Nathan Vass is with us today! This guy is such a gem! He is a filmmaker, photographer, writer, and he's balances all that with his love for another profession: Public Transit. Nathan is a bus driver for the City of Seattle!

I say this later on in our conversation with him, but the fact that this episode exists is a perfect example of what Resonant Bravery (aka second-hand bravery) can do. Because Nathan came to us by way of a listener of the show, Kristi, who is a member of the storytelling scene in Seattle. She saw what Nathan's been up to, recognized it as the kind of Bravery that we talk about here on the show, and she reached out to me!

I knew that if Kristi thinks someone displays bravery in their life, then I had better listen up and lean in. You'll agree with her, like I do, especially after you listen to today's conversation.

In the initial email she sent me, Kristi described Nathan by saying "He's a 30 year old metro bus driver (10 years in) who purposely takes the hardest route, and he also does story telling, photography, writing, and some film stuff on the side. I don't know him well personally, but he's always a bright light at the show and around town. He'll find something positive in anything, it seems, and is always ready with a hug and smile. I'll send a clip but he's even more delightful and funny in person."

I have put those clips of storytelling moments and links to Nathan's blog with a collection of stories about his bus-driving and art adventures in the show notes. You'll definitely want to check all of those out.

Today, Nathan and I talk about the crazy stories and intimate exchanges that happen between participants in public transit. We chat about what it's like to have a day job or side hustle that has seemingly nothing to do with your "real" hustle. We also talk about the small tiny changes that serve as the invitation for bravery in a given moment. We talk about comfort zones and how to put yourself out there as an artist.

Please join me in welcoming the beloved Nathan Vass.

Brave Take-Aways

Your Brave Take-Away from today's show is to do something quick and harmless that's a little outside of the norm. Not necessarily out of your comfort zone, just out of the normal pattern that you go about life in... This could be texting someone with your other thumb, holding your keys in the other hand, turning the lights off on the bus, or wearing a different color sock on your left and right foot. Something small. I think you'll find that even those micro acts of change might inspire other things to happen too.

We'd love to hear all about your favorite parts of today's Bare Naked Bravery. No seriously, Nathan, Kristi, and I and the rest of the Bare Naked Bravery listeners are waiting for you to join us in the Bare naked Bravery facebook group!

You can also find Nathan Vass and myself on facebook, twitter, instagram, and more. Go ahead and tag us so we can cheer you on and see what you're up to.

Plus all those links to the stories and clips of Nathan's work is waiting for your curious eyes and ears in the show notes for today's episode. Go to barenakedbravery.com

Keep in Touch with Nathan Vass

www.nathanvass.com
http://twitter.com/NathanEVass
https://www.facebook.com/nathan.vass.3

Keep in Touch with Emily Ann Peterson

http://emilyannpeterson.com
http://instagram.com/emilyannpete
http://facebook.com/emilyannpeterson
http://twitter.com/emilyapeterson

Credits

If you're diggin' the music in today's episode, that's because it's brought to you by my friends at Music Box Licensing, a premier creative music agency dedicated to finding and crafting unique soundtracks.