Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 292

"I’m trying to get my work-family balance perfected...

"I’m trying to get my work-family balance perfected because he’s coming up on thirteen. And I remember that I had to deal with a lot of issues when I was that age."

"Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?""A dolphin...

"Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?"
"A dolphin saver."

"I’m doing my dissertation on medieval literature. I feel...

"I’m doing my dissertation on medieval literature. I feel a sense of wonder and awe whenever I study old manuscripts. It’s like I’m holding communion with readers from centuries ago. You don’t really get that from a Kindle."

"Mom is visiting from Barbados. This is her first time seeing...

"Mom is visiting from Barbados. This is her first time seeing snow."

“I’ve lost count of how many foster homes that I’ve stayed in....

“I’ve lost count of how many foster homes that I’ve stayed in. It seemed like I would move every six months, because they didn’t like me or I didn’t like them. I pushed a lot of people away and I burned a lot of bridges. But I’m the 9th of 12 children. I was the only one to go to college. I don’t have any kids. No crazy ex-boyfriends. And I turned out OK because of the people in foster care who didn’t go anywhere when I tried to push them away.”
“Anyone in particular?”
“There were a lot. But there was a counselor at one of my group homes named Jenelle Bugue. And when I woke up crying at 3 AM because I felt like nobody loved me, she would sit with me and tell me that she cared about me, and she wasn’t going anywhere. And she’d tell me that God cared about me, and that God wasn’t going anywhere.”

“I saved up enough to move into a studio. I’ve got my own spot...

“I saved up enough to move into a studio. I’ve got my own spot now. It’s better than any of the foster homes I’ve ever lived in. Because when I turn the key in that door, it’s mine.”

“I’d been doing nothing but drinking for months on end, so I was...

“I’d been doing nothing but drinking for months on end, so I was getting pretty despondent. Then one day, a guy walked by with a hand truck, and dropped off two big boxes of books for anyone to take. I decided to set up a bookstand. I got a folding table, and three milk cartons, and set up right across the street. Pretty soon, more people were bringing me books, and I would sell them for $1 apiece. I had a pretty cool selection. I even had books from the 1800’s. But I sold them all for just $1. I called my business The Book Worm. I had a logo and everything—a little worm with reading glasses. I didn’t make much money. Just enough for food and some drinks, but it increased my self-esteem 10,000 percent. I never thought I’d be running my own business. I was drinking less and everything. But somebody took my folding table, so I’m out of business until I can find a new one. It sounds kind of ridiculous, but the whole business hinges on a folding table.”

"When I was in college, I felt like I had all of this creativity...

"When I was in college, I felt like I had all of this creativity and potential, and I felt like all the papers and projects were holding me back from doing what I really wanted to do. Now I’m realizing that they were the main thing motivating me to do work."

"When I was in college, I felt like I had all of this creativity...

"When I was in college, I felt like I had all of this creativity and potential, and I felt like all the papers and projects were holding me back from doing what I really wanted to do. Now I’m realizing that they were the main thing motivating me to do work."

“My wife and I were both on the six figure plan. I was thinking...

“My wife and I were both on the six figure plan. I was thinking that if I could get to $100,000 a year, I’d be all right. I studied information systems and economics in college. I had a decent paying job at the 311 call center. Every morning I’d wake up early then fall back asleep on the subway. It was like that Groundhog’s Day movie. The ‘deferred life plan’ wasn’t working for me. Everyone kept telling me that all I needed was another master’s degree, or another certification, but I was done with it. So I quit my job and decided to be a musician. I turned off the TV. I turned off the radio. I devoted myself full time to music. I’d never played an instrument before, so I found some YouTube videos that taught me basic chord progressions on guitar and keyboard. I was really bad for a long time. I wondered if I’d made a mistake. But when I listened to the early work of famous musicians like Dr. Dre, they weren’t that good either. I thought: ‘I’m just as smart as them. And they were like me once. So if they got there, so can I.’ I started driving a cab so I could control my own hours. I’d get off at 2 AM and make music until 5 AM, but I’d still wake up happy because life had a purpose now. I called my first album ‘Better Than Fantastic,’ because that’s how it felt. I’ve handed out 10,000 of them. I give one to everyone who rides in the cab.”