"We are all like islands of the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep."

William James

The purpose of this project is to encourage a more honest and open conversation about the unique experience of loneliness all humans have. I sought out individuals going through unique life situations who would be willing to share their experiences of loneliness and connection. It worked out that I found only women. When I found a woman who wanted to be part of the project, we met online for an interview/conversation to better understand what and how she thinks about her experience.

At the end of each interview, I shared what I learned with her and asked if I got it right. If corrections needed to be made, I would reframe and share again. We continued this until she felt my understanding was accurate. We then orchestrated a plan for a single photo that would tell her story and exhibit her unique version of loneliness. We met later on to take that photo.

I then reviewed the conversation we had online and the quotes from her to find something she shared about how she found connection. This quote became the “caption” for the photo in order to juxtapose the lonely or sad emotion of the photo. Together, the caption and photo share a story of connection within loneliness.