Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 468

"I graduated from Juilliard recently, and just earned a trial...

"I graduated from Juilliard recently, and just earned a trial with the London Symphony."

“Was there ever a time when you wanted to quit?”

“It was harder when I was younger, and all my friends were outside playing. Back then my Mom really kept me practicing. But then I hit a point where I began to love the instrument, and I really couldn’t imagine my life without it.”

“How did you know when you reached that point?”

“I guess it was the point where I’d learned enough that I realized how much more there was to learn.”

"I wish that when I was young, I’d have absorbed more of...

"I wish that when I was young, I’d have absorbed more of the world. And less of my world."

"I’m looking for a little inspiration."“What kind...

"I’m looking for a little inspiration."

“What kind of inspiration?”

“I’m illustrating a book. The main character is a ‘celebrated woman’ in the town. And this woman seemed to fit that description to me.”

"What’s your largest remaining goal in...

"What’s your largest remaining goal in life?"

“I’d love to teach a course in art history.”

“So what would you say is the purpose of art?”

“Well, art is a means of expression, of course. But it’s also a means of record. If you look at the earliest artists, their art was a way for them to say: ‘I was here.’”

"My girlfriend and I aborted a child a couple of weeks...

"My girlfriend and I aborted a child a couple of weeks ago."

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“We didn’t lose anything. It was a choice.”

“Were both of you equally on board with the decision?”

“She followed my lead, which made it tougher I guess. But I’ve got so much going on right now, and she just opened her own theater show. It’s just not the right time.”

“How’s the aftermath been?”

“You know, I always thought of abortion as a common thing. I’m a liberal guy. Pro-choice and everything. But I never imagined how bloody painful it was going to be.”

“Do you mind if I post your story?”

“With my picture? I’d prefer not.”

"I’m trying to grow old with dignity, but it’s...

"I’m trying to grow old with dignity, but it’s difficult."

“What’s difficult about it?”

“I don’t want to be a burden to anyone. But I spent the 45 most vigorous years of my life paying no heed to retirement, and now I’m running out of ‘working years,’ and I’m way behind.”

"What’s the most frustrating part about being...

"What’s the most frustrating part about being teacher?"
"I think it’s getting increasingly difficult to convince my students that what I’m teaching is relevant to their lives. They see a world where the path to success is much more muddled, and social skills are beginning to seem more important than academics. It’s hard to instill the importance of memorization when information is so freely and instantly available."

"I carry a journal with me to collect data for my music.""How do...

"I carry a journal with me to collect data for my music."
"How do you collect data for music?"
"I just write down anything that catches my ear. For example, yesterday I heard my roommate’s daughter sing: ‘Row, row, row your boat, gently down the STREET.’ She messed up the song, but I thought it’d make a good lyric, so I wrote it down."

When I finished taking their photo, they waved goodbye. At the...

When I finished taking their photo, they waved goodbye. 
At the exact same time.

"I’m from Nigeria. I’m in a band with a guy from...

"I’m from Nigeria. I’m in a band with a guy from Algeria and a guy from Turkey. So we sing in Yoruba, Arabic, Turkish, and English."