As an English major, I love discovering new ways people write. There are many unique ways to tell stories, and I just recently discovered another way. Last week, I was given an unusual assignment for my Visual Journalism class. Our assignment was to imitate a photograph taken by Brandon Stanton. As many of you may already know, he is the photographer behind the Humans of New York project.

Until I was given this assignment, I had no idea that HONY existed. I find this remarkable considering it has been in existence since 2010, and it now has over 20 million followers on social media. It is a shame I only recently learned about the Humans of New York, but I am glad I have now had the chance to learn more about it.

For those of you who still do not know what HONY is, it is a series of portraits taken by Brandon Stanton of everyday people of New York. He walks around the city, starts asking people stories about themselves, and takes their photographs. Then, he posts his portraits on his blog, along with the stories he gathered. Since he began the project, Stanton has expanded to include series of stories including refugee stories, and pediatric cancer stories. He has also included stories of people from over 20 countries.

I think this project is an amazing idea. Everyday we live our lives, not knowing what is happening in the lives of others. We all have our social circle of family, friends, and peers, but do not know of what goes on in the lives of people outside those circles. I do not know what the person sitting next to me on the bus, or the person waiting in line at the grocery store with me have going on in their lives. There are always going to be people in the world we never meet and know nothing about. I think Stanton’s project encapsulates this idea, and brings people together by sharing their stories. The stories give us a glimpse into the lives of people we would never know existed. Sharing stories of people lets us know that we are not alone, and that more exists in this world than just our own lives and our little social circles.

Brandon Stanton is someone who was able to take a small idea and turn it into something big. Considering how many followers he has, he clearly has made an impact on the lives of many people. He demonstrates how one small idea can end up turning into something big, and make a huge difference in people’s lives. As someone who wants to one day publish stories, I find this very inspiring. I too would like to be able to touch the lives of many people.