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.

For this week’s Sights and Sounds, Alex and I decided to collaborate on a joint entry.

Week over week, the process of putting one of these together involves us reaching out to someone who we’re mutuals/friends with, or anyone we find interesting, and invite them to contribute as a guest. Whatever they send through is always unexpected, and a lovely surprise that Alex and I only see on the Wednesday or Thursday prior.

I often mention to Alex how interesting it is to match up our preconceptions of a person and what they share from their camera roll, which inevitably gives us a slight glimpse into the intimate details of their lives that you might not have known prior.

On the flip side of that, it’s equally as interesting going through your own: going through images of times past, conversations with relationships past, and screenshots of things that you had hoped to one day go back to, but only re-stumbled across when doing an exercise such as this.

Nonetheless, it’s all a way of connecting and piecing together a story, and finding meaning in the everyday moments—however mundane or exciting it may be.

Thanks for another week,

— Alice & Alex

Sights—

Sounds —

— Alex’s Sound

— Alice’s Sound

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.

🗣 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.