Powerful words: "Because in that picture above I’m dead. And I’d rather be alive with the measly results you get because that’s what the human experience happens to contain. And when you know what you’re feeling because you’ve learned to notice, most of these “bad” emotions aren’t even that bad."
This is really sad news to hear, especially after having put 6+ years into building the photo-encyclopedia and community of storytellers. But there are still other great storytelling platforms out there to give a home for Fotopedia's orphaned stories! Exposure.so focuses on photo narratives Cowbird.com is a great place for personal stories (and is funded by their community), Storehouse is good for visual storytelling on the iPad, and also the visual storytelling platform Maptia (full disclosure I'm a co-founder) at http://maptia.com – our team is already working hard to get a special import feature ready for Fotopedia storytellers – please email us at saveourstories@maptia.com if you're interested in joining our community and would like to use our import feature to preserve your stories!
They say that high expectations make for poor travel companions, and visiting the world famous Wonders of the World, there will always be a fear that they will not live up to the hype—yet these stories were refreshingly devoid of cliches or tourist-induced cynicism.
What I loved most about the Wonders reading list (aside from the delightfully whimsy illustrations) was simply how diverse the perspectives from each World Heritage site were... it's funny how individual perceptions shape people's experience of places. Eg. if you're passionate about photography, archaeology, history or just trying to pick up 'that girl' at the Taj Mahal—it totally changes how you experience that place and therefore the story that you decide to tell afterwards.
This essay discusses:
- reasons to avoid 'emotional looping' - the vital importance of 'feeling the feels' - why making 'unemotional' decisions is impossible