The Strangers Project

My name is Brandon and I'm collecting your stories. In 2009 I was sitting outside of a coffee shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hundreds of people were walking past the table, and as usual, I was curious about the lives of everyone walking past. An idea crossed my mind—what would it take to get these anonymous strangers to share something about their life with me? What did we have in common besides both being strangers? I took a marker and the notebook I had been writing in and wrote in large, blocky letters: “Hi There! Please stop by and share your story!” I felt a little silly propping it up on the table at first. I had no idea how people would react. Within the first minute two young women stopped at my table and pointed at the impromptu sign.

“What are you doing?” they asked.

“I don’t know, actually…” I replied, “but would you mind writing something about your lives in this notebook? It can be anything as long as it’s true!”

While they were writing, more people stopped and asked about the sign. Within an hour about a dozen people had shared a piece of their lives with me. I went home to read the stories, having no idea what they shared. By the time I finished, I was hooked. I knew I had to go back out again the following day. What I didn’t know is just how far this project would take me… and here we are 20,000+ stories later. I ask people to write about anything they want—as long as it’s true. The result is a mosaic of stories from the lives happening around us at every moment. These are our friends, our families, and people we’ve never spoken to. Every moment billions of stories are unfolding—this is a glimpse into some of those things we may normally not notice. It’s important for us to both share and hear stories from the people we share our space with. I believe that when people are given the opportunity to have a voice we can explore the connections that make us human. Every day we visit work, school, cities and businesses. We sit next to one another on trains, on buses and in cars. We take care of our families and friends, and of ourselves. Every day, we choose what we expose to one another. I believe that it is our capacity for being human that is truly our great equalizer. For a moment, it doesn’t matter if you’re a business person, a student, a homeless person, a secretary, a teacher, a child, a doctor, a traveler, a mother or a father—we all share something common. We can be people and we can invite those around us in, and for a moment, we can share something real. Every person that you pass on the street has a story to share. We are all just waiting for the right time for someone else to listen.