T H E

Q U I E T

S E R I E S

m a t t m e y e r s

a v o i c e f o r i n t r o v e r s i o n

This project was inspired by

susan cain’s book, “Quiet: the

power of introverts in a world

that can’t stop talking.”

The goal was to both highlight

the lives of introverts living

in a world of an extroverted

ideal and to give a voice to

those who are more hesitant to

speak up.

5172939

3

One out of three people

identifies as an introvert.

The Quiet Series highlights

the lives of some of these

introverts.

Society has dictated that only

the extroverted are successful

and happy. Today, our culture

dictates that the extrovert is

the ideal citizen.

However, introverts hold

their own powers but often

compare themselves to their

extroverted counterparts. This

comparison can force more

introverted individuals to

masquerade as someone

they are not.

This edition demonstrates

the quiet beauty and strength

of Cynthia Francis, Alexa

Drouin, Andrea Vernier, Matt

Meyers, Bindi Patel, Isha

Pathak, Devon Mcdaniel,

Abigail Knight, Rosemary

Bornstein, Esther Osada,

Teerth Patel, and Raquel

Dominguez. Each participant

was asked to define their

own introversion and were

interviewed about their

introverted tendencies in order

for others to understand a

quieter side of life.43

2331

273747

11 15

“Time and silence are the most luxurious things we have today” – Tom Ford

Q u o t e s I l i v e b y:

C y n t h i a F r a n c i s

5

“Time and silence are the most luxurious things we have today” – Tom Ford

5

the wallflower

Introversion is the tendency to listen rather than speak, to absorb rather than contribute, to wage a battle of words in-side your mind rather than spew out your opinions so that others can pick them apart.

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE INTROVERSION?

If you’ve ever read Perks of Being a Wallflower, Patrick (a perpetually misunderstood, yet loving friend) describes Charlie’s (introverted) character as the following, “He’s a wallflower. You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.” Introversion is internal, but others perceive it as disinterest or shyness. However, it isn’t quite the same. I could stand up in front of an audience and speak passionately about a topic and then become very uncomfortable when I have to interact one-on-one with members of that audience afterwards. Introvert’s strength lies in his/her ability to find comfort from within rather than feed off of the emotions of others. I think, as an introvert, I strove for independence from a young age. I didn’t want to put myself in a vulnerable position by depending on others so I chose to do things my own way. I was a very cautious child. I found it difficult to open up to others. I’ve grown to be more open and welcoming, but I think there will always be a reserved side to my personality that remains hidden. I think introverts are inherently more protective of themselves, their dreams and their desires.

7

The quiet ones are secretly the wittiest.

Embrace it. As for extroverts, I secretly admire them.

Just don’t tell them that.

Name: CYNTHIA FRANCIS

Hometown: NEWBURGH, INDIANA

Major: BIOLOGY

Ambition in life: AS BEYONCE

ONCE SAID...”TO BE HAPPY”

Dream job: ONE WHO DELIVERS

BABIES AND COLLECTS FINE ARTWORK

Hobbies: COMPLAINING ABOUT BEING

PREMED, READING, PINNING OUTFIT

IDEAS ON PINTEREST, WATCHING PEOPLE

on youtube do makeup, collaging,

stress-cleaning, and always

listening to music

9

WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP?

I grew up in a more submissive Asian household. It was lov-ing, but protective, and built on fostering education and values. I grew up with high expectations and learned to build a work ethic to accom-plish many goals I would have otherwise avoided without my parents motivation. With that said, my family values a quiet and respectful younger gener-ation. Rather than voice your opinions and have thoughtful discussion, we were expected to obey without question. I would say that my cousins and I had to push against this standard for the majority of our lives, especially since we grew up in the US. The more relaxed, open mentality in the states was drastically differ-ent from the rigid, traditional climate in India and this cul-ture shock was difficult for my parents to absorb. Within my family, I was accepted as a qui-

et, introverted bookworm, but at school or social gatherings I felt uncomfortable and de-veloped a different persona. I turned into someone more open and self-assured and direct. I used biting words and sarcasm as a defense mechanism against my own discomfort.

WHERE ARE YOU MOST COMFORTABLE?

My room. Where I hang pho-tos with friends and keep ran-dom knick-knacks. Where I drop my backpack and the weight of the day. Where I collapse after a long day and don’t have to pretend like ev-erything is peachy keen. In my room, I can have a mini panic attack, vent to my roommate, call my mom, take a shower, make a sandwich, and just get on with life.

WHERE DOES YOUR MIND DRIFT?

When I listen to music, I cre-ate scenarios for specific songs as they play out. I consider

myself a professional day-dreamer; like I would add that to my resume. I usually drift off to future scenarios I make up in my head, and they are the most random things like my white coat ceremony when I eventually make it to medi-cal school or the speech I’m going to give at my brother’s wedding (he’s only 12). I enjoy planning out my future, but I’ve noticed that reality doesn’t always follow my ideas.

