1/ Humans of New York is a photoblog with 30mm global fans. The creator, Brandon Stanton, has been named by TIME Magazine as one of 30 under 30 People Changing the World.
This is a lesson in how a consistent creative habit changed the landscape of empathy around the world.
This is a lesson in how a consistent creative habit changed the landscape of empathy around the world.
2/ Brandon starts his career trading bonds in Chicago for two years and loses his job when the market crashes. He makes a decision that he wants to spend the next period of his life thinking not about money, but about he spends his time.
3/ At the time, he loves taking photographs even with no experience. He decides that he wants to structure his life around creating as much time for photography as possible. He wants to make just enough money to pay rent, eat, and photograph all day long.
4/ He develops a crazy idea that he's going to take photos of 10,000 people on the streets. He decides New York is the best place to do it given the diversity of people and because he can't afford a car. He knows he can just take the subway and walk everywhere.
5/ He begins walking around NYC's streets for several miles per day taking candid photos, and uploading a few photos to his blog every single day. After a few months, he adds a layer of difficulty and begins to stop people on the street and ask to take a portrait of them.
6/ As easy as this might sound, stopping people in NYC for a photo is no easy feat. People are regularly bombarded with sales pitches on the street and many are suspicious of his intent.
7/ He starts to develop a skill in stopping people, constantly getting rejected, and making strangers feel comfortable within seconds. "It's not about the words you say. It's about the energy you're giving off. The worst energy you can give off is nervousness."
8/ On days where he keeps getting rejected, he admits how psychologically difficult it is to keep going. Some days, he just wants to go home and lay in bed. The only way he keeps the negative voices away is to tell himself to just go out and work because he loves it so much.
9/ One day, his entire life changes with the green woman.
He finds a woman dressed all in green with green hair and green makeup. He remembers fondly that it was a photo he didn't even like since he thought he took a bad photo.
He finds a woman dressed all in green with green hair and green makeup. He remembers fondly that it was a photo he didn't even like since he thought he took a bad photo.
10/ “I used to be a different color every single day. But then one day, I was green, and that was a great day. And so, I’ve been green for 15 years.”
11/ He remembers thinking, "Well I don't really like the photograph, but I'm going to try putting this quote above the photo with what she said." And to his surprise, he gets the most engagement out of his small fan base than any photo he's ever posted.
12/ Through a creative habit of taking photos every single day, this is his eureka moment. "If I've gotten over this fear of approaching a stranger, shouldn't I use this opportunity to learn about this person and share a little bit of this person with others?"
13/ He sees that the media distorts reality with the extremes. What does the media sell? Violence, sex, danger, conflict. Those make for good stories and they are a reflection of what we find interesting vs. what is truly happening in the world.
14/ He wants people to see how receiving all these extreme messages from the media are affecting us. How they create stereotypes and biases against people, religions, neighborhoods, and countries. The world is not as violent, sexy, or as dangerous as we think.
15/ And from that moment on, HONY stops being a photography project. HONY is Brandon's story-telling effort to show a random person on the street that he's interested in their life and get them comfortable enough to share something vulnerable with millions of people.
16/ "There’s something inherent to hearing about the inner lives of other people that fosters empathy. But that’s something inherent in the storytelling, and I always focus on the storytelling, not the empathy."
17/ "The better I get at storytelling, the more empathy that’s naturally drawn out. Because I feel like once we truly understand people it’s harder to judge them."
18/ Brandon realizes that in today's society, people just feel alone. And why Humans of New York has succeeded is because when people see somebody being vulnerable in a way that they're afraid to be vulnerable themselves, they connect with that person.
19/ What I love about Brandon is that he cares deeply not just about his story subjects, but about his audience. "I don’t sell the name Humans of New York to anyone. I don’t rent my brand to anyone because I never want any piece of content that I share to have a single motive.
20/ I’ve never broken that seal. I’ve never been compensated for a piece of content that I’ve posted on my blog."
21/ Brandon has continued using his reach for good. He partnered with the United Nations to tell untold stories from over 20 countries across the globe and raised millions for those in need. He's raised $3.8mm for pediatric cancer research.
22/ Due to this photo, Brandon, Vidal (the boy), and Vidal's principal Lopez are invited by The White House to meet President Obama. Stanton raises $1.4mm through a crowdfunding campaign to send students from Vidal's school to visit Harvard University.
23/ Brandon's creative journey reveals a few takeaways. If you feel stuck, stop dwelling on the big picture. Too often we get stuck because we want to accomplish everything and we don't know the right step to take. Instead of focusing on the life arc, focus on one step at a time.
24/ The key is to develop a creative habit. If you do what inspires you every single day, trust that you're going to become who you need to be and that your creation will become what it needs to be along the way.
25/ "People are paralyzed by the need to make something great. They think, if it's not the best work, it's not worth doing. But my decision to do HONY was just a decision to work on what I loved every single day. You can figure out a way to do what you love to do all day long."
26/ Here are a few of my favorite stories: "We were both involved in the Civil Rights Movement. We met 47 years ago on a picket line."
27/ “When I told my mom that I was going to rehab, she was about to catch a flight to her 40th High School Reunion. I told her: ‘I guess you won’t be bragging about me to your friends.’ She said: ‘Actually, I’ve never been prouder of you.'”
28/ I wandered into the lobby of a nursing home on the Upper West Side, and discovered this man, who was on his way to deliver a yellow bear to his wife. "I visit her everyday," he said, "even when the mind is gone, the heart shows through."
29/ JB, If you're reading this, this one is for you. ILY!
30/ "What’s your favorite thing about your mother?" She loves life more than anyone I’ve ever known. She’s had some health problems. Her health got so bad, she called me and said: "I was starting to wonder if there was any reason to go on. But then I had the most delicious pear!"
31/ "Do not use following your dreams as an excuse not to work hard. Because following your dreams correctly is nothing but hard work." -Brandon Stanton
Please follow @humansofny and check out humansofnewyork.com if you're interested in learning more about his work! His books are incredible.
