Connor Franta

“YouTube is, like, the new reality television.”

“I like The Erised for the harmony of their addictive beats mix, and I like Allie X for her distinct style and incredible lyrics - they are pure art.”

“I think it's kind of a scary time we're getting into - like, when you're hanging out with people, they'd rather be on the phone than talk to you.”

“When you're with real people, you don't have to be with virtual people.”

“Making YouTube videos while I was in school, I was fortunate enough not to really have any negative repercussions from it. I had a lot of positive feedback from my friends, who thought they were great and thought they were funny and that what I was doing was really cool.”

“Using the correct apps can completely change how your photos look. It's really exciting because once you've already taken a good photo, it can become 10 times better if you use the right combination of apps. My favorites are VSCO Cam, Afterlight, Facetune and SKRWT.”

“Take it from a middle child; being a middle child sucks. You have neither the responsibility that comes with being the oldest nor the luxury that comes with being the baby. You have N O T H I N G. No label. No identity. Not to mention my fellow middle child, Nicola, was the only girl in the family. See! Nothing! You're the in-between child, squeezed into the order of things. You're the Idaho to New York and Los Angeles. You're the regular-sized cup in between the large and small. (I actually like a good medium-sized drink, to be quite honest, but you get the point.)”

“People are beautiful. All people, of all shapes and sizes. The fact that we are living, breathing organisms that happen to have opposable thumbs, allowing us to pick up our phones and be on it for the entire damn day, is nothing short of brilliant. What makes us even more magnificent as a species is that we are lucky enough to be uniquely different - and it's THAT individuality we must each harness and celebrate.”

“The work I've done through my Common Culture Music series has enabled me not only to share my joy of music at scale but also promote the artists I love.”

“today my heart was ripped in twoone half for me, one half for you take a half and keep it neari have mine and will always be here crossing paths before the endonce a lover, forever a friend”

“I would love to continue working behind the scenes in music - to produce and manage up-and-coming musical talent would be a dream!”

“When a moment in front of me appears to be particularly special, whether it be by beauty or experience, I capture it. I usually find a reason to justify taking that photo - symmetry, or color, or contrast - and it's my hope that my photography sheds light onto what I see and do on a daily basis.”

“Sometimes, cameras can't capture a scene like your brain does. But the use of apps can help get it just a little closer to reality.”

“I'm a little bit shy and from the Midwest, so to be so open and honest with millions of people is pretty difficult. To have people constantly having an eye on you and very interested in what you're doing at all times - it can be a little stressful at times.”

“I don't tend to do a whole Instagram theme. I like to capture the moment in front of me and make it look as good as possible!”

“I could Photoshop for hours. I spend way too much time making thumbnails. I spend, like, two hours on my thumbnails sometimes just because it's, like, fun.”

“I wanted to share my love of coffee with a wider audience and also continue to raise money for The Thirst Project through Common Culture Coffee.”