Colin Easton is becoming less and less of a stranger to those around him and that's exactly what he wants, not only for himself, but for everyone.
On Jan. 1, Easton started a 365-day project, in which he approaches a random stranger and finds out who they are and what their broad life story is.
Last week, the Vancouver resident brought the Stranger Project to Richmond, a place where the 51 yearold grew up for part of his childhood. "I've always been fascinated with what other people's stories are," said Easton, who works in retail technology.
"Before I approach, you're thinking about your own things - and we all have our head full of stories, our own world. I'm just thinking, what if we stopped and connected? What would we find out about one another? What do we have in common? If we were at a party would we find a connection? And so far the answer has been, yes."
For close to a month, Easton has posted his daily adventures on Facebook and is approaching 2,000 followers. He said he's not trying to gain notoriety, but simply wants people to consider one another as human beings in this fast-paced world.
On his Facebook page he posts a photo of his new connection and writes a brief biography of the person. Oddly enough, more recently he happened to meet an estranged halfsister of his niece - the daughter of his estranged brother.
Easton said he could have been subconsciously inspired by the Humans of New York project, but the Stranger Project is not his first 365-day project; a few years ago he took
a photo every day and wrote about it online.
For this latest project, Easton has a few rules: he only meets one stranger each day; the stranger must agree to have a picture taken; he doesn't meet anyone in his own neighbourhood; he tries to meet the first stranger he sees; and he never approaches anyone from behind or on a quiet side street.
Also, Easton must be the person to approach the stranger. As his Facebook page becomes more popular and more media bring attention to the project, he suspects people will want to be part of what he's doing - as was the case a week ago when CityTV interviewed him.
"If someone comes to me willing to speak, that's not the essence of the project. The essence is to see if I can get someone to tell me their story through making a human connection," said Easton.
Easton says his small stature and background as a former radio host in Victoria makes him a bit more approachable to strangers.
He also has the gift of the gab, perhaps from time spent studying social science and communications at a university in Scotland.
"If you dig deep enough, people give you something that is interesting. ...I'm naturally a storyteller, I know how to get a hook in," quipped Easton.
He noted that if he senses someone feels uncomfortable in any way, he thanks them for their time and moves on.
"I don't want anyone to feel obligated," said Easton.
That said, most of Easton's documented strangers are the first or second people he approaches - typically on his way to and from work or during his weekend chores and activities. That included Vancouver resident Lu Qiao, 24, a medical student at the University of B.C. Easton caught Qiao walking and texting at Richmond Centre mall. He introduced himself as a photographer and explained what the Stranger Project was and whether or not Qiao would take a moment to speak with him.
Qiao obliged and became Easton's 26th "stranger."
"At first I thought it was a bit odd, but I've seen things like this before and find them interesting," said Qiao after he had spoken to Easton for about five minutes.
Easton found out that Qiao was just starting to get into photography.
He was visiting the mall to buy a new camera lens but the store was closed.
Qiao told him about being an only child and moving to Edmonton from China as a nine-year-old.
Easton says he'll complete his project no matter what; trying to maintain meeting one stranger per day, even if he becomes sick or is met with other inconveniences.
In fact, he says he's looking forward to staying home this summer. "I probably won't be leaving Vancouver for a vacation anytime soon."
