Good morning, friends!
Brandon Stanton is part street photographer, part storyteller. He's spent the last 10 years of his life capturing the fascinating stories of ordinary people. His popular blog, Humans of New York (HONY), features portraits of strangers who share intimate stories of strength, addiction, redemption, regret, and love.
Stanton sat down for an hour-long interview with The Profile, in which he explained how he develops intimacy with strangers, why his conversations are so transformative, and why it's natural for us to empathize with other people's pain.
He doesn't typically do media interviews, so this is one of the most comprehensive Q&As he's done in recent years.
Below are 10 takeaways from our conversation:
The antidote to listlessness is focus: Stop looking at the big picture. Rather than focusing on the year ahead, focus on mastering the next 24 hours. One photo at a time. One post a time. One step at a time. In 10 years, HONY went from zero to a community of 20 million.
Discipline + habits = consistency: To build discipline into his life, Stanton began exercising, playing the piano, and reading 100 pages every day. "So when HONY came along, I knew taking a day off wasn't about the day of work that you lost, it was about breaking that habit," he said.
You're an expert in your own particular struggles: Stanton often asks, "What's the biggest challenge you've overcome?" Chances are that's the story that's given you the most perspective and insight. It's the thing that you can speak to with more wisdom than anyone else.
Be mindful of your content diet: News stories often highlight stories of extremes — crime, war, and sex. That's the 1%. HONY aims to show the 99% of life on the ground, which has nothing to do with violence. It's just regular humans worrying about regular human things like love, family, and purpose.
When you feel lost, look for a path: Stanton didn't start HONY because he was intrigued by regular people. He was just looking for a path — any path — that would let him pursue photography. Along the way, he became an expert at taking portraits of strangers with amazing stories.
Re-invent even when you don't have to: HONY is still around after 10 years because Stanton's work is constantly evolving. "No matter how much I've committed to a path, when I feel the wind blowing a different direction, I'm willing to drop everything and follow that wind," he says.
Deep listening is a form of respect: When you're listening from a place of pure interest and genuine curiosity, there's no question that's too personal. "Challenging someone is a form of respect because it shows you're listening so closely that you're noticing inconsistencies in their story," Stanton says.
A stranger may help you offload your burdens: People often tell Stanton things they would never tell their closest family members. "There's something about intimacy that makes these searing questions so much harder to ask than if you don't know the person at all," he says.
We empathize more with each other's pain than we do our successes: Stanton says, "To really identify with somebody and have compassionate empathy for them is to identify pain in others — the same pain that you've felt even though it might not have the same causes."
Use your power for good: The HONY community wields a lot of power. Hundreds of thousands of strangers recently raised $2.7 million to cover Tanqueray's medical costs after reading her story on the blog. It's a reminder that the kindest, purest form of power exists within us all — the power to help another human being.
Watch the video below or read the full transcript of the Q&A here.
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PROFILES.
— The CEO of America's most mysterious company [**HIGHLY RECOMMEND**]
— The woman guiding Amazon through the pandemic
— The game-changing show-runner
— The founder helping us take back our privacy
— The scientist who ran out of time
— The improbable podcasting expert
— The low-key CEO entering the line of fire
— The Excel warriors
PEOPLE TO KNOW.
The CEO of America's most mysterious company: Palantir is the tech giant that helps governments and law enforcement decipher vast amounts of data — and it's everywhere. The U.S. Army uses it for logistics. Credit Suisse uses it to guard against money laundering. The German pharmaceutical company Merck uses it to expedite the development of new drugs. In this profile, you meet Palantir CEO Alex Karp, who's helping to define his controversial data colossus. (The New York Times)
“Every technology is dangerous, including ours."
The woman guiding Amazon through the pandemic: Alicia Boler Davis joined Amazon last year as vice president of global customer fulfillment. She runs the company’s hundreds of warehouses worldwide, overseeing employees, logistics, and processes. Customer service falls under Boler Davis’s umbrella, too—and in the pandemic, Amazon’s customers suddenly needed more service than ever before. Here's how she's powered Amazon through the COVID-19 crisis. (Fortune)
“Once you define a problem, you move very quickly to finding solutions and trying out different ideas."
The game-changing show-runner: More than three years after Shonda Rhimes signed an exclusive $100-million deal with Netflix, she will at last release her first two projects. The first is a documentary about director, choreographer and philanthropist Debbie Allen, and the second is a period drama called Bridgerton. In this profile, Rhimes talks about leaving ABC, meeting her own expectations, and navigating a sizable adjustment period at Netflix. (For more, check out Rhimes's Profile Dossier here.)
"I created a $2B+ revenue stream for a major corporation with my imagination. I do not follow trails of candy. I am the candy."
