Dear bartenders, baristas, waiters and waitresses!
Welcome to the project! My name is Sebastian and I’m a visual artist from Helsinki. Currently I’m working on a new book project called UNTOLD and I’m in the process of looking for short stories. Stories from the service industry: your best or worst memory from work!
I am collecting around 80 interesting memoirs that eventually will be published in the book UNTOLD. The largest part of my work is creating illustrations for all the stories. I will be drawing animals instead of people because I have no clue what you (or any other people in your story) look like. When drawing animals, you don’t have to think about characteristics such as age, gender or ethnic origin. And it’s more fun!
Why am I doing this? With the book I want to remind the reader that it is always a human being pouring the beer or preparing the cappuccino. There is never a reason to be disrespectful, yet still it happens way too often. I personally have worked in nightclubs, bars and the ‘legendary’ 24/7-shop Iso Roban Delish. So, I have my fair share of interesting encounters with customers…
Please fill in the formula below about your story. The details are explained there and how I expect you to write your story in your NATIVE language. In my opinion it will be beautiful to have a book written in many different languages, showing how diverse the industry is. Feel free to use slang words if you like, but please be gentle with curse words. There is a possibility that a translated version of the text will occur as well in the book
I basically have simply two guidelines for you. The story must have happened in Finland at some point. Secondly, I ask you to leave out all the names: yours, workplace’s, co-workers’ and the customers’. The idea of the project is to share stories, not gossip or talk badly of someone.
I want to underline that you are and will be completely anonymous. Neither me, the publisher or the reader will ever know you, just your story. If I feel your story is great but a name should be censured, I will take the freedom to do so. Finally, If there is anything I can do to assist, please reach out either on Social Medias or per E-mail.
Thank you for taking time and reading all this,
Sebastian
