A Passing Glance at People’s Stories

When I first began thinking about how I could approach this project, I found myself at a loss. “Something is happening” is such a vague statement, and could be encapsulated by anything that crosses your mind if you spent a second connecting dots that would tie it back to the theme, no matter how convoluted or different your idea could be.

This resulted in heavy procrastination, which I acknowledge that I am guilty of - but during that time, while trying to figure out what to do, I found myself watching the people around me for inspiration. Whether it be walking around campus, sitting in class, or observing people at sporting events, I found myself fascinated. Life can be very hectic, as it has been for me the last couple of weeks, and I kept trying to connect the turmoil I was feeling with the people around me, trying to connect dots that weren’t there.

A thought then clicked into place, a single word flashing across my mind.

Sonder - The realization that each and every person around you is living a life just as complicated and vivid as your own

I found myself so distracted trying to tie aspects of my own struggles and inner turmoil to other people, that I completely forgot that others have struggles and dreams and aspirations just as vivid as my own.

This thought was monumental to me, though it shouldn’t be. I was fascinated with how we can get so caught up with our own issues that we forget that those we pass by could be hiding immeasurable pain, or unbridled joy behind a blank face.

We don’t know people’s stories by a passing glance, as people often put on a facade to make others perceive them as something other than they are. McLuhan said, “the poet, the artist, the sleuth - whoever sharpens our perception tends to be antisocial; rarely ‘well-adjusted,’ he cannot go along with currents and trends.” (88). Those who we perceive as ones who influence and shape the world around them for others, are not often what they seem to be.

I chose to focus for this project on how people are not as they seem - their stories and experiences are just as diverse and complicated as your own, and there is no way of knowing someone’s story by just looking at them as they pass by. I took photos of people, some that I knew, some that I didn’t, and asked for them to tell me something that people would not know about them if they just saw them in a passing glance on the street.

I want this to be a learning experience for everyone, and to open people’s eyes to the experiences and lives of others, so that are not quick to make judgements on others without knowing what has shaped them into the person they are today.

The photos are featured on my Flickr, under the set name “sonder”.

Miriam Douglass, She is a recovered alcoholic


Comments

  1. joshFebruary 3, 2020 at 6:17 PM

    I really liked and was intrigued by the idea of sonder! The pictures are consistent and the concept was executed wonderfully.

    ReplyDelete

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