WOULD YOU SAY YOU USE YOUR POWERS OF INTROVERSION TO GET AHEAD?

I’m still trying to figure that out myself, actually. Introverts are like human sponges, or wall-flowers. We sit and absorb ev-erything, every opinion, every remark, every emotion, and we gain the most from these experi-ences. My roommate described it as autonomy, or the ability to take all considerations into account and formulate an inde-pendent, intellectual opinion.

“Time and silence are the ,

most luxurious things we ,

have today.”

– Tom Ford

“hardships often prepare ,

ordinary people for an ,

extraordinary destiny.”

– C.S. Lewis

“It is not the strongest of<

the species that survives.<

nor the most intelligent.<

it is the one that is most <

adaptable to change.”

– Charles Darwin

The shower is my sanctuary. I feel like everyone takes a shower to unwind, reflect, and maybe even just chill for a bit. I try to be really philosophical or just reenact conversations from the day. Its great. In the future, I would like to invest in one of those fancy shower heads that make you feel like your standing under pouring rain.

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF EXTROVERTS?

I feel that the world puts extroverts on a pedestal and prizes that outgoing quality in a person. I sometimes wish I wanted to go out to more parties, or didn’t get anxiety over having to e-mail or call someone I don’t know. But, at times, I also can appreciate that I don’t constantly need to be in the presence of other people and can enjoy my time alone. I never truly feel bored because there’s so much in the world I find fascinating, and I feel that an extrovert can never really appreciate being alone. I think it’s good that there is a combination of extroverted and introverted people, though, because I honestly appreciate my extroverted friends who help me put myself out there. HOW DO YOU USE YOUR POWERS OF INTROVERSION TO GET AHEAD?

I’m not the kind of person to talk just to fill silence, so anything I say has a purpose and is thought out, and I try to be as genuine with my words as possible. Essentially, when I have a conver-sation, it’s about the quality of what I say, not the quantity. In conversations, I generally do a lot more listening than talking. So when someone needs to vent or talk about something, I’m able to make them feel appreciated. I’m actually listening and comprehending what they say, not just hearing and waiting for my turn to speak. I also have a quieter demeanor, which can sometimes be more comforting for people in stressful situations. So, I guess I don’t try to get ahead, but maybe instead take a step back to reflect in order to know where to take my next steps.

Being introverted means that a person doesn’t neces-sarily need constant social interaction in order to feel fulfilled. You can still have an appreciation for people and social environments but not feel the need to be in-teracting with others all the time.

Thelistener

11

Name: Alexa Drouin

Hometown: O’Fallon, Illinois

Major: Public Health and International

Studies, pre-med

Ambition in life: To travel the world and to

be an active learner for the rest of my life

Dream job: working in a national park or any

job that allows me to travel

Hobbies: Reading, listening to music,

photography, hiking, drawing, knitting,

singing, etc. I like to do a lot of stuff

13

WHERE ARE YOU THE LEAST AND MOST COMFORTABLE?

Parties used to be such a struggle to en-dure. Even now in college, I’ll leave par-ties early, partly because I may not know people, but more so because I’d rather just watch a movie in comfy clothes or hang out with a few close friends. I do, how-ever, enjoy going out every now and then with friends. I am most comfortable anywhere I can be alone to read, or watch Netflix, or just lounge. I’m also really comfortable in my best friends’ houses, so I can be comfort-able around other people. I feel the most comfortable when I know the majority of people in a room. From time to time, I have to be by myself, and I will gener-ally knit, or clean, or read a book just to re-center myself.

DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH ANY FAMOUS INTROVERTS?

Emma Watson, for sure. I remember she said she can appreciate partying and that lifestyle, but for the most part she doesn’t feel the need to go out every night and constantly around stimulation and excite-ment. I think we are similar in that aspect.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP AS AN INTROVERT?

I got grounded for reading too much, because I preferred to read a book rath-er than hang out with my classmates or friends. I always felt this constant pres-sure to act outgoing or exciting because that seemed to be what people desired in a friend. I had quite a few friends as a kid. but my best friends were always my siblings.

IS ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR FAMILY INTROVERTED?

I’d say all my siblings and I are pretty re-served for the most part, but my younger sister is definitely the most introverted of the four of us.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO INTROVERTS?

Don’t try to be anything but yourself. Embrace the introverted-ness, but also don’t fall into this trap of either defining yourself as strictly introverted or extro-verted. You can be extroverted and still enjoy reading, or be introverted and enjoy a night out with friends; there is fluidity to the interpretation of being introverted or extroverted.

Don’t fall into the trap of defining yourself as strictly introverted or extroverted. You can be extroverted and still enjoy reading, or be introverted and enjoy a night out with friends; there is fluidity to the interpretation being introverted or extroverted.

15

The online version of this magazine has expired.

The Fourth Edition of “The Quiet Series” is now

available for purchase on Lulu.com. Click this link

or search “The Quiet Series” at Lulu.com to

purchase a copy.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/matt-meyers/the-quiet-series/paper-

back/product-21937386.html