ᨒ↟ Nº301 Great Things Are Done When Men & Mountains Meet. This Is Not Done By Jostling In The Street. ⛰️🏙️

Kike (*key- keh*) en route to Utrecht a few weeks ago. 📷: Jon

Hi there! This is Kike!

I’ve been mentioned by Jon in this newsletter several times (thanks, Jon!) and have been part of the Twotone team for three years, and I’m thrilled to contribute for the first time to this issue 301 of the newsletter.

We hope to make this contribution a regular one, and I’ll contribute with all the things I’m obsessed with, like visual culture, branding (in an effort to create meaning), and the outdoors, which includes cycling, of course.

My first relationship with the outdoors was through climbing. No one knows why and how, besides me coming from one of the provinces in Spain with the most mountains, but suddenly, at the age of 12, I told my parents I wanted to climb.

The rest is history: Siurana, Margalef, the Pyrenees, La Pedriza, Frankenjura, Verdon, Smith Rocks, plus plenty of climbing gym sessions in London, Berlin, Portland, Nürnberg, Barcelona, Madrid, and now, Amsterdam.

After more than four years away from the rocks and the gym (...guess how long I’ve been in the NL 😉), I recently went back to climbing and its culture to see plenty of things changed, and the scene is definitely booming, especially indoors.

While going through all the media produced during those years of absence, one of the cases that got my attention was that of Ashima Shiraishi, a young prodigy clearly pushed by her father who ended up leaving the scene and then coming back to it a few years later on her own terms and vision.

It is very inspiring to hear her now speaking about those child years with clarity, sharpness, and plenty of compassion. She’s not just back to climbing; and here it comes the perfect lead-in back to cycling, as part of doing her own thing, she also got into riding, and she's part of the Crust crew.

You often hear the word ‘authenticity’ in marketing. We want authentic people, characters, messages, brand identities, and campaigns. However, we tend to neglect that for the story to be honest and powerful and potentially shift the conversation, people need room and mental space to approach things on their own terms.

It doesn’t matter if it’s the pro peloton or the hang loose, bikepacking and relaxing scene; brands need to guarantee authen… Actually, they need to ensure a safe space for individuals, ideas, stories, and actions to be explored, brewed, and assimilated before they are launched into the world.

The current Ashima doesn’t even compete anymore. She has gone from a young talent-media phenomenon archetype to an inspiring person ready to shift and truly ‘influence’ the outdoor community and the climbing scene, which required the time to disconnect, reflect, and reconnect on her own terms.

Something for all of us to reflect on when looking for authenticity. I hope you enjoy the read. Next time, I’ll keep it short, I promise. ☺️

Kike

p.s. I (Jon) chose this week's rhyming subject line from a quote from English poet and painter William Blake. Obviously, the mountain theme was on target, but also the notion to not be bogged down by the daily grind but rather pursue the adventures that will expand your mind. ; )