You all may have noticed that I haven't posted in a while, and that is because I'm currently wrapping up my thesis, so my focus has been elsewhere. However, I did want to take the chance to reflect upon my experience with "In Transit." So, if you’ve ever wondered what it is like to approach strangers and ask them for their story, I encourage you to read on.
Leading up to the start of this blog, I spent months studying different types of journalism. I explored how blogs play a part in the journalistic world today, and I gathered advice from bloggers working on similar projects.
The top advice I gathered from other bloggers like me was to not be nervous and not to be afraid of rejection; easier said than done. I’m inherently concerned about what people think of me. And despite knowing that rejection would be inevitable and that I shouldn’t take it personally, I couldn’t help feeling like it would somehow be a personal blow. I didn’t want to be thought of as that creep in the airport who asked people for their life stories.
I remember considering the work of blogs like Humans of New York and thinking that I would never be able to get people to open up to me the way they do on more popular blogs. What had I gotten myself into? As someone who likes to be in control, I wondered why I chose a thesis project that relied so heavily on others. What if no one was willing to speak to me? I voiced these concerns along with many others over and over during my weekly thesis meetings until it became evident I could put it off no longer. I had to act.
As someone who also does not like failure, I was compelled to complete what I had set out to do. I had committed myself to it when I asked to do a creative thesis and promised that I was capable of making it happen. And I was; I just wanted to put it off for as long as possible. When you have something that you have put so much thought and time into, it is natural to fear that it will fail. Before even beginning my blog, I poured over it, focusing my thoughts and time on it. And on that first day that I went to the airport, I remember thinking that there was no way I could leave without talking to anyone, so I did. That is when “In Transit” officially began.
I was shocked by the response I received. I had expected that I would have to make it through a few rejections before finally making it to a yes, but the first person I asked said yes… and the person after that…and the person after that. It almost always seemed that people would look at me, a little wary at first, before eventually agreeing to let me interview them. In fact, I didn’t receive a single rejection during three different airport visits. So while I may never have truly overcome my fear of rejection during this project, I did realize there are a lot of people who are willing to participate.
While interviewing for In Transit, I found that people like to talk about themselves, not out of narcissism but out of a basic desire for human connection. I’ve noticed that too often we will retreat to our phones when we have nothing else to do. I am guilty of it as well. We use our devices to put up a barrier between ourselves and the rest of the world. It somehow makes us feel less vulnerable. We can always put up the guise of being too busy to talk.
By approaching people and asking to talk, I was breaking down this barrier. I think people enjoyed that I showed a genuine interest in their lives. And since I chose to interview people who were waiting, I think they also enjoyed having someone to talk to as they wasted time. Initially, I thought time would be the major constraint of my interviews. I imagined that people wouldn’t be waiting long if they had arrived to pick someone up. However, my interviews tended to last around 15 minutes a piece.
I found that my process for interviewing was in no way concrete. Though I had a list of potential questions, I never asked the same set of questions twice. I would normally start with general questions: “What is your name?” and “Who are you waiting on?” From there, each interview took on a life of its own. I asked questions based on the bits of information they gave me in hopes that they would elicit a story. Most of my “interviews” wound up more like conversations that I would take notes on. It was a give and take. I didn’t feel it was fair to only ask about them without disclosing anything about myself, so I would tell each person about myself as well. Sharing information about myself was an important part of the process because it helped the conversation flow and helped encourage my subjects to open up.
As I did more interviews, I never completely conquered the fear of approaching people either. I’m sure that readers can see this as they read through the blog. I chose to include my hesitance in each of my posts because I felt that it was important part of the experience. Each time I decided to suck it up and ask someone for an interview, I was pleasantly surprised. I think it goes to show that stepping out of your comfort zone can be a great thing.
After having done several interviews, I agree with bloggers like Brandon Stanton who insist demeanor plays a huge part in approaching strangers. Though I was nervous each time I introduced myself, I don’t think I appeared that way (at least I hope not). Had I been nervous, I think that it would have made the people I approached nervous as well, which would have been unfortunate given the airport locations.
I gained so much through interview process, but I also think I grew as a writer and journalist while working on this blog. Since the blog is my own publication, I’ve been able to exercise creative license while writing each story. Unlike with most newspaper journalism, I felt that I was able to add depth to each story by inserting myself and my reactions into the text. I found my interaction with each person to be just as important as the stories that were told. Had I tried to remove myself from the posts, I know that I would have lost several of the personality traits of each person.
In all honesty, I think I needed the motivation of thesis to propel me to leave my comfort zone and start this blog. The reactions I have received from readers have been positive, and that is always a great feeling. I learned a lot about myself and about the process of interviewing. I think I can use the experiences I’ve gained working on In Transit in a future journalism career. I can now say with confidence that I can interview anybody.
Although I have completed the thesis requirements for this blog, I hope that it is something I can continue contributing to in the future. I’m confident that this blog has potential, and I know that I have room to grow. If "In Transit" has proved anything to me, it is that everyone does have a story, but sometimes it takes a little bit of prodding to uncover it. I hope that journalism that focuses on everyday people is a trend that continues to grow in journalism. To me, these people are the light hidden amongst the pain and sadness found in most news today.