my name is Joe Thornton and I work as
the chief curator at a digital
storytelling platform my workers include
reading stories from writers around the
world yes good job
my after workers include writing stories
of my own and having conversations with
the characters inside my head
or as my mom’s and people sit I talk to
myself I love words and I love what
words can do but since I don’t have a
fancy presentation in which the starting
letter of five of my points come
together to form a word I’m going to try
and talk to you in the best way I can
but I was asked to be my first TED talk
I was quite clueless what to talk about
and so I went back to all the main
moments in my life all the first
experiences I’ve had to see for some
inspiration I could draw from it and so
I sat down beside this projector in my
head and hold out for memory reels I
could find and I need clean now I went
and back when I was in third grade I got
a chance to be a part of my first school
play you know one of those when I to be
a character we have dialogues on stage
or a tree now my play had all the fairy
tale characters in them from Snow White
to Goldilocks Red Riding Hood and of
course please but by the time I
auditioned they would his three paths
now I got through okay but they felt
that was not good enough to play Hansel
they also felt I was not good enough to
be number two and so I was quite happy
in fact she was so happy sing me in the
big with long hair and the bright blue
you know one of those were their
backgrounds I read foot
or a photoshopped black artist with the
word published and she could have
full-length photograph of me Clint and I
remember the words with photographer a
man in his fifties who pointed towards
me and told my mother Hindi happy baby
pose
but only years later when I found this
photograph again didn’t realize there
wasn’t embarrassed when this had
happened because back when you book kids
being embarrassed and sitting upset for
a day and now it means wondering what
everyone else is good to say about me I
just sometimes you and I at was scared
of trying new things for the first time
but I don’t blame us after all
we have public images to maintain social
things we don’t mess up
biases in our heads with half the
knowledge and scary experience and so
sometimes we don’t even get to the point
of trying doing things for the first
better because we too busy worrying
about the worst that could happen if we
did now was the year Stern and I went to
college and what a very important lesson
that I wish more expose daughters I was
nice to the people I talked to okay but
still after two semesters when I
realized that I was being left out of
certain things I felt like I had these
stories in my head that I wanted to make
I have disclosed around of some people
saying my stories are bad some people
said that I was difficult to work with
and some day didn’t like having me
around to talk all of that I had no
friend me complaining no camera and few
friends and so I did the best thing I
could do in that kind of a situation you
know I made a list of ways I could get
people to like but this was getting
longer and the stories were piling up
and I was growing impatient and so I
just began people who sit down and hear
what I had to say and it delighted
say it with me to the world and just
like that on a summer afternoon sitting
in a cafe with three other friends I
co-founded my first youtube channel now
it will creator anyone figure you get it
today save it to the most nervous spin
you’re about to hit that publish button
to put out of the world to see what
you’ve just made agree and me I’d
written the script directed and
[Music]
my hands were shivering almost to the
point where I was wondering is this a
good idea at all I mean what if I start
getting film offers after this yeah how
would I manage – depicted with jokes
aside we crossed 1000 news in a month
I climbed 1,000 pounds in my head even
though I do it was mostly just my
but we enjoy it what we done I made my
first film and I was happy so my second
film we were shooting secretly at a
railway station hoping not to be caught
by the cops by a third website for
making us go viral all over the Internet
and by a fourth we learnt in the first
but we don’t make them anymore
mostly because which is busy doing other
things but I like on the word that sound
of exactly how it felt like their form
or the fear of missing out
now adulthood is a great place to see it
we not want you to miss out on anything
that’s relevant or trending but College
is where it all began
whether it was the friends you wanted to
hang out with the parties you never got
power to the better internship your
friend got me I didn’t want to have
missed out on making her first film and
sat back years later wondering and right
now if you delay we’ll try something new
for the first time I’m going to be over
and give you a fancy reason why you
should you just need to ask yourself is
it really worth missing out on did I
tell you a lacque planning things no I
love planning things and so last year I
saved up land and took my first solo
trip to this beautiful state for my
career
