Someone once told me…

It was @sleepydog (aka Toby Moores) who pointed out Mario Cacciottolo to everyone, across a crowded room during Amplified08 at Nesta last year. That was the first time I’d heard of Mario and his website, Someone Once Told Me.

SOTM is a great social project because it works on many levels: Mario can take a photo of you when he meets you, in passing, on the street; you can contact Mario with your story and arrange your own personal “shoot”, or you can bypass Mario altogether, take your own pic and email it in.

The message is simple: what did someone once say to you that made a difference to your life? As Mario points out, the idea of photographing (or videoing) people holding up placards with a handwritten message isn’t a new one. But, until now, that message has always been something that the subject of the picture has thought. The SOTM project brings in a third party – and a whole new dimension.

Mario started the project two years ago, inspired by an email sent him by a friend. Since then, hundreds of people from all over the world have taken part.

A few weeks after the Nesta event, I bumped into Mario at Tuttle Club and we chatted a bit more about SOTM. That got me thinking about an important thing someone might have once told me.

And it’s a nice thing to play around with once you get the head space, because we don’t usually take enough time to reflect on our lives, particularly significant changes and that sort of thing.

After meeting Lila’s dad, the birth of our daughter is probably the single most important thing that’s happened to me, and it was sweet to get the chance to remember that. Which is why I’m smiling in the picture.

You can see Mario’s write up here.

SOTM is a fun project – you should take part!