an attempt to elevate place-based narratives in communities that are under-represented and misunderstood

In early 2019, I packed my life into my grandma’s old Toyota Corolla and set out on a four month middle-American road trip to figure out why [here] matters in communities that were a bit off the beaten path. In each community, I had a local contact, whether it was a couple of travel friends, extended family members, or, you know, just someone I had met off of Instagram, who was set to host me. The endeavor was self-funded, supported by a few thousand dollars that my mom had gifted me from my late, working-class step-dad’s life insurance policy - he had spent his entire life weaving community as a USPS Letter Carrier in his hometown. As a result, I carried only about $60 worth of recording equipment and a Google Pixel 3 with me to capture it all.

Truthfully, I had no idea how the project would turn out. I framed it as a pilot and set out with a clear, virtue-driven intention to engage, capture and elevate the narratives of people who lived in and committed themselves to their communities. The trip resulted in a couple developed disposable cameras, a fledgling blog, an Instagram handle, 82 interviews (that spent the rest of 2019 and the pandemic gathering digital dust in my Google Drive), and a plethora of relationships, memories and moments that entirely shifted and reinforced my worldview.

What follows is an attempt to begin sharing those 82 perspectives with anyone who has made it here to witness and learn from them. This is why [here] - here being anywhere that people gather to develop collective belonging towards shared purpose and outcomes - matters.

Take the unassuming and seemingly unused yellow manufacturing building in the picture above, for example. I originally set up and snagged this photo because I like how it played on the brand colors I was using for this project, but I later found out that it had been repurposed as a vital warming center for the community’s unhoused population. why [here] matters is about more than meets the eye; it’s much more broader, deeper and important than that.