The Birth of Humanation

I am a quiet observer. My mom recognized this characteristic when I was young as my wide eyes followed her every move in my modest crib. The world is full of fascinating people, compelling stories, and inspiring moments that happen every day. How can I not be intrigued?

One of the developments I have noticed recently is the fundamental breakdown of empathy among human beings in the last couple of years. Tribal mentalities have always existed, but it has insidiously and powerfully moved to center stage. Our world, especially the United States of America, has become seriously divided. Witnessing blatant racism, sexism, bullying, and trolling has become more prevalent and pronounced in our lifetime. But this has also triggered an intense counter-reaction among the masses, and especially within myself. Minorities, women, and young people are beginning to understand the power of their voice and how important it is to use and express it.

I may not have the knowledge or tools to serve as a civil rights lawyer at this very moment, but I have a curious mind, an open heart, and some creative expertise. How can I uniquely use my voice to uplift my community? How can I use my artistic nature to promote and cultivate empathy? These two inquiries were the central questions of my life for the past few years. And I finally formulated an answer that I hope will make a positive difference.

Humanation is a blog centered on nonprofits and their customer or beneficiaries. It will not consist of technical to-do lists or fundraising strategies. Instead, human stories will be the main focal point of each entry, the people behind the work and the people being served. You will find profiles of founders who are doing amazing things in various communities and read customer stories, highlighting their evolution.

I hope this space will provide more insight into what each featured nonprofit offers and how they are changing the world, one individual at a time. I hope it will inspire and help galvanize support for these various missions, motivating their community to volunteer or donate. And most importantly, I hope this blog will open minds and hearts, allowing connections to permeate and form. Even if our experiences and physical appearances are completely different, I am optimistic that we can recognize deep down, we are the same. We are all engaging, complicated, loving, aspiring human beings, and I hope that shared truth resonates above all else.

About this blog

Welcome to an empathy machine filled with honesty and vulnerability. Here, you will learn about people who are on a journey to change their community or raise themselves up with the help of others. This space is for those who care about their fellow neighbors and want to learn more about people with different experiences. Connecting to a person or a cause will be the ultimate goal for all who visit. As a result, I hope more engaging volunteers and contributors are born.

As a professional photographer for eight years, the only way my heart could continue in this field was by finding subject matter that resonates with me. This blog is an insightful and personal photojournalism endeavor that I am excited to create. It will be full of intriguing subjects, attentive curiosity, and loving care.

I am so grateful to every single person I come in contact with. They are open and willing to speak to me very honestly. This is a true gift that I will never take for granted. Connecting with people who are changing the world in their unique way or people who are strong enough to change their lives by vulnerably asking for help will always inspire me. This project will continually expand my compassion for others and I hope you leave this space feeling the same way.

If you never want to miss a story and continue to see photography of the amazing people featured, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on social media.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to be here. I hope you stay a while and leave with an even more open heart.