Task #29: Contact Brandon Stanton - Say Thank You (Kim)

29. Send a thank you note to Brandon Stanton.

As stated so many times in this blog, Humans of New York was one of the biggest inspirations behind this project.  I wanted to reach out and thank Brandon Stanton.  Brandon's fame has increased exponentially in the past few weeks since he has raised over a million dollars for Mott Hall Academy in New York.  This fundraiser was all due to a particular portrait he took for the Humans of New York blog.  Because Brandon's fame has increased so exponentially in recent weeks, I would love a response to my e-mail but expect nothing.  Someone who not only receive thousands of comments and e-mails every day but also spends his days running around the entire city of New York to take fascinating portraits most likely does not have the time to answer most of his e-mails.

Brandon's book which I asked for as a Christmas present and absolutely love.

Task #21 Completed: What Advice Would You Give to a Large Group of People? (Humans of New York Inspired)

The Humans of New York blog was a big inspiration for our project.  As part of Brandon Stanton's posts, he often asks people: "What piece of advice would you give to a large group of people?" because his blog has such a large following and impact.  Brandon Stanton's page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork.  (Note:  He has recently raised over $700,000 for an underprivileged school in Brownsville, New York after interviewing one of the students for Humans of New York.  The campaign is still going on and a link to donate can be found on his page.)

Our project will be seen by many Norwalk High students and teachers, and we want them to take away something from it.  At the end of our project, we plan to share our advice from completing 52 new tasks.  But on the journey, we wanted to take advice from others.  We planned to only ask ten people this question.  However, after answers ranging from comical to profound, we continued to ask other students and teachers because it was simply interesting.  (side note: these pictures were taken with an iPhone and the glare was pretty terrible as I'm sure you'll notice, so the black and white edits are an attempt to mask the glare)

What advice would you give to a large group of people?

Michael: Everyday is a challenge, but if you look at life with the glass half full instead of empty, you realize the beauty of it.  Because in the end...there is still something in the cup.

Olivia: Don't poke the sleeping bear.  Watch as it naps cutely and pretend that it won't bite your head off and then leave before it wakes up and everyone is good.

Mr. Foldeak: Remember that everyone sees the world a little differently and that doesn't mean your way is the right way.

Madame Graf: Never give up.

Catherine Robinson:
See things from other people's perspective.

Cara decided to write out a quote on her cell phone, which is next to her portrait and reads: "Never hide your scars because they show that you are stronger than whatever decided to hurt you."

Madison Pia: "Don't screw with Mr. Couture!"

Mr. Couture: "To Madison, I concur.  But as for the piece of advice, I say never settle for mediocrity."

Rimon (left): Don't do drugs.
Amanda: Eat green olives.
Jacob: Join Seniors Helping Seniors and help the elderly.

Izzy (left): Don't park next to white vans.
Sabrina: You get out what you put in.

Lindsey: Live life better than its fullest.

Janique: The grass is always greener on the other side.

Emily (left): Everything happens for a reason.
Alyssa: Don't talk to strangers.

Liza (provided photo): Gym is like prison, and you're a delinquent: it's mandated, and you have to undress.

Mr. Von Arter: Never settle for less than your best.

Janai: It's okay to let people go.

Mr. O'Shaughnessy could not produce one phrase as a piece of advice.  When I initially asked him, he asked me for a specific audience to address because he had so many pieces of advice to provide.  Although Brandon Stanton keeps his question vague and simply asks for a "large group of people", I told him the audience would be high school students.  We are hoping this project will have an impact on high school students.  When I returned, Mr. O' Shaughnessy had generalized and printed out a letter he wrote to a student preparing to enter teaching.  Mr. O'Shaughnessy's thoughtful response and very intellectual and well written letter reminds me why I care about this project.  I want to not only have unforgettable experiences myself but to be able to use them for good in the future.  Mr. O' Shaughnessy advised the student to connect love with wisdom, "establish and maintain such personal relationships because [the students] are ever-changing and enduring."  He reminds this student never to forget the passion that brought him to teaching and to admire and "seek counsel" from "people who excel in other professions and colleagues in other academic disciplines".  I find Mr. O's letter to be practically a guidebook for becoming a great teacher.  But it is also a reminder to us working on Project Explore to be diligent and precise because we want our 52 things to make a difference in other people's lives.

Maria: Don't dwell on the past and live for the future.

Mariah Smalls:
If you're going through something, this too shall pass.

Our Project Explore mentor, Ms. Morris:
Take one day at a time, and make sure to really live that day.

Angela: Stay strong and believe in yourself.

Gracie Bradley: Carpe diem!

Hannah: Do what makes you happiest.  And don't eat yellow snow.

This was one of my favorite tasks so far because it not only raised awareness for our project but got people involved and made them really think about this weighty question.  It also got us thinking about what our answers will be after we finish this project.

We will share our pieces of advice at our Project Explore presentation in May, after we have had 52 new experiences.

-Rachael and Kim

What Is Project 52? & First Task Completed (Kim)

What is "Project 52"? 

Seniors at Norwalk High School are given the chance to participate in an experience program called Project Explore.  Students can choose to explore any topic of their choosing and work on this project throughout the school year. Recognizing this unique opportunity, Rachael and I decided we wanted to be partners for Project Explore. We sat in Panera at the end of our junior year and began to brainstorm.  What did we want to explore for an entire school year?  Surprisingly, our problem wasn't that we couldn't come up with any ideas.  It was the opposite: we came up with too many.  A few Panera trips and headaches later, Project 52 was born. Rather than pick one topic to focus on, we decided to involve ourselves in a small aspect of each thing we wanted to try.  The 52 symbolizes each week of the year.  Over the summer, we came up with our list of 52 tasks and have begun our journey.  We have no idea what we're going to learn from this experience, so our theme for now is simply discovery. Or, if you're feeling ironic: exploring.

Task #1 Completed 

1. Kim: experimentation with photography.

Social media has greatly increased the significance of pictures in today's society.  But Facebook and Instagram made me realize I don't just love posting pictures; I love being the person holding the camera and taking them.  You know, that relatively obnoxious person at Christmas pleading for you to pose just "one more time" while you are still blinking away the spots from the last unnecessarily bright flash.  Well, I want to be that person, believe it or not.

My parents helped me purchase my first DSLR camera in September, a Canon Rebel T3I. I have not been able to tear myself away from it.  It has quickly become my "claim to fame" among my friend group. They have no qualms about yelling across the room for me to come take a picture with the "pretty camera!" Although I will continue taking, posting, and learning about photos and camera settings, I consider my original "experimentation with photography" task completed.

Cosette, September 2014.

Portrait of Allison Latour taken after the Norwalk High School Pep Rally in October.

Sarah Laverty and Daniel Devine, September 2014 at Shorehaven Golf Club.

EDIT AS OF 12-11-14

I have continued this task since my original experimentation.  In fact, today I held a photo shoot for my cousin who wanted pictures for her Christmas card.  I faced the challenge of shooting in the dark, and I also had a difficult time trying to get her dog to look at me.  But I ended up liking some of the pictures were her dog wasn't looking.  He kept looking at her as if for guidance, and it was so cute!

EDIT - JANUARY 2015