272 - Alex Jones - A Digital Storyteller Connects With Strangers to Find the Soul of Humanity
“The most beautiful time is when there's this wonderful pause of silence and you can feel this golden energy just emanating off them and circling all around us. And that's their truth. That's their truth of that moment.” - Alex Jones
Disclaimer: No! Anne’s conversation isn’t with that Alex Jones. Instead, it’s with Alex Jones, the creator of Humans of Brighton And Hove, an Instagram account featuring candid street photos and stories of folks in the UK’s eclectic, beloved seaside village. While Alex’s photos are stunning, the captions create a broader community of compassion. They’re real, raw glimpses into the subject’s world. And they reveal how kindred humans are despite the manufactured divisions of race, religion, or economic status.
It’s no coincidence that this episode flows like the chapters of a good book. Alex is a storyteller, after all, an interviewer and documentary photographer dedicated to capturing the depth of human experiences through intimate conversations with strangers. His work is driven by a profound desire to bring people closer together through the transformative power of storytelling. “one of the main reasons I started Human Of Brighton And Hove was to put focus on the homelessness situation,” says Alex. “I'm like, well, these people are just completely forgotten on the street, and I wanted to bring attention to that. Then it just mushroomed into everybody.”
There’s more to the account’s origins story, of course. “I've always felt different, and that's been part of also why I've created Humans Of Brighton And Hove because I want people to celebrate that difference,” says Alex, who suffers from severe anxiety. The account gave him a reason to leave the house; the connections, even if fleeting, kept him coming back for more. Asking strangers if they had a moment to chat also refined Alex’s listening ability. “I create a space for them [to] just be themselves.”
Humans Of Brighton And Hove does a quiet, compelling job of celebrating diversity and adversity on both sides of the camera. “Every single day that I go out, I have this resistance, not because I don't wanna speak to people, but because this resistance is working on me,” admits Alex. “Instead of pushing through, I just let go. And I see the person before me, and beneath [their body], I see a soul. There's a soul there, and it's that soul that I want to connect with.”
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
GUEST CONTACT & BIO
Alex Jones is a storyteller, interviewer, and documentary photographer dedicated to capturing the depth of human experiences through intimate conversations with strangers. His work is driven by a profound desire to bring people closer together through the transformative power of storytelling.
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