The founder helping us take back our privacy: Moxie Marlinspike is the CEO of Signal, the end-to-end encrypted messaging service, which he launched in 2014. Marlinspike believes that encrypted-communication tools aren't just necessary during political tumult. Activists use Signal to coordinate protests, lovers to conduct affairs, workers to unionize, finance professionals to exchange sensitive information, drug dealers to contact customers, and journalists to communicate with sources. Here's how he is "trying to bring normality to the internet." (The New Yorker)
“Anything that I’ve ever written or created, one way or another, about anything is sort of embarrassing to me a month later. Even more so five years later.”
The scientist who ran out of time: Sanjiv “Sam” Gambhir was a titan in the field of diagnostic medicine. Rather than curing cancer once it had already spread, he wanted to stop the first abnormal cells from ever gaining ground. He reimagined the field of cancer detection — and then he got cancer. In July, Gambhir died of a mysterious cancer. This profile chronicles the remarkable life and career of a man carrying the burden of knowledge that he would not live to see his full aspirations become reality. (The Atlantic)
“I tell my wife, ‘If I just had more time, I know I could solve this.’”
The improbable podcasting expert: When he launched his newsletter analyzing the podcasting industry in November 2014, Nick Quah had never made a podcast nor did he have a background in radio or audio media. He was basically some random guy with a new off-hours hobby. But he made the right call at the right time. As podcasting's profile has risen, so has Quah's. Within a couple of years of starting his newsletter, he was able to quit his day job and become a full-fledged podcasting expert. (Medium)
“What is good for creators is not necessarily the same as what’s good for entrepreneurs and for business creation and media ownership.”
The low-key CEO entering the line of fire: At Google, CEO Sundar Pichai has a reputation for being a conscientious caretaker rather than an impassioned entrepreneur. That's why he seems like an unlikely candidate to lead the tech giant's fight with the federal government. But it's Pichai who will have to stand up and make the case that the company is not a monopoly even though it has a 92% global market share of internet searches. (The New York Times)
“He has to face the government. He has no choice.”
The Excel warriors: Spreadsheets run the world — and bad things can happen when they break. As a result, a community of accountants, auditors and Excel power users have joined forces in a quiet battle against illogical formulas, copy-and-paste errors, and structural chaos that cause data carnage. Meet the Excel warriors saving the world from spreadsheet disaster. (WIRED)
“People are going to keep using it and usually the problems aren’t systems problems, they’re management or risk problems.”
This installment of The Profile is free for everyone. If you would like to get full access to all of the recommendations, including today’s audio and video sections, sign up below.
AUDIO TO HEAR.
Matthew McConaughey on striving for greatness: When actor Matthew McConaughey was growing up, there were two words you would get punished for saying in his household: hate and can't. It taught him that even if you're unable to do something on your own, you can always go seek help from someone else to get it done. In this podcast, McConaughey opens up about his upbringing and how he stayed aspirational throughout his career. (Link available to premium members.)
Esther Perel’s re-ignition of desire: Relationship expert Esther Perel learned a huge lesson from her parents who survived the Holocaust: Eroticism is an antidote to death. In this incredible episode, Esther reveals practical strategies for reigniting romance in a busy or “autopilot” relationship, how to overcome common triggers and fight patterns that weaken our bonds, and how we can invite more imagination and play into our partnerships. (Link available to premium members.)
Billy McFarland on repenting for his mistakes: Fyre Festival mastermind Billy McFarland speaks on this podcast ... from prison. He explains how solitary confinement has made him reflect on his recklessness, and he's now on a journey to right his wrongs. "I need to take full responsibility, and I need to take the first step toward re-building trust," McFarland says. (Link available to premium members.)
VIDEOS TO SEE.
Kanye West on his political ambitions: In this epic interview, Kanye West details his political ambitions and his interest in cryptocurrency while throwing in a conspiracy theory or two. It's a deep, philosophical look into the way West thinks about problems and makes decisions. He makes some interesting (albeit wildly controversial) points in this conversation. (Link available to premium members.)
Kim Kardashian on living in public for decades: After 20 seasons, "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" is coming to an end. In this episode, Kim Kardashian talks about the family business, growing up with her parents divided during the OJ trial, surviving a violent robbery in Paris, and more. (Link available to premium members.)
Aaron Sorkin on how he wrote 'The Social Network:' There were two lawsuits brought against Facebook at the same time, and the plaintiffs and defendants ended up telling three different versions of the story. When writer-producer Aaron Sorkin was writing The Social Network, he didn't want to pick one version of the truth. "I liked that there were three different, and oftentimes conflicting, versions of the truth. I wanted to tell all three versions." Here's how he masterfully produced a film full of intent, obstacle, and unreliable narrators. (Link available to premium members.)
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