After lunch yesterday, a colleague asked me a simple question: “when are you going home?”
To which I answered, simply, “in a few hours, can’t stay too late today.”
Apparently, I misunderstood. My colleague was asking me about my impending trip to Toronto — my trip “home” — that I have planned later this week.
This small exchange got me thinking: when did my apartment in DC become “home” for me? What exactly makes a place “home” for anybody?
It’s no surprise that it took me quite some time to feel settled here after my move to Washington. For the first month to six weeks, nothing could feel less like home. I was constantly thinking of what — and who — I had left behind in Toronto, planning every minute of my next trip back north.
Today, things have changed. Now, when I think of home, I think of sitting in my leaf chair in my sunroom sipping citron oolong tea and reading the New Yorker. Something has changed, and I’m not quite sure what it is.
What makes your place feel like home? When did you feel like the place where you live right now was truly home?
I’m not sure what made me flip the switch here: it could be when I started having visitors over, or when bought that beautiful bronze photographer’s lamp to sit next to my leaf chair. It could be when I started referring to it as “my place” as opposed to “the apartment I’m renting.” It could be when the barista at Greenberry’s started recognizing me and calling me by a nickname. It could be when I bought my first set of daffodils and planted them in my mini-garden on my balcony.
Or, it could be, after all, when I realized that home wasn’t where my memories lived, but instead a place to make new and lasting memories.
I’m still not sure what made my little apartment in Arlington feel like home, but that’s what it is. As much as I miss Toronto, it has become the place “I used to live” but still love. I may move back there one day and find a little place in the Annex or near the Distillery District to live, but until that time, DC is home.
It is the place where I’m making new memories and experiencing new things and gathering new stories to tell.
We all grow up thinking of Albert Einstein as the smartest man in the world. As we get older — and this is particularly true for those of us that choose to pursue educations in the humanities and the social sciences — Einstein becomes just another one of those brilliant physicists in our textbooks.
It was only a few years ago that I discovered the real genius of Albert Einstein: not his contributions to science, but his contributions to the human conscience. Einstein was a Humanist that espoused Ethical Culture and embraced a type of agnosticism that saw God manifest in the “lawful harmony of the world.” Since discovering this side of Einstein, I have become enraptured by his every word on human morality, on love, and on the relationships between people and the world around them. I may not agree with his politics, but I am enthralled by his spirit.
Today, I want to thank Albert Einstein for being inspirational.
I strongly encourage you all to check out the full compendium of Albert Einstein’s not-directly-scientific writings: his articles, letters, and scribbles on pieces of paper that have been collected and curated. They have been, and continue to be, and inspiration to me.
Every Sunday for the next little while, I’ll be writing one or two paragraphs about people that inspire me as a kind of thank you for making me want to do and be better. Who inspires you?
Apologies for the lack of posts this week. It’s a bit hard to write blog posts when your home computer stops working. But no excuses. Enjoy this edition of The Weekender, and I’ll have more original content coming next week, promise.
Photos for the weekend.
Amber Ellis’s Be Mine set has always been one of my favorite sets on Flickr, full of beauty and love in all sorts of small and forgotten places. And lots of red and pink, which always makes me smile. The photo of the bike bell I’ve used above is one of my favorite photos of all time.
Why Apple doesn’t do “Concept Products”
This article isn’t just about Apple: it’s about the whole concept of creating things to be used, to be valued, to be shipped, instead of just creating for the sake of creating. There’s value in both, but I like the way this article frames its argument.
Picking Letters, 10 a Day, That Reach Obama
Mike Kelleher picks the letters that President Obama gets to read. While I think he has an fantastic and really remarkable job, I think there’s some value in letting Obama see some of the letters that don’t make it past Kelleher’s filter from time to time.
Is The iPhone The New Newspaper?
I do almost all my reading on my iPhone now (well, did: I just lost my iPhone this week) and applications like Instapaper make that process even easier. Future of the publishing industry? Quite possibly.
What Are Friends For? A Longer Life
It’s always nice when science validates your life ethos. I’ve always told myself that the only reason I am alive and thriving is because of the friends around me. Science agrees.
If you thought the video for the new iPhone app Birdhouse (above) was hilarious — and who didn’t? — this video documentary (below), Skyward, about the impact of Birdhouse is a positively brilliant follow-up.
