My name is Tania and I currently live in Brooklyn, NY. If you are reading this, you probably have seen me sitting in Prospect Park and you scanned my QR code out of interest, probably thinking “Is this another Billy on the Street?” The answer to that question is no, however I do have a comedy background so I may make you laugh… however not guaranteed! 

 

So what am I doing? Well, I am conducting a social experiment to hopefully aid in healing the loneliness epidemic that is currently plaguing our country. Okay, that sounds really serious and dark… To put it simply, I am trying to connect with other humans on a natural level without trying to go viral for the sake of notoriety but rather I want to create earnest connections and hopefully we can both walk away feeling better than before you sat down to talk with me. 

 

You may be reading this and thinking… “Tania, it sounds like you are just lonely and need more friends to talk to”. The reality is I have a gift for inquisitiveness that often leads to strong connections with people, for most of my life I thought it was normal for a stranger to start sharing their intense hardships or woes with me. It has taken me almost 30 years to realize how special this gift is and amidst the negative impact of our current digital age, I think I can make a positive contribution by putting this social experiment out into the world.

 

While technology is great, it has definitely contributed to the feeling of loneliness and isolation amongst humans. We can all admit that we doom scroll until we are disgusted with ourselves but since we are now accustomed to always being overly stimulated, being alone with our thoughts is a far scarier place so then what do we do... we distract ourselves. We book a dinner with a group of friends, go to a high intensity workout class to feel good, or make sure every night of the week is filled with social obligations and when we are not being stimulated by that, we are on our phones. The point I am getting at is that we are in a constant state of stimulation and when we don't have it, we feel sad or lonely and while therapy is wonderful, people forget that there is another great way to combat this feeling and that is connecting with humans, whether that is with a friend or a stranger on a bench.

 

To be clear, I AM NOT A THERAPIST, although I have been told all my life that I should be. My mission is not to therapize anyone that stops by to talk but rather use my gift of inquisitiveness to ask you questions that you may not normally get asked and in turn not only will I learn more about you but you may learn a little something new about yourself. 

 

At the end of the day, my goal is to create a domino effect where people pick back up the art of talking and connecting with a stranger, especially when phones and social media aren't going anywhere.

 

I appreciate you checking out my website and if talking to a stranger on a bench for five minutes is not for you but you know someone who would enjoy what I am doing, send them my way.