CHANGE, NYC 2009
I enjoyed having a license to walk up to total strangers and having a chat and that's what I LOVE about this city! They don't know your past or future, they only know you right now and what you are at that very moment and you can have a new best friend for 10 minutes and then you go about your way.
Intuition guided me as to whom to talk to.
58th & 8th Manhattan
This is Brad, or as they call him "Gesus" (He spells it with a "G")
Gesus believes in all religions.
He sat outside of the shop I bought the notebook for this project. I dropped CHANGE in his hand, walked on by, and then stopped.... seemed like a good opener.
It took me a while to get an answer out of him, it seemed to be overwhelming to him to put it into words. I asked if change meant food for him and then he was able to give me a quote.
"I'd like to see this freakin' country CHANGE and the people in it. I'm not gonna CHANGE what I'm doing, it's what creates the CHANGES that have been happening."
I like the dead leaf just to the right, Fall=CHANGE, and the business man's suit that sets off the edge of his hair, and the Nuts 4 Nuts sign to the left. They all seem to pull together where he is seen in the social aspect of the city.
Central Park
Damion with PK and Leo (below)
Damion told me that he had just read something on the subject just 20 minutes before meeting me in "The 5th Mountain" by Paulo Cohelo
Cohelo was speaking on tragedy and how it affords us to rebuild afterwards. We have a choice to face it and become better for it or run from it and let the situation worsen. At some point in life we must choose to move beyond.
"I think CHANGE is beautiful. It's the task of humanity to adapt continually as CHANGE presents itself."
Central Park
Egla & Anna
Egla from Poland is 17 and her best friend Anna is from Lithuania and is 20. They first say they are from Brooklyn but the accents give them away. They met in high school and have been the best of friends since.
Anna: "When CHANGE comes we survive it together. We are survivors."
Egla: "Just go with the FLOW!"
Central Park
Joe
69 years old originally from Boston
Joe said he doesn't like photos so I caught him on the way out. As a retired banker Joe volunteers his time at Central Park and helps people with directions and information.
"You should reflect upon the situation and make a plan. Life CHANGES so dramatically. Keep optimism and see the long term plan."
We chatted for quite a while. He said no matter how old he gets he'll look at himself 10 years ago and wonder why in the world he did some of the things he did.
The N Train going Uptown from Astonia, Queens
Vesna, 23 from Serbia
Vesna at first was reluctant because she was still in her work clothes. I told her I understood, everyone feels like that when still in work clothes. Vesna moved to NYC the last time CHANGE came into her life.
"I'm usually scared of CHANGE at first. I like life to be everyday routine. After a while (when CHANGE needs to happen) I get so frustrated that I will take any kind of CHANGE just to get out of the situation."
