Sonder
QUOTE
Ian Maclaren once said…
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
(Scottish author and minister)
CONCEPT
Sonder
Sonder is the sudden realization that every passer‑by is living a life as rich, messy, and meaningful as your own.
The concept reframes strangers from background extras into protagonists of stories you’ll never fully know.
This awareness breeds humility (“my problems aren’t the only problems”) and curiosity (“what might *their* day be like?”), nudging us toward empathy in traffic jams, board‑rooms, and comment sections alike.
STORY
The Storied Canvas … of Humanity?
On a sticky July afternoon in 2010, a 26‑year‑old ex‑bond trader named Brandon Stanton hoisted a borrowed Canon onto his shoulder and began counting strangers in Times Square.
Two weeks earlier, he’d been fired from his job, using his severance to chase a half‑formed idea: photograph 10,000 random New Yorkers and pin the portraits on a city map.
At first the images felt empty. Faces without context blurred into the crowd. So Stanton tried something different.
He asked a construction worker what he was proud of. “Keeping my sons out of Rikers,” the man said, eyes wet. Stanton posted the picture with that single quote.
The likes doubled overnight.
By the end of the month he was coaxing stories from chess hustlers, heiresses, nannies, and more—typing their words on the subway ride home.
Today, his feed reaches over 12 million followers, and its portraits have raised more than $20 million for a host of causes.
Stanton has photographed over 10,000 people in 40 countries, yet the magic remains the same: one person, one confession.
Every life, a story worth telling.