What We Carry With Us-
Spring 2025

Publication design

What We Carry With Us is a collection of moments that invite us to connect with the people around us, discovering their stories through keychains. I started this project to understand the people around me better. To feel grateful for what we have, and understand what we might take for granted. May this journey through vulnerability foster not just understanding, but new friendships, unexpected love, and warm smiles exchanged in hallways. Thank you for your open heart. We need more people like you in this world.





Those represented in this book were strangers, friends, and family. 12 gracious individuals were interviewed. The majority of interviews were conducted in an improvised manner to maintain an authentic connection with each interviewee. Oftentimes, I would ask a starter question such as:


What’s the most meaningful thing you’ve ever lost? What did it teach you?

The questions all led back to the central idea of: “what do we hold closest, and what do we need to learn to let go of?”  This philosophical question is deeply vulnerable, especially to share with a stranger. This magazine is evidence that we are far more connected than it might appear. 

The entirety of the interviews and the 68 editorial pages was solely conceptualized and completed by me. The final interview was about my experience. What I realized upon completion of this project was that I had let go of the initial form of this magazine. I let the interviewees guide the content, and learned how important it is to ask questions that go beyond the vague. Talk to a stranger. Learn something new about your grandparents. The stories are what keep us human.
Amaliemcc@gmail.com
@ 2025 by Amalie