THE BUS SAYS:

CAR WORLDS

It was a Saturday around 1 p.m. and I had nothing else to do. Being in college, I was probably overcoming a hangover. Luckily the weather in Boston was fresh and easy — for those who don’t know, nice weather in Boston is very rare. So I sat there on my balcony, about two basketball players off the ground, from where I had a clear view of pedestrians and cars going by. I was close enough to catch small details, but far enough to lose the fear of being noticed. 

I noticed that when there are people in the streets, there is a weak, but present, universal list of rules they follow. This list is unique to everyone, yet a lot of the items on the lists are shared. If you are totally confused right now, I’m talking about things you avoid, like singing out loud or dancing, because it can be embarrassing. Simple things like farting or staring. All these things that are uncomfortable in public but that you do all the time in private. Very few people on the streets break these shared, unspoken rules. 

But the people in their cars, well, it was like they were in a small, protected, bubbled, personal world where they did what they wanted.

I was completely captivated by the fact that the only thing protecting these people from the world was some metal and clear glass windows. That was enough for those people to disconnect from the world and to feel completely detached. There were lonely people in crowded cars, and crowded people in lonely cars. There was dancing, eating, smoking, farting, laughing, stripping, looking, staring, texting, pointing. Everyone completely unconscious of who saw them, except a few that caught the lens of my camera. 

But I was there, seeing everything. 

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Post by Jonathan Beker

PHOTOS
JonnyBeGoood.com
 

THE BUS SAYS:

ON BILINGUALISM

Hi everyone, it’s Vicky again. Recently, my Facebook feed was blowing up with articles about how researchers say people’s personalities may change depending on the language they’re speaking. Since we are bilingual here at El Autobús, I thought it could be an interesting thing to write about. I asked my colleague Becca to help me out by writing a little on how she experiences speaking Spanish, and I'll tell you about how I experience speaking English:
 

Vicky & MiniBus, The Wynwood Building

VICKY ON ENGLISH

I’ve always felt that I’m nicer in English than I am in Spanish. In my native tongue, I’m a little more sarcastic and a lot more blunt. I’m particularly friendlier in English, or at least that is how I am perceived because of the words I use. I started learning to speak English when I was around three years old, and have been ever since. I never really had to speak only English in a social setting until I started a job in college where I had to answer phones and provide information. This made for pretty long phone calls, so I started picking up turns of phrase from my American coworkers. I remember being particularly proud when I began to naturally say the phrase “have a great one” to people. 

Because I spent so much time in what you could call a “customer service” setting, the colloquialisms I learned in English were said specifically to be friendly and helpful. I’ll often catch myself saying things that are completely uncharacteristic, but that come naturally to me. It’s like I’m simultaneously being myself and not myself. That said, there are words that I need to properly express my thoughts that the English language lacks, and it’s not that I don’t know enough words to use. I always end up feeling like I haven’t explained myself well, that something was missing. I suppose this feeling is because, at the end of the day, I perceive and experience the world through Spanish much more than English.
 

Becca & MiniBus, The Wynwood Building

BECCA ON SPANISH

Studying in Spain, living in Argentina, marrying a Venezuelan, and moving to Miami have all given me different perspectives of Spanish. It always felt like starting over at first, because I had so many different sets of slang to learn, and even basic words like “peach” and “goodbye.” There are so many words that can’t be literally translated, so I have two parallel ways of thinking that open my mind to new concepts. For example, understanding the nuances between “te quiero” and “te amo” in Spanish, when in English it’s just ‘I love you,’ and then understanding that both can be used with friends, family and lovers but have different meanings for each.

I still feel like myself when I speak Spanish, but I’m often treated like a novelty for being an American who learned to speak another language by choice. This is also the personality that comes through Spanish – it’s a language loaded with compliments and familiarity. It gives me a level of confidence I don’t have in English, so I’m often more blunt and daring. There are some situations, though, in which I’ll unabashedly resort back to my native language: being truly, deeply upset with someone (I mean pissed), bouts of excitement, and screaming profanities when I stub my toe. I can no longer imagine living with one language and not the other; Spanish has become a part of me and how I interpret the world around me. 

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Post by Rebecca Wagoner and Victoria Rosenthal Madrid

THE BUS SAYS:

RULES WE LIVE BY

Hi there! I’m Vicky, and I’m currently doing an internship for El Autobús. I graduated a couple of months ago from college, and lately I’ve been feeling stuck in a rut in terms of work. I guess you could call it writer’s block, except I’m not a writer. Anyways, I thought it’d be a good idea to ask people around the office about their rules for creative work. I got some gems that I thought I could share with you all, so here goes!

Don’t underestimate the power of the brainstorm

The problem with great ideas is that they’re not exactly easy to come by. Brainstorming is a tried and true method of squeezing out every drop of creativity from your noodle -- and it’s better in teams! Oh, and don’t take yourself too seriously when brainstorming. Sometimes the most out-there idea can become the next great campaign. 
 

Know what you want from the start

Setting a clear goal is key. When working creatively, our minds and the subject tend to wander quite a bit. Make sure you’re clear on what you want to accomplish first, and then stray all you want.
 

Learn to murder your darlings

We all have to at some point. You know that one idea you had that you really love but you can’t find where to fit it in? Well, kill it. Just because you love it so much does not mean that it’s supposed to go there. Don’t feel too bad, though, because it will probably fit perfectly in your next project. Just make sure you keep it in a safe place! (See: Rule 6)
 

A flexible schedule never killed nobody

You know how people say that the early bird gets the worm? Well, don’t underestimate the night owl. Brains don’t all work on the same schedule. Sometimes your best idea might strike when you wake up in the middle of the night because your stomach’s upset from that burrito you ate. You’ll probably be more successful if you let your ideas flow than if you try to force them.
 

Find something you like, then take it one step further

It’s okay for ideas to be good. It’s better if they grow. Once you’re at a point where you’re happy with your work, see if you can make it better. Yes, it’ll be more work, but isn’t it better to love it rather than just like it?
 

Write it all down

Seriously, keep a notepad next to your bed. Your brainstorms, your midnight burrito ideas, write it all down. There’s nothing better than being stuck on something and then finding that tiny scribble in your notebook from three years ago that solves all your problems. It could happen! Probably, though, you will find great old ideas or notes that will work in the future. It’s also a blast to read through your thoughts from a while ago.

Trust feedback, but trust your gut more

Don’t get discouraged just because the first person you show your work to tells you they don’t like it. If your project is smart and solid, then it will work -- it just needs to be workshopped. You’re smart and you know what you’re doing. Trust yourself. If it really doesn’t work, then keep the idea in your notebook for next time.

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Post by Victoria Rosenthal Madrid