Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 449

"We’re doing an annual fun and sexy memorial run for our...

"We’re doing an annual fun and sexy memorial run for our friend Joe. Joe’s still alive though. He’s actually perfectly healthy. We’re just trying to raise awareness for him. Awareness of Joe."

“So wait, are you raising money for something?”

“Nope. Just raising sexy.”

"We’re organizing grassroots efforts in both Israel and...

"We’re organizing grassroots efforts in both Israel and Palestine to pressure leaders for a two state solution."

“Do you find more people wanting a two state solution in Palestine than Israel?”

“Nobody WANTS a two state solution on either side. But on both sides, over 60% of people are willing to accept a two state solution. The problem is— while 60% are willing to accept a compromise, only 30% of people think that a compromise is possible. And when one side thinks that the other side will never compromise, it reverts back to pure self-interest. And that’s a dangerous thing. So we’re trying to bridge that belief gap, and convince the 60% of people that are willing to compromise that compromise is indeed possible.”

Thought you guys might get a kick out of this—Over a year...

Thought you guys might get a kick out of this—

Over a year ago, we had a fundraiser to raise money for Hurricane Sandy relief, and one of the ‘perks’ offered was a personal portrait by me. We sold about 40 of these, and because of scheduling issues, I am only now finishing them up. Yesterday a mother and daughter came in from California. After the portrait, we grabbed lunch at a nearby diner. When the waitress came, the mother (Heidi) pointed at me, and said:
"Today is his birthday."
I said: “No, it’s not.” (My birthday is actually in March)
"Yes it is," said Heidi, "He’s just shy."
"No, really," I said. "I promise. It’s not my birthday."
"Isn’t it cute how shy he gets?" asked Heidi.

So we went back and forth, and no matter how much I pleaded that it WASN’T MY BIRTHDAY, Heidi was more convincing. She convinced the waitress that it really was my birthday, and that I was just denying it because I was shy. Then this happened…

"This is me normally."

"This is me normally."

"She can turn any ordinary moment into an adventure."“Can...

"She can turn any ordinary moment into an adventure."

“Can you give an example of that?”

“When Hurricane Sandy destroyed the bottom floor of our house, she decorated the rubble in Christmas lights.”

"I’m having trouble getting my work out there. I have a...

"I’m having trouble getting my work out there. I have a hard time finding the self-confidence. If it was up to me, I’d just make my work in isolation and not worry about the marketing or promotion, but I know I can’t do that. The problem is— my work is really quiet. It’s very subtle and subdued. It takes time to appreciate. And there’s so much image saturation in today’s world, it seems that only the most aggressive imagery is getting noticed. I’m finding that it takes a lot of boldness to take a firm stance in making quiet work."

http://mbenjaminherndon.com

"She’s a little diamond."

"She’s a little diamond."

This man never came to a complete stop. So when I asked him for...

This man never came to a complete stop. So when I asked him for advice, I knew the first thing he said would probably be the only thing I’d get. He spoke with a very thick accent. “If you work your entire life,” he said, “You will have very long life. If you stop— no good.” 

By the time he finished talking, he was already past me.

Today is the LAST DAY to order a HONY book online if you want it...

Today is the LAST DAY to order a HONY book online if you want it to be guaranteed to arrive before Christmas. (Unless you want to pay for priority shipping.) My agent and editor thought I should pass this information along, but I thought we’d done enough promotion already.

“But I’ll tell you what,” I said, “If you both meet me at noon, and pose for the post, I’ll put one more up.” They agreed.

When they showed up, I was holding a strange bag.

“What’s in the bag?” they asked.

————————————————

6 HOURS LEFT to order a HONY Book XMAS gift:

AMAZON: http://bitly.com/10sbtW5

"I’m trying to make more decisions with my heart instead...

"I’m trying to make more decisions with my heart instead of my brain."

“So what’s one decision you wish you’d made with your heart?”

“Probably breaking up with my ex-girlfriend. I broke up with her because I thought it would be smarter to focus on school, and now I don’t think it was a good idea. I mean, it’s all good though, because we still talk and everything.”

“Well, if you still talk, then why don’t you get back together?”

“Well, at first she was upset about it. But then she understood my point of view, so she wasn’t upset about it anymore. And now she’s not upset… but you know, it’s starting to bounce around in the back of my mind, and…”

“So she won’t take you back?”

“… something like that.”