Maria Pontikis says she spends a lot of time in her head, and for that, we should all be thankful. Because from her head comes a remarkable amount of insight, compassion, kindness, eloquence, and love that illuminates the lives of every single person she meets. She is a woman who encourages everyone to not only dream big, but helps them achieve those dreams with her support, encouragement, and smile.
Today, I want to thank Maria Pontikis for being inspirational.
There are very few people in the world that carry with them as much compassion, as much wisdom, and as much vision as Maria Pontikis. Her ability to conjure up the best in everyone and everything is unsurpassed, and serves as a model for all aspiring dreamers. Aspiring dreamers like me. I strongly encourage you all to check out Maria Pontikis’ wonderfully-articulate blog, and better yet, get to know her in person. She has been, and continues to be, and inspiration to me.
Every Sunday for the next little while, I’ll be writing one or two paragraphs about people that inspire me as a kind of thank you for making me want to do and be better. Who inspires you?
The sun is shining, the temperature is rising, and it’s going to be a wonderful weekend to spend some time outdoors. So why am I sending you all these links for the weekend? Do I want you to stare at your computer screen in your office?
No. Take this installment of The Weekender and put all the links on Instapaper on your iPhone and take it outside. Bask in the sun and enjoy some gems from around the web. Then, go play some frisbee. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Photos for the weekend.
Tina Roth Eisenberg decided to do a little experiment at the most recent Creative Morning in New York. Instead of creating name badges for everyone, she invited everyone to print out a “talk to me about” badge that would spur conversation. You can see a whole set of those badges on the Talk To Me About Flickr set.
Don’t know much about this photo project, but I do know that Simon Hoegsberg took some amazing photos as part of his Tower of Babel project in New York from 2003 and 2006.
Links for the weekend.
Why Do They Stay?
The issue of domestic abuse is one that is near and dear to my heart. This post takes a look at why abused women so often stay with the men that cause them harm. Heartbreaking and insightful at the same time.
50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice
I have a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style on my desk — as most writers do — but I have grown wary of those that tend to use it as a defining scripture for grammar. Here’s an excellent article that shows I’m not the only one with such concerns.
Tweenbots
Kacie Kinzer became my hero this week by creating a project that blended adorable robots and the inherent goodness of humanity. Watch the video, read the text, and smile.
The new post-college prestige job is retail
I may not always agree with her perspective, but I love the way Penelope Trunk thinks about things in a really insightful way. I love what she’s saying here the obsolescence of grad school and the importance of camaraderie in the work place.
Twitter is Done. Tumblr is Next.
I’ve been an avid fan and user of both services for years, and I don’t quite agree that one is replacing the other. I do agree, however, that Tumblr is a much more robust platform when it comes to giving context to content.
Videos for the weekend.
Earlier this week, Matt Haughey shared this wonderful video of the cherry blossoms accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack of You and Me by Kristy London & The Other Halves. Beautiful visuals, beautiful song.
In an effort to be transparent about my progress and be held publicly accountable for my commitments, I’m sharing a few snippets of that self-evaluation here.
A commitment to smiles.
My first commitment for the year was to continue to strive to make at least one person smile every day. I feel as though I’ve been largely successful on that front: I may not have succeeded in making one person smile every day, but I surely have tried.
This exercise, however, has brought some perspective. I’ve often been accused of trying too hard, putting too much on the line for the sake of arousing some kind of emotional response. This has often backfired. I am now slowly being more cognizant of the impact that my actions are having on others — that while everyone may need a reason to smile, not everyone wants you to be that reason. It’s a humbling proposition, but one that will definitely help me pursue this commitment into the next quarter of the year.
A commitment to learning.
My second commitment for the year was to embrace change and learn from new experiences and encounters. I have had no shortage of change and new experiences this year: moving to a new city, new job, and essentially a new style of living seem like small changes in light of the other new encounters and experiences I have had in the past three months.
Learning from change, however, is not an easy task. There are times when new experiences shake the very core of your moral framework, of your ethos. Sometimes, the best way to grasp the learning that comes from this change is to step back and give yourself time to digest. While I feel like I have taken some good steps in embracing change and using it as a learning tool, I know I have a long way to go on this front.
A commitment to confidence.
My third commitment for the year was to approach any opportunity with positivity, courage, and resolve. I’ve always been one to keep a relatively positive demeanor, but I’ll be honest: I’m not always the most confident guy when it comes to certain matters in life. This year so far, my courage and resolve really haven’t been any better than they have been in the past — perhaps even worse.