oh and was also my first friend and
since I was yea and see that was so
nervous about taking the first flight I
so your ID proof in the luggage
collective body class both the security
and the most important rules according
to every mom get onto the right plane we
stood arrival section wondering what was
it reason to depart so when I was
finally out there with my head in the
clouds
I let myself cry my heart out I’d made
an itinerary for my itinerary then in a
whatever suppose route what time of the
day but only wants to actually began it
I realized how happy I was nothing was
going according to plan I would never
walk through a hail storm with the house
egg on my back or slept alone in a
dormitory with no electricity and rain
boy not so loud it almost felt like
thunder I would have never seen miss
price up from behind the mountains
moving in and studying everything in its
path or climb down and back up 3700
steps wondering if I did this again
could I make my character I would have
never known
I’m afraid of boats and most importantly
I would have never made new friends now
I’m not saying planning is bad it’s
important but plan it when we begin
likes my comfort zone at only once again
let’s this comfort zone did I realize
what routine I was breaking because I
feel episodes and routines sort of go
hand in hand so it you can on some days
get up open the door
try something you haven’t yet whether
it’s a skill a hobby an instrument all
that startup idea is not just a
presentation
some holder try it maybe you feel a
little different because you trying
something new but you’ll be surprised to
how much you really needed it and well
if you don’t equate it happening for the
first time you could always go back two
seconds now I can take solar eclipse
every month
hashtag work life and so I try leaving
my comfort zones through the stories I
write saying how far I can stretch my
imagination I have a small community of
readers that I talk to and they love
talking back through their personal
messages and comments they’re very
supportive encouraging and I think it
feels amazing when someone actually
messages you and tells you that he
inspired them to write the biggest omen
for me happened a couple of years back
when I stopped reading when I was 19 I
had to go to the first death of my
family I’ve been raised by a single
mother and so when the news of my father
who I hadn’t seen for years right I
didn’t know exactly how to react I said
that souling everyone it took me three
years finally he would write about it I
remember once I had I got a message from
a 17 year old boy who told me that his
parents were going through divorce as
you couldn’t tell this to anyone because
he felt no one from the stand and it was
scared of telling his tears because it
was a friendly interest of home who know
and whatever it was what my poem had
made him feel better
and right there in that moment I felt
maybe I have gone through this phase in
the world and I have said that first
experience with him and many others
unknown e-stat I guess her loss is right
and I know what’s not really cliche when
I say this but there’s some first that
you’re not seeking but they will end up
finding you and when they do you’re just
going to have to deal with them in your
time in the best way you can for the
last few minutes that we have together
I’m just going to request you to help me
out here include introducing the last
part of my talk I am going to list out a
few first experiences and if you’ve been
through them I just put it raise your
hand okay I want promise if you remember
your first email address and it was very
embarrassing skip the rest again even
rest if you remember the first time you
stepped out into the world with your
first job or your first internship okay
if you remember what you did with your
first paycheck if you remember the first
time you read someone’s hand because you
were in love and asked me if you
remember the first time you actually
know someone I want you to take a good
hard look around
okay how many different signs erased you
can keep them down now each one of you
is sitting here
I shared a first experience and I feel
that there’s just one way in which we
can all learn and know about the fight
and if you haven’t guessed how it is yet
here’s a little poem I wrote it’s for
first-timers
I miss those conversations because I
think there’s just something about them
I think it’s the tone of the voice but
the careful picking of words the thrill
of disclosing a secret and vulnerable
questions with no made of answers
doesn’t I don’t think wanting to say
this is a long time this also and I’ve
been feeling the exact same this getting
to know and gaining interest that
icebreakers and funny replies
I’ve heard stories that should become
books
how about stories that have taught me in
plenty I’ve told a few of my own and in
turn taking many back home right it is
right said think don’t say save without
thinking but the years have turned and I
guess have changed I create people but I
believe for the best conversations I’ve
had all been firsts my worst ones on the
other hand but all lasts [Applause]
