Harpe: Finding inspiration today in stories from the past

One of my favorite childhood pastimes was taking trips to bookstores. I came from a family of avid readers who always encouraged a love for reading. so these trips were a wonderful treat. The smell of hot chocolate and coffee brewing and the classical or smooth jazz playing in the background gave me a sense of peace and timelessness.

During these bookstore trips, the fiction section was always my favorite but, more often than not, I found myself perusing the biographies.

As the years passed, biographies have become the more intriguing part of the bookstore for me. First, I developed a fascination with the ways in which people became successful, an attraction that emerged after I was inspired by the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the history-making United States women’s gymnastics team. I loved that these young women were around my age, and that they were so accomplished. Aside from spending my time trying and failing to do flips off my couch, I spent the rest of my time reading biographies and autobiographies about their Olympic journeys.

As my school years progressed, I became drawn to realistic fiction with back stories that revealed the shape and progression of a particular character’s life. I discovered increasingly how books opened up the world for me because I no longer gravitated toward characters and people I could relate to, but instead wanted to know about the lives of those who were different from me.

Beyond the books, I found that I like to watch the paths people take, the opportunities and roadblocks they face that determined their future. I discovered that, despite differences, there were often similarities in our thoughts, feelings and struggles. I enjoy seeing a person’s life unfold and what inspires them to reach their goals. As someone who tends to be anxiety inclined, I also find it interesting to see the ways in which individuals overcome setbacks. Their strength and ways of coping give me a sense of comfort during tough times.

Due to our social-media, fast-paced age, the back stories of people’s lives have now become a framework for how we see and process our world, and I have noticed that many of the newest and most successful non-reality TV shows are popular because they still have a reality-based element. These shows are full of flashbacks and asides and, in the case of comedy, the mockumentary film style is still very popular.

All I know is that these shows appeal to me. I cannot get enough of the extra behind-the-scenes information characters reveal, and how these characters’ past lives contribute to their current decisions or experiences.

My love of biographies has subsided some over the past year in favor of a simpler form of back story, specifically, reality TV and podcasts. I love the HGTV show “House Hunters,” not because I am interested in purchasing a home, but because I like to see where these families come from and what influences their decisions when it comes to choices. As someone not well traveled, I also like to experience indirectly what it is like to live in different parts of the country and sometimes even internationally.

Over the past year I have also discovered podcasts, which are wonderful for anyone who wants to expand their interest and knowledge of any subject. My favorite podcasts involve fashion, but I specifically enjoy the episodes when fashion editors bring in others from their field of work and ask them how they discovered and became successful within their industry.

Since fashion, like any career in the arts, is a tough world to break into and become successful, it is fascinating to hear about their inspirations and motivations, and how they have made it in the industry. It is interesting to see how some of them accidentally stumbled on their career, while others planned a path for some time.

It is important for me to continue to read biographies, but I enjoy how our social-media influenced world has allowed us more access to people’s back stories. Many are concerned about the end of privacy, but I believe and hope that knowing our backgrounds can help people relate to one another and encourage more compassion.

Contact Corin Harpe at corinharpe@gmail.com.