I’ve got a lot of work to do on the confidence side, but I’m doing well on staying positive. What I have learned, however, is that in order to really, truly feel positive, you need to embrace negativity as well. Not every day will be a perfect day, not every encounter will be a productive one, and not every relationship will be a fruitful one. You’ve got to let yourself be sad, upset, or angry from time to time to be able to step back after a while and look at the goodness in the larger situation.
A commitment to creativity.
My final commitment for the year was to push myself to create things that provide value to the world around me. This was also the impetus for choosing “create” as my guiding word for the year. You may not know this, but I’ve been on a creating frenzy over the past three months. I’ve been writing, crafting, making, editing, splicing, mashing things up on a daily basis. I’ve taken my guiding word and made it an obsession.
The question, however, is this: am I creating value? Many of the things I do never get seen by anyone but me. The cross-stitching experiment? Hidden away in a closet. The birdfeeder I built? Now in the trash. The many stories I’ve written on scraps of paper? Lost. Somewhere. How is this creating value to the world around me? Even the things I share don’t necessarily have value — does anyone really care about my stories of silly encounters in the rain? Probably not. I’ve been creating, but I have not necessarily been creating value.
This is where I need your help. What can I create — within my limited talent and capacity, of course — that would provide value to you? Drop me an email or Twitter reply or leave a comment and let me know. Better yet, tell me in person so I can truly understand how I can make your world a better place.
That is, after all, where the impetus to create comes from: to leave the world a better place before I leave. I’d love your help in making that possible.
Ira Glass is the reason I changed the name of my website from Eloquation to I Tell Stories. He’s the reason I am enraptured with narratives of the human experience, the reason I believe that telling stories is the best way to change the world. Ira Glass took my interest in the art of the raconteur (first fueled by Studs Terkel) and turned it into a full-flung obsession.
Today, I want to thank Ira Glass for being inspirational.
There are very few people in the world that can tell a story with such clarity, such emotion, and such vibrancy as Ira Glass. His knack for narrative is unsurpassed, and serves as a model for all aspiring storytellers. Aspiring storytellers like me. I strongly encourage you all to check out the great series of videos that feature Ira Glass talking about storytelling. They have been, and continue to be, and inspiration to me.
Every Sunday for the next little while, I’ll be writing one or two paragraphs about people that inspire me — as a kind of thank you for making me want to do and be better. Who inspires you?
Yes folks, The Weekender is back, and once again, it has changed formats. Why? Because I can.
For the foreseeable future, my weekend link roundup will feature no more than 4-5 links (with some commentary), a Flickr set you all have to check out, and one or two videos that caught my eye. Mixing it up a little. Here goes.
Photos for the weekend.
This wonderful stream by On the set features miniature models of the sets of classic television shows like Three’s Company, The Price is Right, and Golden Girls.
Links for the weekend.
The Cool Presidency
There’s a lot of good things to say about the new President of the United States of America — one of them is that he’s the epitome of cool. It’s great to know, however, that his coolness is cultivated and not innate. Gives us all hope that we can eventually grow to be who we want to be, no matter who we are now.
The Art of Manliness Guide to Scotch Whisky
Manly-men drink scotch. If you’re looking to become a manly-man, read this great overview about the history, geography, and distinctness of this manly drink. Man up.
The Art of the Tweet
Twitter might be everyone’s favorite plaything on the web, but there’s an art to what makes a good, effective, and useful tweet. This article is a good overview of how to post original content that’s engaging, and retweets and replies that provide context. Must read for all Twitterers.
How the Web Made Me a Better Copywriter
Luckily, I started my storytelling career in age of the internet, but I have to admit that a lot of the changes mentioned here also apply to the way my storytelling techniques have changed with the advent of ubiquitous connectivity. I particularly like her remarks about em-dashes, my favorite punctuation mark that is often ignored but so useful.
Videos for the weekend.
Signs is one of my new favorite short films. Funny, sad, heartfelt, and cute at the same time. Well worth the ten minutes.
I feel it is time to write a quick post in defense of my craft.
There are some professions that draw ire and vitriol from everyone: car salesman, politicians, lawyers, insurance salesman. I would add “social media professional” to that list as well.
