What happened
(two posts ago… =D)
-A place full of people I thought I could learn a bunch of things from. People that could show me points of view I don’t even imagine. People that did and do beautiful things and that understand the real meaning of Beauty:
The First New Yorker Conference
Well, what I’ll do is just try to tell all that people what I’m looking for and see what happens.-
Short preamble
I spent the last 2 months thinking about the Conference, and the last 2 weeks before leaving thinking about how telling that people what I was feeling, and what came out of these thoughts is of course this website (still working on it, as you see…).
But the first issue was how to tell the people about the website, so I told myself: “why don’t you make a business card?”… and I did. Then I thought: “you are going that far and you’ll be staying there for days and won’t you take the chance to tell about ‘this thing’ to other people too?”, so I did stickers to stick around in NYC streets or just to give as leaflet.
The sticker and business card. =D
But then I said to myself: “c’mon Dario, are you telling me you’re going to stop people and give them your card? YOU?!… you know you are so shy…” …I had to find a way to make people asking me, so that I couldn’t avoid telling them.
So I did THIS for the Conference. =D
(Backside)
(Frontside)
And THESE for going around NYC. =D
The last question was: “will you be so brave to wear them?”, well… I’ve been brave. =D
(And I had even the courage to change them during the Conference, so that people could read something different at each break.)
The Conference
When I arrived at the Conference building, I received a delightful welcome by Phyllis (with which I had a funny e-mail exchange), Jana and Rhonda, thank you all very much, I felt kind of special! =D
So after just few minutes I felt much more confident and showed my T-shirt…
From that moment started what I can surely define one of the most exciting experiences I ever had. I cannot count how many people talked with me, asked me, smiled at me, they were like waves on the shore, I didn’t even have the time to watch one going away that another was coming. I’m sorry I will never remember all the names, but thank you Daisy, Richard, Robin and Evan (it’s been a wonderful night! =D), Cat for reading my palm, Deborah (what about the Colorado? =D), David (you know why =D), Ginny, Dan, Joseph, Diego, Mishele and Bertha (hope to talk to you soon =D), Eric (it’s been a great pleasure and one of the most hilarious dinner I remember =D)… and all the people who talked to me.
What changed
I was just going around the wonderful lounge when this elegant man stopped me with his smile and said in a perfect American-sounding Italian: “So how can we change your life?”, I said smiling: “Actually, I don’t know… what do you do, for example?” He said something like: “I happen to be the Vice President of the New Yorker magazine…”
Well, you should have seen my eyes, only my mouth was open wider.
He told me he was really amazed by my idea and the things I did. We chatted about our recent thoughts on life and the way we would change it. I said that I really enjoyed the Conference and he invited me for the next year! =D Then he took my business card with a smile and told me to keep in touch, but then I asked if I could come to visit the New Yorker building before leaving, and he said yes! I had just to call his assistant, Anne, and fix an appointment. It’s been the first thing I did the next morning.
Then there I went. 4th Times Square, Condè Nast Building, 21st floor.
I met Anne, beautiful and very nice, who showed me all the departments and gave me many gifts, including a chic New Yorker brown bag with an elegant desk diary full of Cartoons (which I love =D) and an iPod Shuffle (New Yorker branded) loaded with songs selected by the music critic Sasha Frere-Jones!
She kindly apologized because Louis (the Vice President) was busy in a meeting, so I asked her if I could just also leave a gift and a message for him. I brought a T-shirt (the “Change Dario’s life” one – it was funny the idea to imagine the Vice President of the New Yorker dressing that words =D) and I started to write the message… but suddenly the door of Louis’s office opened, a man went out and after few seconds Louis went out too. He welcomed me with joy and happily took my gift, then he told me he had to rush for another meeting, but I couldn’t lose that chance and asked him if he had just 3 minutes for me to show him the website. Of course he had!
Then we watched the video-clip together and he was really amazed =D I think he just couldn’t imagine I did ‘all that’ only for the Conference, but that was exactly what I did. He said I had to talk with the New Yorker creative director, he called her on the spot, she came and we watched the video together again. She was amazed too =D and said we definitely had to keep in touch!
Well… I don’t know if Louis will really change my life, what I know is that I will take my chance to ask him. A lot of ideas are flowing into my brain in this exact moment. Ideas about this ‘project’, ideas about other projects… and you can be sure I will come out with something else. =D
My life is changing right now while I’m writing.
I hope this could be an evidence and a message for anybody wanting to change: when you really do something to change your life, it just changes.
For all of you I intend to build a network of people wanting to change their lives, so just continue to send me your email addresses. Soon there will be a kind of list and space for you so that anybody could know what you want and, who knows, help you. =D
Grazie =D and I hope you’ll continue to check this website, because it’s still under construction… Ciao. =D
You happy bastard! What did you bring me?
I want one the gold one…
My 246-teeth-smile wasn’t enough? =D
Dario! You are amazing, and one of the most delightful people I met at the conference. I admire your imagination and creativity. Your project intrigues me and entertains me and has provoked me to think about changing my own life. As I think I told you I am a retired lawyer I have a deep interest in legal history. Since the conference, I have been developing a plan to organize my research activities and begin to write some articles. After all, I can not let you be the only one to change his life! Thanks also for the link to your website. I love the video.
Ciao, bello.
Richard.
Does God’s light blind us or guide us?
Please Dario, change my life. +39.339.4262303.
I think it does exactly what you want it to do =D
Ciao Brunooo! Of course I’ll change your life!
I’m working on it right now!
=DDD
Soooooo… what’s next now? 😉
Ueeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! =DDD
I’m doing stuff during the night…
But I’m waiting for the websie to be complete before spreading it around!
We’re slowly preparing to go faster! =DDD
Dario!
You told me to read something wrote in English and that’s what I’m doing!
I’m amazed with your New York experience. I’m loving to read and know more about it.
Oh, I have to say, you changed my life somehow. 🙂
Love you