Tools of the trade

So here is the tale of why I started this blog… 

One day, not too long ago, I decided to try writing about what was around me for the first time. I don’t usually write about what is real. It’s usually all in my head. But on this day, in Le Pain Quotidien, I began to observe the people around me, engaging in the Manhattan routine of a Saturday afternoon brunch. 

And then I realized why I don’t usually write this way. It’s true that even when writing what you observe, you’re still using your imagination. You’re still interpreting a woman’s tired face as exhaustion from pregnancy, or a young man’s fervent hand gestures as excitement about the work project he is describing to his friend. But when the people you are observing are the kind of people you always interact with, the task of interpreting their behavior isn’t very exciting. The way I was trying to write now, I was neither getting anyone’s real story, nor did I have to stretch my imagination very far. So, I left the café, and decided to try something else. 

I’ve told you I’m interested in people and stories. In fact, when I was growing up, whenever my parents would ask me what I was really passionate about in terms of a future career, all I could come up with was some variation of that response. I’ve decided to stop looking for a job that allows me to get at these things, and rather go for the things themselves. Part of my motivation in moving away from home and to New York was to expose myself (metaphorically) to the world and meet people I wouldn’t otherwise encounter. With this in mind, I came up with the idea for this blog. 

The goal is to meet and interact with new people, but not to force it. If I see someone who looks interesting to me or if there is someone I have wanted to find out about, I’ll speak to them. Hopefully this will happen often, but I won’t expect it to be regular. Along the way, I hope I’ll better get to know the people who read my blog, and I hope you’ll share with me the stories of the people you’ve met. 

Thanks for reading! 🙂