I have seen innumerable tweets, blog posts, and videos that all decry the so-called “social media expert” or anyone working in social media as hacks who know nothing about their craft and are trying to brand themselves as being professionals in a domain which they do not really understand. Much of the objection and hatred is pointed at the fact that several people who brand themselves as social media professionals do not have any formal training in social media, do not really engage in social media for any reason other than building their brand, and, most importantly, do not actually work in social media as their primary profession.
I, Sameer Vasta, am a social media professional.
I realize that this is not a popular thing to say. I realize that social media professionals are just as loathed as PR professionals in some circles. I also realize, however, that painting everyone that makes their living around propogating the use and adoption of collaborative web technologies as useless hacks because of the actions of a few is ignorant and baseless.
Like me, most people working with social media love their craft and feel like they add value to what they do, beyond all the hype. I can’t speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself.
First, my primary profession involves, and has involved for some time, advising organizations how to adopt new and emerging web technologies in order to make their work easier, more effective, more productive, more transparent, and more collaborative. This is not social media marketing (and the fact that social media has now become almost synonymous with marketing makes me shudder) and it is definitely not social media posturing. It involves the study of organizational structure, organizational culture, and patterns of human communication. It involves extensive audits of current communications channels, alignment with organizational mandates and visions, monitoring of measurable outcomes and indicators, and research on web tools and techniques that fit into corporate culture.
This is not a case of telling my clients to start a blog or tell them to start Twittering. In fact, most often, it is telling them why devoting resources to creating and maintaining a Facebook fan page may not be the best idea; that pushing your news feed to Twitter but failing to engage in a human way may be more of a reputational risk than not having a Twitter account. It is about creating strategies for listening and engagement, and about empowering individuals in organizations to see the value in conversation online.
Second, my educational background has, and continues to, guide my work. When I was in school, studying online engagement wasn’t an option. Instead, I studied social and cultural anthropology, with a research focus on the intersection between technology, community, and popular culture. I went on to pursue a graduate certificate in corporate communications (granted, I didn’t finish that certificate and opted to enter the workforce) and subsequently spent time working in user experience, interaction design, copywriting, and community building.
Those things aside, I think the biggest problem most people on the web have with social media professionals is that there seems to be a lot of talk — people using tools to build their personal brands as social media “experts” (the use of that term makes me shudder) — and very little action. For those of you that have that concern, I’d recommend you look away from the people talking about social media online and look at the people doing great things using new forms of communication and collaboration.
Maybe writing this post makes me a new media douchebag. Maybe the fact that I’m talking about social media on this site (something I rarely do because it is not my primary objective here) makes me one of those people that postures instead of acts and that everyone hates.
That’s a risk I’m taking. Somebody needs to speak up and defend those of us that really care about new forms of communication, really care about helping organizations listen and engage with their stakeholders.
My accountant once told me that he sometimes pretends he’s an architect when he meets new people, because so many people hate accountants. I don’t want to have to pretend I’m an architect when I meet people just because a few bad seeds are soiling the reputation of my entire profession.
Last week, I met a man on the subway who had the biggest smile on his face. Huge. Bigger than mine.
I was curious. Most people on the DC Metro are expressionless if not scowly; a man with an obvious and inviting smile stands out like a plaid jacket in a church choir. I had to ask him why he was so happy.
“Because I’ve just had a more productive day than anyone on this train.”
I was skeptical. From a personal standpoint, I had just had one of my most productive days since coming to DC: I had completed a report, I had run a workshop, I had even had time to go to the gym, eat a hearty breakfast, and pack a lunch before leaving for work. How could this man be sure that his day was the most productive?
He went on to explain.
“This morning, I told my wife I loved her and she smiled. I gave my daughter a hug before going to school and she smiled. I told a colleague that I appreciated his work and he smiled. I bought coffee for a police officer and he smiled. I told my manager that she was the best supervisor I had ever had and she smiled. I helped a woman with a newborn get her stroller down the stairs and she smiled. And now, I’m telling you all of this and you’re smiling.”
I was. He went on.
“My direct actions made several people smile today. And hopefully, they’ll go on to make other people smile because of that. I’d call that a pretty productive day.”
I guess it all depends on how you define success.
He was right. My report? My run on the treadmill? Sure, they were good successes, but they didn’t directly impact anyone but myself.
Today, I’m going to be more productive — going to help more people smile. Hopefully, starting with this post.
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