Read an extract from Humans by Brandon Stanton

Brandon Stanton is the creator of the #1 New York Times bestselling book Humans of New York as well as the children’s book, Little Humans. He was a 2013 Time Magazine “30 people under 30 changing the world,” an ABC News Person of the Week, told stories from around the world in collaboration with the United Nations, and was invited to photograph President Obama in the Oval Office. His photography and storytelling blog, also called Humans of New York is followed by over fifteen million people on several social media platforms. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and lives in New York City.

Brandon’s latest book is called Humans, a book that brings together countless faces and stories from around the world at a time when we may feel more divided than ever. Today, we have an extract from Humans for you to read – an essay called ‘The Approach’. Read on …

Brandon Stanton

The Approach

The creation of Humans of New York has always felt like a mixture of art and door-to-door salesmanship. The interview is the fun part. The conversations are always interesting, and people seem to enjoy the process once it’s under way. And since every person has had their share of battles and triumphs, it’s usually not hard to learn a good story from a willing participant. What can be difficult is finding someone who is willing to share. The toughest part of my job has always been getting people to stop for a moment. To give me a chance. Because most people hate being stopped on the street—especially in big cities, where being stopped normally means you’re being sold something.

No matter how gently I approach someone, and no matter what words I use, a lot of people are going to say no. There can be days when not a single person says yes. So it takes a lot of endurance. And patience. And understanding. Some of it is just timing. A person might turn me down because they’re having a horrible day, or they might be in a hurry. But if I discover that same person later, in a moment of relaxation, they might be feeling open to a new experience. Many of my portraits are taken in parks, which has nothing to do with my love of nature. It’s because people are much more approachable when they’re sitting under a tree than when they’re rushing down a sidewalk.

In big cities especially, people will develop a bit of a shield to avoid unwanted interactions. They avoid eye contact. They refuse to stop walking. They seem to be permanently “late for a meeting.” A lot of people will turn me down before they even know what I’m asking. This can come across as rudeness, but it’s not. It’s just a natural defence mechanism honed by years of urban living. And it’s almost always driven by fear. It’s quite rare to find a person who enjoys being rude. Rudeness is almost always a reaction to stress. It’s a means of protection. It’s a shield. And getting past that shield has always been my biggest challenge.

In the early days of Humans of New York, it was hard to not feel like I was doing something weird. It was hard to maintain faith in the meaning and value of the work. After hearing several no’s in a row, I’d want to go home and quit. But every time I broke through a shield, and found a person on the other side, it was energising. The moment a person agrees to be interviewed, everything changes. It’s amazing how people transform when they realise you’re not a threat. They become much more relatable. More familiar. More recognisable. Big cities can feel so isolating because we rarely get past this point with people. Everyone is hiding behind their shield. They’re on guard at all times. At least until the end of the day, when they get back home, around people they love and trust, and suddenly become themselves again.

For all these reasons, the approach is perhaps the most important part of my job. It’s the process of getting through to the real Finding what’s behind the shield, and presenting it to others. If our shields are what separate us, it’s what’s behind them that brings us together: the struggles, the worries, the pain, the weakness. All the soft spots. The places we protect. These are the things that make us most relatable to others. These are the things that connect us—­if only we allow them to be seen.

—Humans by Brandon Stanton (Pan Macmillan Australia) is out on the 3rd of November.

This book is part of Booktoberfest, the festival of new books!

Humans

by Brandon Stanton

Brandon Stanton’s Humans is a book that connects readers as global citizens at a time when erecting more borders is the order of the day. It shows us the entire world, one story at a time.

Brandon Stanton’s Humans – his most moving and compelling book to date – shows us the world. After five years of traveling the globe, the creator of Humans of New York brings people from all parts of the world into a conversation with readers. He ignores borders, chronicles lives and...

Order NowRead More

No comments Share:

About the Contributor

Booktopia Guest Blogger