Ethics of Analog: A Conversation with Susie He

By
Katja
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Have you ever been to Analog Coffee on 17th ave?

If not, you may be a little uncertain as to what all the buzz is about– downtown Calgary is littered with coffeehouses. What makes Analog unique?

Well, that’s what Susie He set out to discover when she began her blog a few weeks ago. Ethics of Analog combines photographs, Susie’s own writing, and quotes from regulars to paint an intimate portrait of the coffee shop and its customers.

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Susie (over coffee at Analog, naturally) and chat a bit about the project. Susie is a peer of mine, a grade 11 student at Western Canada High School, and that’s where she originally got the idea to start her blog. What began as an exploration of ethics in philosophy class lead her to investigate the ethics of Analog Coffee— of the physical space, the environment, and the interactions of the people within it.

Tell me a bit about the inspiration for this project.

“A lot of the people that I meet at Analog are business people, entrepreneurs, or artists that represent really different world views and really different ideas. I wanted to capture that because the relationships I have with those people are really centred around being here. I decided to find what their values were because ethics is really based around finding how we should live. Now, that kind of gets down to the morality aspect but it also shows the values of us. What people value is essentially what they live by.

I compiled a bunch of interviews for people that I personally know; I got baristas, I got a few married couples, I got artists, I got a lot of entrepreneurs as this place seems to attract entrepreneurs, and I got students. I tried to diversify the ages, the occupations, and genders as best I could. I asked them “what is your most important value or leading principle or rule in your life?” and they either wrote it for me or they gave me a long recorded rant about it.”

analogcollage

Beyond the interviews, photography also played a key part in Susie’s portrayal of Analog Coffee. She explains that her choice to keep portraits in black and white is rooted in the idea that “when pictures are in black in white, there are no colours to distract you from who the person actually is“. The photos of Analog, however, she kept in colour for the reader to better “evaluate the physical place and the environment“.

Why did you choose Analog over any other coffee shop?

“It’s a really popular place in Calgary and I have a bit of a personal connection because I spend so much time here…there’s a sort of environment here where you’re able to talk to strangers and form connections. For example, there are a couple other places I go that are coffee shops, but I think that because they are so close to downtown a lot more business meetings go on there so there’s a lot less of a diverse environment and more of a business-type environment? Analog generally seems like more of a social place, and that’s why I think it’s more unique.

Also, it seems like a pretty privileged place to be, I’ll be honest. The coffee is pretty expensive, there’s a certain amount of pretentiousness…I think that creates a good environment for discussion, though. I found that when you ask, like when you ask anyone, as long as you do ask, lots of people are more open to talking.”

What made you choose a blog format?

“I thought that because it was open to the public that would be pretty cool…the blogging creates a sort of personal connection with the story. It allows for a timeline and because it goes in a sort of chronological order, you get ideas from people and then you get ideas of the interactions of values the place has. The order I put it in allows for different perspectives to be next to each other. I think it’s really effective to read it that way so you can kind of get a good sense of what people were saying. That’s also why I tried to record as many of the interviews as I could because when you hear the person talking in your head, that also creates a bit of a connection as opposed to a written format, which comes off as a bit edited. The best part of it is when you are able to read it and you’re able to connect with what the person is saying as if you’re sitting at a table with that person at Analog.”

What’s your  guiding principle? What value do you live your life by?

“I think that for me, my most guiding principle would be ‘productivity’ which is a bit weird. Once I finish the project, I feel like I’m more inclined to say something to do with connection…but I did look through what a lot of my values were and I think that it really boils down to productivity. When I answered this question before [I started the project], I said “time”… I’m 16 and I only have 60, 70 years of my life left, maybe 80. It feels long but it sounds short! I think that ties directly into productivity, and productivity ties in a lot more with my own values because I always want to be doing something, creating something…
I think in the end, when I feel like I’m doing something that adds to myself or adds to the world, I think that’s what I define as productivity.”

analog

Overall, Susie found that the commonality throughout her interviews and her observations was a theme of connection;  our human desire to form meaningful connections with others. 

“The idea of asking for someone’s name when you buy coffee even, that creates a kind of connection. I think especially because this place attracts a lot of entrepreneurs, who are largely people that work based on social connections; and because people come here to catch up with old friends or have coffee or even business meetings, that sets the basis of the idea of social connection. And further, with the kind of values that people answered with, a lot of it was based upon connection— whether it was spiritual or social or personal connection. I don’t know, that’s what I found that people value.
A huge thank you goes out to Susie for sitting down with me and sharing so much about her inspiration and vision for her blog. Her eloquence and passion are a force to be reckoned with, and if you’ve made it this far through this blog post without paying Ethics of Analog a visit, I can’t recommend it enough.
 
All photos were taken myself or used with permission from Susie’s blog
 

1 COMMENT

  1. An incredible, innovating idea! I think it’s really cool how Susie has accomplished an idea slightly similar to Humans of New York, except in just one coffee shop. It shows you a different side of people; I don’t think I’ve ever asked even my own family or friends what their leading value or priniciple is in life. Interesting 🙂

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