12 Kinds of Kindness - logo 12 Kinds of Kindness - handheld logo Eye

Two self-centered New Yorkers, often focused on what’s ahead instead of what’s around them, created a series of 12 steps as a way to become kinder, more empathetic people. As a resolution, they practiced this for 12 months.

Kindness is one thing we all have the ability to share. It’s free, it feels great, and it’s within our control. So, why is it so difficult to be kind at times? How can we become less judgmental of others and ourselves? We tend to only see what we want to see, hear what we want to hear, and surround ourselves with people who share our own experiences and tastes. Countless scientific studies, newspaper articles, religious texts, and self-help books have tried to help us become kinder people, but how often do we really put that advice into practice?

We've all heard popular sayings like, “Treat others the way you would like to be treated” and “Don't judge another until you've walked a mile in their shoes.” Tim and Jessie wanted to take these sentiments and literally apply them to their own lives. Based on 12-step programs designed to change behaviors, they created a 12-step experiment as a way to confront their own apathy and selfishness. For 12 months, Tim and Jessie attempted to open their hearts, eyes and minds to become kinder, more empathetic people. Will kindness rub off on them? Or will they fall back into their regular, disconnected habits?

Stop by Monday to Friday, from January 13th to March 15th, to follow their story. Also, feel free to use the artwork / quotes in the stories to share your own story on social. You can download them all on the 12 Kinds of Kindness Tumblr.

Jessica portrait

Jessica Walsh is a designer and partner at Sagmeister & Walsh based in New York City. She loves avocados.

Tim portrait

Timothy Goodman is a designer and illustrator with his own studio based in New York City. He loves jazz.

##Who we are
Jessica and Timothy are the creators of the blog and book, 40 Days of Dating. They co-teach together at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and sometimes they put Quotes on Shit for fun.

##Contact us
Please direct all inquiries, love or hate mail to:
[email protected]

##Website Credit
Website Coding for 12 Kinds of Kindness site, “Let’s Talk About Mental Health,” “My Dad Is” + “Trumpsults” microsites by Gisle Nes + Peeky. Website coding for “If Trump Wins” microsite by Eric Jacobsen.

##Story Credits
All illustrations + lettering by Leah Schmidt, Timothy Goodman, and Jessica Walsh. “Let’s Talk About Mental Health” illustrations by Leah Goren. Copy editing + proofreading by Jennifer Schaffer.

##Video Credits
Steps 1, 2, 3 + 11 videos by Natalie Holt. Steps 2, 9 + 10 videos by Jason Bergman. Jessie’s step 4 video by Zak Mulligan + Giacomo Francia; Produced in Association with Public Record. Jessie’s step 6 video by Geoffrey Levy + Jason Bergman. Tim’s step 4 animations by Santiago Carrasquilla. Tim’s step 5 video & all photography by Bas Berkhout. Additional film & editing by Brian Frank. 12-step video ideas by Jessica Walsh + Timothy Goodman. Ideas + films by Daniel Forero, Aron Filkey + Zak Mulligan. Edited by Molly Brunk + Mah Ferraz.

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