Getting Started
The Key Questions Project has been progressing relatively smoothly so far, and perhaps unsurprisingly has been an exciting journey. It has not been without moments of minor frustration, such as the camera turning off after 10 minutes, realizing after the fact that a crowded restaurant is a terrible place to record a conversation, and finding out that my interviewee’s mic wasn’t turned on, also after the interview. These issues are all probably obvious mistakes that could be avoided with more care, but I’m not going to beat myself up about it, and I’m choosing to look at them as learning opportunities. Having no background or formal training with any of the equipment or best practices for shoestring media production, I’m going about this in a somewhat bumbling manner, but that adds to the excitement of the whole experience. I am trying to have a Beginner’s Mind, and allow the many possibilities to be salient as everything progresses.
I have interviewed eight people, and have learned a lot from each one. Not just from the content of their perspectives, but also about how to sit with someone and be a sounding board for their thoughts. Each interview has illuminated fascinating ideas that are different from how I view the world, and I’ve been continuously surprised by some of the ways my friends think. Aside from the first interview with a relative stranger (now friend), all of the interviews have been with people I know well. This has allowed me to incubate the project in a relatively comfortable environment, and test everything out with minimal pressure. Having the opportunity to start an entirely new undertaking with the support of those around me has been invaluable, and I’m grateful to all the folks who’ve participated. Thanks Robert, Ellie, Noah, Adrian, Pete, Mom, Dad, and Mikey!
Filled with excitement and some nervousness about where this whole thing will go, I’ll share some of my takeaways so far.
Before being interviewed, everyone has expressed some concern over how their answers will sound, and has shared their desire to produce a well crafted response. I’ve been trying to gently dissuade that notion, even though I empathize with it fully. What I really want is their true outlook, and how it sounds is tertiary to the raw content of their perspective.
Everyone has opened up to a surprising degree, and has started to speak from the heart once they overcome the initial awkwardness of the interview (myself included)!
I’ve noticed an impulse to lead others towards my own views, or to agree with theirs. The less I’ve done this, or inserted my own ideas, the more freely people seem to speak, and the better it feels.
Even in it’s infancy this project has been fulfilling, and the connection with others has been the most enjoyable part by far. Even if no one pays attention to this project, and whatever I publish is not impactful, I hope to always measure it’s value in the moments I get to share with awesome and fascinating people.