100 Series Presents: Shades: Stories from the Quad Cities

What makes us unique? What do we hold dear to our hearts? We all have things, talents, and traits that help make us special and stand out from everyone else. However there are things that may define us as a person that other may not know about, even if they see us everyday. Following my first project for The 100 Series and third overall, "100 Days of Awesome People," I was overwhelmed by the positive reception I had received from the Quad Cities community. I knew I wanted to continue to highlight everyday people with incredible stories, but I wanted to do it in a completely different way. For this project I asked 100 people to find an object that has sentimental value and share why they chose that item and why it holds so much significance in their lives. The goal is to show off that uniqueness and individuality and help people in the Quad Cities connect with those who live with them in this community. I appreciate every single man, woman, and child I met with for sharing some of the most meaningful, thoughtful, and sometimes heartbreaking stories that have gone to define them as people. If I learned one thing from doing this project it's that it's difficult to dislike someone when you learn what makes them tick. This project, called 100 Shades, began its initial run on February 6, 2017 and ended on June 25, 2017.