The man replied to her three questions, and as she was walking away, he stopped her to say that she would write a book one day, and it would be called, We're Not Really Strangers. “I always asked people my three signature questions, at the time, when taking their photos - what is your name, your age, and what are you passionate about?” On one particular day while walking to her car from a modeling job, she spotted a man sitting, reading poetry - intrigued, Odiney felt compelled to approach him and photograph him. I felt I could approach and talk to anyone, because I had a camera - I used to refer to it as my passport to people.” As it turns out, the lens through which Odiney saw human connection is what opened her eyes to her life’s purpose. “I would go out and photograph my peers and strangers, and that was my sense of identity. With an innate eye for photojournalism, the camera became her gateway to approach strangers - which led to her first serendipitous encounter, sparking the idea for WNRS. She also worked as a model on the side, and always brought her camera along to take pictures between gigs.

While growing up in Los Angeles, Odiney was always passionate about photography, so much so that in high school she was placed on the yearbook committee. While Odiney knew she had a greater purpose when it came to this concept and mission, it took some serendipitous encounters with strangers to lead to her breakthrough, as the creator of this viral movement. The prompts and mechanism of the WNRS game are all strategically designed for players to go deeper when it comes to asking questions and listening. We're Not Really Strangers card game, Photo Credit: Daniela Ruiz Photo Credit: Daniela Ruiz

Talk to strangers game