The idea seems simple: Take someone's picture, ask them a few questions, then post the photo and the interview online.
That's how bond trader turned photographer Brandon Stanton's "Humans of New York" blog became a social media sensation around the world.
"I was at an end of a two-year period where I thought about nothing but money and I had nothing to show for it," he said in an interview with CNBC.
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After being laid off during the onset of the 2008 global financial crisis, the Georgia native changed his mind about his career path. He ignored money for a while in order to build a life that was focused on something he loved.
With no formal training in photography, his newfound professional pursuit and passion led him to a place he had never been to before—New York City.
"I was very poor for about two years," Stanton said. "I collected about $16,000 from unemployment. I slept on an air mattress and didn't eat well."