In college I decided to draw every student in my dorm. It was a huge project, but it sent me in a direction I couldn’t have predicted. I met so many surprising people. So many talented people. And I formed so many great memories. My dorm, the “I House” at UC Berkeley, had six-hundred students from eighty countries. I was lucky to have lived there. But not everyone can.
I meet a lot of people through drawing. Some of them don’t leave a mark in my mind. Others, I think about years later. It could be a ten minute encounter, but it can make a permanent memory for me. Drawing portraits with both hands has been a big factor in the way I meet new people. I sometimes use it as a crutch—when at a party where I don’t know anyone; when I’m depressed and want someone to talk to; when I need a small favor—but I’ve had so many conversations and connections because of it.
I’ve been meaning to get around to writing about a few of these encounters on my website. I just started a new job, so they won’t come out too frequently. I plan to write a few per month. I usually don’t remember the names of the people I meet through drawing, so everyone I write about is anonymous. That’s a good thing, because not everyone can live in an incredible dorm. Not everyone can live at the International House. But I want everyone reading to understand that decent, nice, even awesome people live everywhere around you. That you can’t tell them apart by their eyebrows or hairstyle. They don’t have a dress code. They don’t look unique. They look just like you and me. And they may be sitting right next to you on your morning commute.
I called my first portrait series The People You Meet at I House. But I’m leaving this one open ended. I don’t plan to ever be finished with this series. I’m at 4,628 portraits and counting. So I hope you enjoy reading a few stories of The People You Meet...
I meet a lot of people through drawing. Some of them don’t leave a mark in my mind. Others, I think about years later. It could be a ten minute encounter, but it can make a permanent memory for me. Drawing portraits with both hands has been a big factor in the way I meet new people. I sometimes use it as a crutch—when at a party where I don’t know anyone; when I’m depressed and want someone to talk to; when I need a small favor—but I’ve had so many conversations and connections because of it.
I’ve been meaning to get around to writing about a few of these encounters on my website. I just started a new job, so they won’t come out too frequently. I plan to write a few per month. I usually don’t remember the names of the people I meet through drawing, so everyone I write about is anonymous. That’s a good thing, because not everyone can live in an incredible dorm. Not everyone can live at the International House. But I want everyone reading to understand that decent, nice, even awesome people live everywhere around you. That you can’t tell them apart by their eyebrows or hairstyle. They don’t have a dress code. They don’t look unique. They look just like you and me. And they may be sitting right next to you on your morning commute.
I called my first portrait series The People You Meet at I House. But I’m leaving this one open ended. I don’t plan to ever be finished with this series. I’m at 4,628 portraits and counting. So I hope you enjoy reading a few stories of The People You Meet...
RSS Feed