the beauty of different, redux: the blad (a sneak preview)

Cover.  There are going to be some changes in the text throughout the book, and maybe even an image or two, and, if I'm honest, the whole thing is still in need of some serious editing, but these images should give you a feel of how it's going to look.

As promised, some images of the blad!

Table of contents.

As I mentioned before, the book is going to be equally weighted in words and images.  The idea behind the book is to illustrate how all those little quirks that make us different -- the way we think, the way we look, the way we dress, the way we pray -- are actually the sources of our beauty.  When I was formulating the idea, I decided that I wanted to write a book that would be something that someone would want to take in their carry-on luggage on a 4-hour flight, and by the time the plane touched down, the reader will have just finished the book, and two things will have happened:

a) upon finishing the book, s/he'll start to think that maybe that aspect of her(him)self that s/he always thought was quirky, or odd, or just plain weird, when used for good might actually be his/her superpower; and

b) s/he'll know exactly which friend of hers/his really needs to receive a copy of the book, in order to help them see what an amazing person that friend is.

I continue to think the concept of the book is a good idea.  I just hope I can do it justice.

The foreword.

The best way to tell you about the book, I think, is just to share what's on the back cover of the blad:

"In a society where we are constantly bombarded with messages on how to think, how to feel, how to look, it can be very easy to fall into the mindset that we are not enough; that we somehow fail as individuals. The truth is that those aspects of ourselves that make us individuals are actually the source of our own beauty. The Beauty of Different is a chronicle containing beautiful imagery and portraiture which both provoke and tell stories. The photography is combined with written observations and essays on how which we find people who display individuality and uniqueness intriguing, even as we all collectively strive to be more like these individuals every day, instead of focusing on our own inherent beauty. Divided into chapters based on the many ways individuality or uniqueness can manifest itself, the book includes commentary and both written and visual portraits of individuals who embody the major characteristics described in each chapter. These are ordinary people who are really actually extraordinary -- and therefore, immensely beautiful as a result.

"This book is designed to both connect and inspire, and encourage the reader to reconsider those attributes that make them unique, and reframe them as characteristics of distinction -- maybe even superpowers."

The back cover.

Anyway, this weekend in Chicago, I managed to interview a couple of additional folks who will be featured in the book, and so this week, I'm planning on working on two more chapters.  The process of writing is pretty intense (and I'm starting to really see the value of a stellar editor), but while I'm working harder than I ever have before, I'm also loving it more than any work I've done before.  So I'm figuring that's a good sign.

I'll continue to share outtakes from the book, if that continues to interest you.  And, of course, I'll continue to share progress as I go along.

Song:  Different people by No Doubt