150 NAMES IS A SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUNG PROFESSIONALS WHO'VE BUILT CAREERS AROUND THE THINGS THEY GENUINELY LOVE. I SIT DOWN WITH EACH PERSON, WE TALK FOR 30–45 MINUTES, AND I TURN THAT CONVERSATION INTO A STORY: THEIR PATH, THEIR CONVICTION, THE MOMENT THEY DECIDED TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY. IT'S PUBLISHED AS A GROWING ONLINE ARCHIVE. ONE NAME AT A TIME, UP TO 150.

150 COMES FROM DUNBAR'S NUMBER. IT EMBODIES THE IDEA THAT WE CAN ONLY REALLY MAINTAIN A LIMITED NUMBER OF MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS. IT'S NOT HARD SCIENCE, BUT IT'S A USEFUL REMINDER: REAL CONNECTION DOESN'T SCALE INFINITELY. "NAMES" IS THERE ON PURPOSE TOO BECAUSE A NAME IS PERSONAL, SPECIFIC, HUMAN, IN A WAY A NUMBER ALONE NEVER IS. PUT TOGETHER, 150 NAMES IS MEANT TO BE A DELIBERATELY BOUNDED, HUMAN-SIZED COLLECTION.

I GET WHY IT SOUNDS OFF AT FIRST. TODAY, "AMATEUR" USUALLY MEANS UNSKILLED OR UNSERIOUS. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT IT ORIGINALLY MEANT. IT COMES FROM THE LATIN AMĀRE: "TO LOVE." AN AMATEUR WAS SIMPLY SOMEONE WHO DID SOMETHING FOR THE LOVE OF IT, NOT FOR CREDENTIALS OR STATUS. THAT'S THE MEANING I'M RECLAIMING HERE. EVERY PERSON IN THIS PROJECT IS, IN THE TRUEST SENSE, AN AMATEUR. SOMEONE WHO CHOSE THEIR PATH BECAUSE THEY LOVED IT, NOT BECAUSE IT WAS THE SAFE OR EXPECTED.

HONESTLY, IT STARTED WITH A SINGLE CONVERSATION: A STRANGER, A ROOFTOP, A QUESTION ABOUT WHY WE DON'T PURSUE THE THINGS WE LOVE MORE OFTEN. I DIDN'T HAVE A GOOD ANSWER AT THE TIME, SO I WROTE ONE DOWN, AND THAT TURNED INTO A MANIFESTO. THEN I STARTED MEETING THE EXACT KIND OF PEOPLE I'D WRITTEN ABOUT: GENUINELY ENTHUSIASTIC, DOING MEANINGFUL WORK ON THEIR OWN TERMS. I WANTED TO GIVE THEM A PLATFORM. I'M ALSO, ADMITTEDLY, STILL FIGURING OUT MY OWN PATH ALONGSIDE THEM. THIS PROJECT IS AS MUCH ME LEARNING FROM THESE CONVERSATIONS AS IT IS ME SHARING THEM.

NEITHER, REALLY. AT LEAST NOT NOW. RIGHT NOW IT'S A PERSONAL PROJECT. I'M NOT BACKED BY ANY COMPANY, I DON'T HAVE A TEAM, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE A MEDIA OUTLET IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE. IT'S ONE PERSON HAVING REAL CONVERSATIONS AND TELLING REAL STORIES, AS CAREFULLY AS I CAN.

I THOUGHT ABOUT IT. BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT READING THAT A PODCAST DOESN'T ASK OF YOU. WHEN YOU READ, YOU'RE ACTUALLY PRESENT WITH IT, NOT HALF-LISTENING WHILE YOU'RE DOING THREE OTHER THINGS. PODCASTS ARE OFTEN BACKGROUND NOISE. THAT'S FINE, BUT IT'S NOT WHAT I WANT FOR THESE STORIES. I WANT SOMEONE TO ACTUALLY SIT WITH A PERSON'S PATH FOR A FEW MINUTES, NOT HAVE IT PLAYING WHILE THEY'RE ON THE TRAIN SCROLLING SOMETHING ELSE. WRITING ASKS FOR A KIND OF ATTENTION THAT FEELS RIGHT FOR STORIES ABOUT CONVICTION AND CARE.