Hello! Thank you for checking out week 28 of the 365 More People Pictures project. I've been running a little behind in posting, but no worries...I'm still on track for taking a picture every single day. If you'd like to follow along daily, my Instagram username is @missellanea .
Day 189 - Angela
This is Angela.
The happiest thing happening in her life right now: "is that everybody in my family is healthy and moving forward."
I asked Angela if she's recently performed an act of kindness or if she's been on the receiving end of kindness and she said that she's on the receiving end of lots of kindness and she hopes she's on the giving end as well.
"To strive to find balance and to realize that whatever you're going through is just a moment in time," Angela answered, when I asked if she has a personal mission statement or life's purpose. Angela had said a few things that lead me to believe she had just gone through a tough situation so I asked her about it. She said everything is great, but that she had just come from a movie theater which was showing all of the Oscar-nominated documentary shorts and she said that she felt like she had just gone through therapy. The films were perspective-changing and she felt like she had been turned inside out. After watching some of the horribly sad films, she realized that life is pretty good. She was still processing everything in her head when I had approached her on the street.
When I asked Angela something about herself she considers to be a success, she answered that it was her children: "The fact that I've raised good people, good souls, and they have good balance and good moral centers."
Thank you, Angela!
Day 190 - James
This is James. We met at the bus stop. James was so surprised when I approached to ask if he'd be in the project. He said that nobody has ever done anything like that before.
"Taking care of my Son," James answered, when I asked the happiest thing happening in his life right now.
James' recent act of kindness is that he gives money to homeless people.
I asked James his life's purpose and he answered, "To be able to take care of my son and make sure he grows up right."
When I asked James something about himself which he considers to be a success, at first he said that he isn't there yet. Several people have initially answered in the same way, but the point of asking this question is for people to identify one of their current strengths or personal achievements. We're always so focused on our future hopes and dreams, that we overlook our current strengths and minimize what we've gone through to get where we are. Sure, we may have a long way yet to go - but this is just one more sneaky exercise in gratitude and positivity and I just want people to be able to talk about some positive things, in the hopes of amplifying them. After encouraging James to think of something current, he answered, "I'm good at understanding people, and I'm focused."
James was so great! We had a little more time than I normally get to spend with people. James was willing to let me take several pictures, in a few different places, with a few different settings, and he and even sat down on the curb when I explained I always seem to have great luck when I take a picture of a person when they're sitting.
Thank you, James!
Day 191 - Bill
This is Bill. We met on the street.
"I'm going to be putting on a show," Bill answered, when I asked the happiest thing happening in his life. Bill is a comedian and he's going to perform at Velo Cult soon!
When I asked Bill if he's recently performed an act of kindness, he was having a hard time thinking of anything. He was to the point of giving up, but he was such a nice guy that I knew he must perform kind gestures for people all the time. I encouraged him to think about even just little things, such as opening the door for someone or being extra polite or complimenting someone. Bill was certain he had complimented someone recently. I also reminded him that he was kind enough to stop and let me take his picture.
When I asked Bill if he has a personal mission statement or life's purpose, he answered, "To drink life out of a chalice, to achieve everything that I can, that I want to, and...I want to die awake and I want to die in my sleep." Wow! Think about that last part: "I want to die awake and I want to die in my sleep." Pretty deep and profound thinking for a guy who is also a comedian.
"My job," Bill answered, when I asked him something about himself which he would consider to be a success.
Thank you, Bill! Good luck with your show!
Day 192 - Colin
This is Colin. We met on the street, near PSU. "I'm about to graduate," Colin answered, when I asked the happiest thing happening in his life right now.
Colin's recent act of kindness was a donation to his previous high school's fundraising effort to help a family with a sick child.
"To pursue a career in design while loving those around me well," Colin answered, when I asked if he has a personal mission statement or life's purpose. I joked with Colin that our "interview" was good practice for all of the interviews he'll soon be facing. Colin would love to work with the firm where he's currently an intern.
"I've made it through college in 4 years, while working a part-time job," Colin answered, when I asked something about himself which he would consider to be a success.
After Colin and I were finished, I had to walk a few blocks back to my car and along the way, I passed several restaurants and pubs and encountered several students. I didn't actually realize it at the time, but after observing all of the other students I passed on my way back to the car, I was struck by how mature Colin was, compared to all of the other students I encountered. I was impressed and amazed by the comparison between Colin, who is just a few months from graduation, and the other younger students who acted much more like high school students than college students. There was such a difference between the growth and maturation between Colin and the others. Colin is definitely ready for the world and whatever comes next!
