There’s no doubt, the people of Charleston are what make this city so special. From the business owners to the people in the back of your favorite restaurant who keep things afloat, to the artists, teachers, and everyday folk who give the city its heart.
Oscar from One Beautiful Question agrees; you may recognize him from your social feed, interviewing local celebrities, business owners, and everyday locals. He’s on a mission to share conversations with Charlestonians through street interviews and poetry.
Keep reading to see how he got started on this journey.
Oscar recently chatted with Craig Conover, of Southern Charm, Sewing Down South, and By The Way, about forgiveness.
Photo by Oscar Mooew
What inspired you to start this series?
It started really simply. I was writing poetry, and when I shared my writing with my wife, Allie, her first response was, “Other people need to hear this.” So we made an Instagram page. In the beginning, it was just me sharing recordings of my poems. But the more we put the work out there, the more we realized the poems weren’t meant to be one-way.
We decided to take it to the streets of Charleston and see what would happen if we shared a poem with a stranger and then asked them the question it was built around — something like, “If hope could speak, what would it say?” That’s kind of when everything shifted.
What do you hope viewers take away from your series?
We hope people walk away realizing that, at our core, we aren’t that different after all. We’re all carrying something. We’re all hoping for something. We’re all doing the best we can with what we’ve been given.
If the series does anything, we hope it reminds people that there’s more that connects us than divides us.
Do you have an interview that has stuck with you and you still think about?
Honestly, they kind of all stay with me. Different conversations come back at different times, depending on what’s going on in life. My wife and I talk all the time about the people we’ve met and the interviews we’ve had.
If I had to choose one, I’d say when we met local artist Douglas Balentine and asked, “If imperfection could speak, what would it say?” Hearing his perspective as an artist was powerful. The way he talked about imperfection, not as something to hide, but as something that gives character and meaning, that really stuck with me. It was one of those conversations that keeps unfolding the more you think about it.
What is your end goal for this series?
The end goal is to take 1BQ all over the country and around the world. To keep the conversations going. To show our children that you can build a beautiful life for your family while doing something you love.
What’s one question you wish people would ask you?
I wish someone would ask me, “Should I take the leap and do the thing I’ve always wanted to do?” So I could tell them “yes.” It’s changed our lives, and it just might change yours too.
