Behind the scene: This is a teenager - by Alvin Chang
I recently published a piece in the Pudding called This is a teenager. This post is about how the piece was done, so it might be useful to read the story before you read this.
I’m often asked how long a project takes and what that process looks like. I usually give a vague answer like, “Probably a total of four weeks, spread across several months.” But I always knew that was a bullshit answer, because time is actually a really bad measure for what it takes to finish a project.
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A few years ago, I started teaching full-time at the New School after being an adjunct for many years. As I spent more time on campus, I witnessed small life events derailing students’ lives.
It often started with something as small as getting sick and missing a few classes. That quickly snowballed into losing a job, getting overwhelmed with school work, or experiencing a mental health crisis. For some, that meant dropping out of school, which meant they had loads of debt without a degree. While their classmates graduated and worked fulfilling jobs, their lives stalled as they figured out their place in the world.