the chief curator at a digital
storytelling platform my workers include
reading stories from writers around the
world yes good job
my after workers include writing stories
of my own and having conversations with
the characters inside my head
or as my mom’s and people sit I talk to
myself I love words and I love what
words can do but since I don’t have a
fancy presentation in which the starting
letter of five of my points come
together to form a word I’m going to try
and talk to you in the best way I can
but I was asked to be my first TED talk
I was quite clueless what to talk about
and so I went back to all the main
moments in my life all the first
experiences I’ve had to see for some
inspiration I could draw from it and so
I sat down beside this projector in my
head and hold out for memory reels I
could find and I need clean now I went
and back when I was in third grade I got
a chance to be a part of my first school
play you know one of those when I to be
a character we have dialogues on stage
or a tree now my play had all the fairy
tale characters in them from Snow White
to Goldilocks Red Riding Hood and of
course please but by the time I
auditioned they would his three paths
now I got through okay but they felt
that was not good enough to play Hansel
they also felt I was not good enough to
be number two and so I was quite happy
in fact she was so happy sing me in the
big with long hair and the bright blue
you know one of those were their
backgrounds I read foot
or a photoshopped black artist with the
word published and she could have
full-length photograph of me Clint and I
remember the words with photographer a
man in his fifties who pointed towards
me and told my mother Hindi happy baby
pose
but only years later when I found this
photograph again didn’t realize there
wasn’t embarrassed when this had
happened because back when you book kids
being embarrassed and sitting upset for
a day and now it means wondering what
everyone else is good to say about me I
just sometimes you and I at was scared
of trying new things for the first time
but I don’t blame us after all
we have public images to maintain social
things we don’t mess up
biases in our heads with half the
knowledge and scary experience and so
sometimes we don’t even get to the point
of trying doing things for the first
better because we too busy worrying
about the worst that could happen if we
did now was the year Stern and I went to
college and what a very important lesson
that I wish more expose daughters I was
nice to the people I talked to okay but
still after two semesters when I
realized that I was being left out of
certain things I felt like I had these
stories in my head that I wanted to make
I have disclosed around of some people
saying my stories are bad some people
said that I was difficult to work with
and some day didn’t like having me
around to talk all of that I had no
friend me complaining no camera and few
friends and so I did the best thing I
could do in that kind of a situation you
know I made a list of ways I could get
people to like but this was getting
longer and the stories were piling up
and I was growing impatient and so I
just began people who sit down and hear
what I had to say and it delighted
say it with me to the world and just
like that on a summer afternoon sitting
in a cafe with three other friends I
co-founded my first youtube channel now
it will creator anyone figure you get it
today save it to the most nervous spin
you’re about to hit that publish button
to put out of the world to see what
you’ve just made agree and me I’d
written the script directed and
[Music]
my hands were shivering almost to the
point where I was wondering is this a
good idea at all I mean what if I start
getting film offers after this yeah how
would I manage – depicted with jokes
aside we crossed 1000 news in a month
I climbed 1,000 pounds in my head even
though I do it was mostly just my
but we enjoy it what we done I made my
first film and I was happy so my second
film we were shooting secretly at a
railway station hoping not to be caught
by the cops by a third website for
making us go viral all over the Internet
and by a fourth we learnt in the first
but we don’t make them anymore
mostly because which is busy doing other
things but I like on the word that sound
of exactly how it felt like their form
or the fear of missing out
now adulthood is a great place to see it
we not want you to miss out on anything
that’s relevant or trending but College
is where it all began
whether it was the friends you wanted to
hang out with the parties you never got
power to the better internship your
friend got me I didn’t want to have
missed out on making her first film and
sat back years later wondering and right
now if you delay we’ll try something new
for the first time I’m going to be over
and give you a fancy reason why you
should you just need to ask yourself is
it really worth missing out on did I
tell you a lacque planning things no I
love planning things and so last year I
saved up land and took my first solo
trip to this beautiful state for my
career
oh and was also my first friend and
