#111 Geronimo
Common Discourse is a newsletter designed to help others (and ourselves) think through creativity, focus, and intentional work by Alex Tan and Alice Otieno.
Every week, we share a few ideas 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. Occasionally, we’ll write a journal with observations on what’s happening in the world.
My friends and I used to sit outside ilcaffe almost every day and waste time back when time was all we had. Sometimes we’d chat, other times we’d read in each other’s silence, but most of the time, we played chess.
We played with a lot of different sets over time, and started paying attention to the pieces and questioning why they look the way they do. And just like everything else, questioned what it might be like to redesign one ourselves.
Since then, Zach, Tyler and I have been working on a new project called Geronimo, a game of strategy & study of form. We figured that chess didn’t need to be a folded, wooden box tucked away in the closet, and instead could be an object that was both functional for the mind and a pleasure to look at.
Chess qualifies as an abstract strategy game, meaning there is minimal to no narrative, outcomes are determined only by player choice (no randomness), and all players have perfect knowledge about the game. In short, every move matters and has enormous impact. No secrets. No re-dos. No chances.
Those principles were guiding thoughts in our design process, and allowed us to arrive at strikingly modern, heavy, and beautiful game.
The set is made of solid, CNC milled aluminum, weighing an estimated total of 10 lbs. The pieces themselves are set with a machined steel drop weight, allowing for each physical move to be met with the same mental gravity that the game naturally bestows upon its players. Both “black” and “white” forms hold an anodized finish, leaning toward a more natural dark and light gray.
It has taken us over a year to produce a sample we’re proud of, and are now actively working toward a launch date for public purchase. For now, follow along on Instagram and tell your friends. ♟️
— Alex
A few ideas
I. THE WHOLE PICTURE
Good ideas are not birthed during a single moment in time, but rather, over the course of time. We should think of them more as connections that are constantly forming between our minds and life’s experiences.
It’s the whole picture. Point A, Point B, and the line that connects them.
A is where we are at any given moment, and B is the result. The line is made up of the conversations you have, the places you travel to, the images you save, the books you read, and the memories you make along the way.
The line is not linear. It zigs and zags. It goes up and down. It plateaus and spikes.
Ideas don’t just happen. They’re intentionally being crafted. Get moving.
II. A FASTER HORSE
The problem with “giving the customer what they want” is that they only know what they know.
One way of doing things is delivering exactly what you’ve been asked to deliver. Or you could deliver what you’ve been asked, in addition to what might be a better solution.
Henry Ford once said if he were to ask his customer what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.
There is enormous value in the ability to see things before they’re on the page.
III. DOING THINGS
Most behaviors are contagious.
People who just say things spend a lot of time around people who just say things. And as you could imagine, people who do things spend time around people who do things.
Looking at the people sitting next to you is a good indicator of where you’re heading.
A quote from somebody else
“I’m not telling you to make the world better, because I don’t think that progress is necessarily part of the package. I’m just telling you to live in it. Not just to endure it, not just to suffer it, not just to pass through it, but to live in it. To look at it. To try to get the picture. To live recklessly. To take chances. To make your own work and take pride in it. To seize the moment. And if you ask me why you should bother to do that, I could tell you that the grave’s a fine and private place, but none I think do there embrace. Nor do they sing there, or write, or argue, or see the tidal bore on the Amazon, or touch their children. And that’s what there is to do and get it while you can and good luck at it.”
— Joan Didion, Commencement Address at UC Riverside (1975)
Links worth sharing
♟️ Geronimo
🔵 Style Not Com and Zara launch a collaboration line of clothing that mirrors the Instagram’s page approach to sharing news. This is what I’d imagine a Common Discourse capsule to look like.
🏡 Emma Apple Chozik writes for the Sociology of Business on the Cult of Office Design. Thanks for the MW.S look, Emma.
🦉 The Duolingo Owl is dead
📷 Good images by Stuart Winecoff for Coperni’s Pre-Fall 25 campaign. Continued here.
✍🏽 Writing advice from Gary Provost, “Don’t just write words. Write music.”
Thanks for consuming!
ℹ️ Read more about Common Discourse here.
📬 If you liked this newsletter, please consider sharing with others who might enjoy it as well.
🗂 Here is every Common Discourse weekly briefing to date.
Sooo fire
So impressive! So excited for this!