if it has grown. For many days, it will appear that you are giving such care to a pile of dirt, until one day break-through happens.
A gardener does not only water a plant after it has bloomed. Most people will hop on board after something is already beautiful, but as the creator, you must give the care and attention long before anyone else can see the results.
Planting a seed and eating the fruit can never happen in the same day. The fruit eaten from the grocery store will never feel the same as the one you picked off a tree you planted. Delayed gratification will always mean more to us than that which comes instantly.
III. CHOOSE YOUR TENSION
What happens when we sand the sharp edges off of our experiences?
Today, we can work anywhere, hide in Zoom meetings with cameras off and microphones muted, text our therapist, get food delivered to our door, and get to where we’re going without asking for directions.
As things get easier, less people are asking “Could we get a little more tension here?”
But of course, tension is what makes a story worth telling. Tension is an agent for change and the feeling we experience prior to growth.
Ironically, tension is what we need and what we avoid at the same time.
A quote from somebody else
“There are no new ideas still waiting in the wings to save us… There are only old and forgotten ones, new combinations, extrapolations and recognitions from within ourselves — along with the renewed courage to try them out. And we must constantly encourage ourselves and each other to attempt the heretical actions that our dreams imply, and so many of our old ideas disparage. In the forefront of our move toward change, there is only poetry to hint at possibility made real. Our poems formulate the implications of ourselves, what we feel within and dare make real (or bring action into accordance with), our fears, our hopes, our most cherished terrors.”
Links worth sharing
🎹 It Is A Soul is a short film documenting the legendary Ethiopian jazz pianist Hailu Mergia’s musical journey from Adis Ababa to New York.
⛔️ Paul Graham is predicting that people won’t know how to write in as little as a couple decades. Here’s what that means for the future.
🧮 Designing Friction is a manifesto by Luna Maurer and Roel Wouters challenging how we think about producing or interacting with technology. It proposes an approach that embraces discomfort and spontaneity, in hopes of making room for our humanness.
👕 Kiko Kostadinov opens it’s first US store in Los Angeles
🎾 Over 20 years ago, Mark and Denise Kuhn built a grass tennis court on their farm in Charles City, Iowa. It’s called The All Iowa Lawn Tennis Club.
🏆 MW.S lands #4 on a list of the most popular design studios, as voted by the community on Creative Boom.
🐍 I’m inspired by Emily Sundberg’s commitment to Feed Me and the success that has come along with it.
Thanks for consuming!
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That Hailu Mergia documentary🤝