since I was yea and see that was so
nervous about taking the first flight I
so your ID proof in the luggage
collective body class both the security
and the most important rules according
to every mom get onto the right plane we
stood arrival section wondering what was
it reason to depart so when I was
finally out there with my head in the
clouds
I let myself cry my heart out I’d made
an itinerary for my itinerary then in a
whatever suppose route what time of the
day but only wants to actually began it
I realized how happy I was nothing was
going according to plan I would never
walk through a hail storm with the house
egg on my back or slept alone in a
dormitory with no electricity and rain
boy not so loud it almost felt like
thunder I would have never seen miss
price up from behind the mountains
moving in and studying everything in its
path or climb down and back up 3700
steps wondering if I did this again
could I make my character I would have
never known
I’m afraid of boats and most importantly
I would have never made new friends now
I’m not saying planning is bad it’s
important but plan it when we begin
likes my comfort zone at only once again
let’s this comfort zone did I realize
what routine I was breaking because I
feel episodes and routines sort of go
hand in hand so it you can on some days
get up open the door
try something you haven’t yet whether
it’s a skill a hobby an instrument all
that startup idea is not just a
presentation
some holder try it maybe you feel a
little different because you trying
something new but you’ll be surprised to
how much you really needed it and well
if you don’t equate it happening for the
first time you could always go back two
seconds now I can take solar eclipse
every month
hashtag work life and so I try leaving
my comfort zones through the stories I
write saying how far I can stretch my
imagination I have a small community of
readers that I talk to and they love
talking back through their personal
messages and comments they’re very
supportive encouraging and I think it
feels amazing when someone actually
messages you and tells you that he
inspired them to write the biggest omen
for me happened a couple of years back
when I stopped reading when I was 19 I
had to go to the first death of my
family I’ve been raised by a single
mother and so when the news of my father
who I hadn’t seen for years right I
didn’t know exactly how to react I said
that souling everyone it took me three
years finally he would write about it I
remember once I had I got a message from
a 17 year old boy who told me that his
parents were going through divorce as
you couldn’t tell this to anyone because
he felt no one from the stand and it was
scared of telling his tears because it
was a friendly interest of home who know
and whatever it was what my poem had
made him feel better
and right there in that moment I felt
maybe I have gone through this phase in
the world and I have said that first
experience with him and many others
unknown e-stat I guess her loss is right
and I know what’s not really cliche when
I say this but there’s some first that
you’re not seeking but they will end up
finding you and when they do you’re just
going to have to deal with them in your
time in the best way you can for the
last few minutes that we have together
I’m just going to request you to help me
out here include introducing the last
part of my talk I am going to list out a
few first experiences and if you’ve been
through them I just put it raise your
hand okay I want promise if you remember
your first email address and it was very
embarrassing skip the rest again even
rest if you remember the first time you
stepped out into the world with your
first job or your first internship okay
if you remember what you did with your
first paycheck if you remember the first
time you read someone’s hand because you
were in love and asked me if you
remember the first time you actually
know someone I want you to take a good
hard look around
okay how many different signs erased you
can keep them down now each one of you
is sitting here
I shared a first experience and I feel
that there’s just one way in which we
can all learn and know about the fight
and if you haven’t guessed how it is yet
here’s a little poem I wrote it’s for
first-timers
I miss those conversations because I
think there’s just something about them
I think it’s the tone of the voice but
the careful picking of words the thrill
of disclosing a secret and vulnerable
questions with no made of answers
doesn’t I don’t think wanting to say
this is a long time this also and I’ve
been feeling the exact same this getting
to know and gaining interest that
icebreakers and funny replies
I’ve heard stories that should become
books
how about stories that have taught me in
plenty I’ve told a few of my own and in
turn taking many back home right it is
right said think don’t say save without
thinking but the years have turned and I
guess have changed I create people but I
believe for the best conversations I’ve
had all been firsts my worst ones on the
other hand but all lasts [Applause]
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