I am a really friendly person, but also a little shy. The greatest and most unexpected gift this project has given me is the practice of being an active listener. As a portrait photographer—and now, an interviewer—I have begun the journey of becoming a better listener to my subjects. Instead of zoning out and simply focusing on my art, I am learning to pay more attention to their stories and how they’re telling them. Indeed, I capture their facial expressions in my lens, but I am also having my world knowledge expanded by what I am learning from the myriad stories I’m recording. For instance, when I spoke to Leannah, a homeless teen, she told me that, for the past few months, she’s had a voice in her head she calls a “Kokomon Diesel” that tells her what to do. Before speaking with her, I never would have imagined that someone would be walking around on the streets being controlled by somebody other than themselves. From Leannah’s story, I’ve learned that you should never assume things about other people; you never know what’s going on in their lives or in their heads, and you have to be sensitive to that.
These discoveries move me profoundly. From older people to close friends, my subjects are sharing unseen pieces of themselves, and this experience has helped to make me stronger, wiser, braver, more compassionate, more patient, more empathetic. Thank you all for reminding me to listen. It couldn’t be a more inspired way to live.