Try looking at these photos before writing copy

“Sonder” is the sudden realization that you’re not alone.

And that we’re all the same.

Sonder is the realization that every person you know feels the same joy, worry, excitement, anger, pride, confusion, confidence and self-doubt you feel. (And so do the people you don’t know: strangers on a bus; strangers in an elevator.)

Sometimes we forget that we’re not alone, that we’re all going through the human condition together.

Most times actually.

That’s why Sonder is a profound sensation.

(Feeling it means you’re full of empathy, which is, of course, a good thing. If you cannot feel empathy, being a good person is hard. And being an effective marketer is impossible.)

It’s also a fleeting, ephemeral sensation. It’s there and then it's gone.

And that makes me wonder:

Can Sonder be induced?

That is, can you FORCE yourself to see the world through a more empathetic lens, one that will help you create better, more compelling work?

I think so…

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Street photography

The best street photography shows us the peculiarity of life, the inconsistency of life, the absurdity of humanity, the ugliness of human beings, the tenderness of human beings, the likeness of human beings.

That’s why browsing street photos is a good prequel to writing copy. (Think of it as an emotional warmup.)

And some of the best street photos ever created were taken by these 3 people:

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Vivian Maier

Maier photographed Chicagoans:

More here.

Robert Doisneau

Doisneau photographed Parisians:

More here.

Garry Winogrand

Winogrand photographed New Yorkers:

More here.

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Did you look? I mean really look?

And do you feel less alone now?

I do. If only for a moment, I do.

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LEARN TO PERSUADE

WRITE BETTER.
MARKET BETTER.
SELL MORE.

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Judge not lest ye be judged.