What I’m Actually Doing Here: Making Work That Moves People
On storytelling, social change, and where I’m taking this work.
I’ve spent my life trying to answer a simple question: how do stories move people to create positive change?
It’s a question I’ve asked as a result of carrying a camera, for well over 20 years now, documenting both people and places around the world.
It took me years of building storytelling campaigns, producing different bodies of work and creating independent documentary projects before it started to make sense.
I go into more details about what pushed me to this work in an article, “Making Something Out of Nothing,” which I wrote close to 3 years ago, as I started building the new brand and attempted but failed to get back to writing more regularly.
What I started to see over time was this direct link between our shared narratives and driving action towards social change.
What I learned from looking through the lens was that the stories we share can become a powerful tool for shaping how we see the world.
It’s one of the reasons I decided to push further and focus my career on photojournalism, documentary media production, and communications.
Because the art of storytelling for me is about moving people to take action by sharing different perspectives.
Stories don’t change the world on their own. They change how people understand the world and that’s where change becomes more possible.
Tupac said it best:
I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world - Tupac
I started writing with this a question that’s felt been my life pursuit:
How do stories move people to create change?
I think the answer is simpler than I expected. Stories don’t change the world, they change the people who do
Stories won’t pass policy, write a law or redesign a system, but it will shape the values of people who will.
And a camera can’t carry a movement or solve the climate crisis, but it can document the truth and make injustices harder to ignore.
I built Change Made because I believe that stories can do more than just inform.
They help us see each other more clearly and make change feel more possible.
Stories raise awareness that points towards action.
This newsletter is where I’ve come back to share what I’m working on, what I’m learning, and how I’m building Change made as a visual journalism platform.
So, if the ideas behind change is something that moves you, or if you’re just curious, take a moment and subscribe.
If you’re already here, thank you for trusting me with your attention
You can expect posts twice a month and sometime’s more when the story demands it as I carve out more time for short and long form reporting.
In my next article, I’ll share more Behind Change Made and how I’ve been building the platform over the past three years.
If you have a lead or a story tip especially on community solutions, climate stories or cultural shifts worth paying attention to; email me at sid@changemade.co.