Thank you, Colin! Wishing you lots of success and happiness!
Day 193 - Anthony
This is Anthony. We met at Doug Fir. In a weird coincidence, we figured out that we have a mutual friend, who is actually the husband of the person I was with at the time!
"I have a roof over my head," Anthony answered, when I asked the happiest thing happening in his life right now.
Anthony's recent act of kindness is that he always has spare change to give to homeless people. He said that he's always carried extra giving-away money, ever since he was a kid. I was curious if his parents encouraged him to do so, or lead by example, but Anthony said it was just something he did on his own.
"To create," Anthony answered, when I asked his life's purpose. Anthony is a visual artist: "trying to recreate things how I see them." Check out Anthony's Instagram - @anthonymeuserart It's pretty amazing! His work is paper cut-out pop art!
"I never give up," Anthony said, when I asked him something about himself which he considers to be a success.
Thank you, Anthony!
Day 194 - Taylor
This is Taylor. We met on the street.
"Dance!" - Taylor responded, when I asked the happiest thing happening in his life right now. Taylor is an architectural dancer. I confessed that I didn't quite know what that meant, so Taylor told me to check out POV Dance to get a better understanding. Basically, my understanding is that it's like street dance - dance with structures and buildings and the environment becomes part of the dance. However it's defined, it's pretty awesome. One could easily let some serious time slip away by watching architectural dance videos on youtube!
I asked Taylor if he's recently performed an act of kindness or if he's been on the receiving end of kindness and he explained that he's currently a Grad student and his professors gave him a lot of extra personal help and attention in his current work. Taylor feels like, in general, he both gives and receives kindness.
"Being present wherever you are," Taylor answered, when I asked if he has a personal mission statement. I explained to Taylor how much I love this thought, and that the time we had just spent taking pictures together, was the only time that entire day where I was able to be fully present in the moment. For a minute or two, the only thing that mattered in my little world, was Taylor...and creating a picture with him. It's part of the reason I love this project so much and I keep hoping the present mindfulness that occurs with photography, will spill over into the rest of my life. And, I hope that the person I meet each day is able to let stress and worries slip away for a few minutes and we can just have a little fun together.
"Being generally interested in lots of things," Taylor answered, when I asked something about himself which he would consider to be a success. I started to ask, "you must read a lot" but then I realized he had a book in hand, and my question was answered before I could even ask.
Thank you, Taylor!
Day 195 - Christopher
This is Christopher. We also met on the street, Downtown. He was on his way to work. It is impossible not to notice Christopher. I was admiring his style so intently, I almost forgot to ask if I could take his picture. After we took a few pictures, I asked and instructed him on how to do a squinch. He nailed it!
Before I ever picked up a camera, I was a serious people-watcher. I mean, almost embarrassingly so. I could be content sitting outside and watching people for hours. Sometimes, I embarrass myself. Remember when we were kids and if we looked at someone for longer than what they felt was appropriate, they would say - "take a picture, it'll last longer!"? Well, I heard that a lot as a kid. It's pretty ironic now. Although an adult would never say that, but if they did, I would get happy and thank them for "inviting" me to take their picture!
The happiest thing happening in Christopher's life right now is that he just spent time with his family to celebrate his 80-year-old Grandmother's Birthday, who was in town for the occasion.
I asked Christopher if he's recently performed an act of kindness or if he's been on the receiving end of kindness. Christopher said that everyone's been really nice to him. I have no doubt Christopher is also quite kind, given just the few minutes we spent together.
"To make every day a little better than yesterday," Christopher answered, when I asked if he has a personal mission statement.
I asked Christopher something about himself which he would consider to be a success and he answered that he has an art show coming up at the Wolf & Rabbit.
Thank you, Christopher!
Here's a summary of the personal mission statements and life's purposes of the subjects from this week:
To strive to find balance and to realize that whatever you're going through is just a moment in time.
- To be able to take care of my son and make sure he grows up right.
- To drink life out of a chalice, to achieve everything that I can, that I want to, and...I want to die awake and I want to die in my sleep.
- To pursue a career in design while loving those around me, well.
- To create
- Being present wherever you are.
- To make every day a little better than yesterday
Thank you for reading this week and following along in the project! I'll catch us up to the current week (which is the week prior) very soon!
Thank you!