beat 30 - noyau

"Je l'avoue que la verite parle au dedans du coeur, rentre dans mon coeur et mon ame te quidera au dela de mes sentiments, j'ecoute mon coeur et je trouvele chemin de ma vie.

accueille la souffrance et la mensonge j'en sortirai plus forte. tout e que j'ecris vient du coeur."

Jennifer Lamiraoui, Paris

Model, Elite

Translation: "I admit that the truth talks from deep inside the heart, enter my heart and my soul will guide you further than my feelings. I listen to my heart and I find the path to life.

Welcome the suffering and my lies and I will come out stronger, all I write comes from my heart."

beat 29 - dual

"My heart is my weakness and my strength."

-Jasmina Tomic, from former Yugoslovia via New Zealand + Paris

Photo assistant, jasminatomic.com

beat 28 - full disclosure

"My heart, has felt like its been beating harder than usual for a couple of weeks. I try to be fearless, honest and open about issues of the heart but sometimes I still get a little lost."

-Dan Rushton, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Artist

beat 27 - strength

"Don't ever be afraid to fall in love and get your heart broken. It will only make it bigger and stronger."

-Flavia Cardoso, Brooklyn, NY

Jewelry Designer, Flavia Cardoso Jewelry

beat 26 - bits

"I was born three months premature and weighed just over 2 pounds. My heart was no bigger than a pinhead, and it fought to survive. Perhaps this is where I get my strength. My heart is still small, because pieces of it lie elsewhere - I like it this way. You can find some of it in Heaven (my mom lives there). Another piece can be found in the Midwest with my dad, my best friend. Other bits lie within those who have touched my life along the way. And wherever I go...a small part will always remain in New York."

-Tina Smithers, New York, NY

writer, blogger

beat 25 - cracked

"My heart is broken when I take the time to look at it. I think many people's are. And that's totally fine, and maybe even beautiful."

-George Barberis, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Photographer, www.georgebarberis.com

beat 24 - Graceland

And I see losing love is like a window in your heart

Everybody sees you're blown apart

Everybody feels the wind blow

-Paul Simon

"My heart is simple. The love of my life was day in and day out the best part of me and I believe this love will be again someday.

Me. Him. Babies. Crab Shack. Montauk. The End. Simple."

-Tara Cooney, Hoboken, NJ

Fashion Sales

beat 23 - otherworldly

"My heart is on fire. My heart is a billion years old."

-Dennis Curren, New Orleans, LA

Producer, New Orleans Locations Company

beat 22 - fit

"My heart is perfect. I have the most beautiful girlfriend. She looks like a model with legs up to here. She keeps my heart happy...she keeps everything happy. Ha."

-Sergeant Peter Feirmen, New Orleans, LA

New Orleans Police Department

beat 21 - pure

My heart loves to love….
My mom has always called me a love child and she recently told me how proud she was for me loving life so much. I believe in love and I believe there is a ton of different ways of loving. But I also know that love is the reason why I am alive. My parents have been together for 35 years and I was born because of their everlasting love for each other.
I love a lot and maybe I love too much. Maybe I fall in love too easily. Maybe love makes me too naive and maybe it makes me forget about reality sometimes. And maybe love makes me too fragile and hurt too many times.
But I have learned even though I am young - that I much rather want to live with a open heart and being able to love and risk being hurt than never get to experience how amazing love is.
Cause without love in life… What does it all matter?

-Katharina Damm, Copenhagen, Denmark

Model

beat 20 - pieces

"I used to live life with a closed heart. Recently, I fell in love like I have never before. Even though she broke my heart I experienced what it was like to live and love like there was no tomorrow. I picked up the pieces of my broken heart and truthfully am still picking few bits of them up. I will never go back to living disconnected. Love always with an open heart and lay everything on the table. It's so rewarding. All I have is this moment. My heart is open."

-Josh Madson, Santa Monica, CA

Photographer

beat 19 - self medicated

"I've been coming to this here park to fish since I was 5 or 6 years old. I'm 56 now. I have 6 heart stents and I'm on dialysis, I come here after to fish because I love it. It calms me after my treatments. It's fun. Keeps me going. You come to the park, I'll be here."

-Joseph "JC" Durr, Meatre, LA 

beat 18 - real

"My heart? This heart? It's beating."

-Mike Irwin, New Orleans, LA

Enterprise Rent A Car Assistant Vehicle Repair Coordinator

beat 17 - disproportionate

I ask him about his heart, within seconds he lets out a carefree laugh, smiles at me + says, "My heart is too big for me. At least that's what they say. But I always feel good. So you tell me what the problem with that is." And again, a simple laugh. 

-Bernard, Queens, NY by way of Aruba 40+ years ago

Custodial Maintenance Manager

beat 16 - awe

"My heart never expected Liam would bring such peace, patience and gratitude."

-Ashley Waters, New York City

mother to Liam, 7 months

beat 15 - contented

"My heart is very quiet. Very happy. My heart is much better than it was years ago. Because I don't smoke. And I have less stress. Maybe a little bit tired. But happy and lucky to be together for a long time with my girlfriend. I think that's all that matters. It's simple. It's quiet."

-Dennis Yegin, Istanbul, Turkey

beat 14 - adventure

"My heart needs to travel. My heart needs a new experience to feel something it has never felt...whether it be good or bad."

-Anthony Carrino, Jersey City, NJ

Brunelleschi Construction

beat 13 - open

"My heart is out there, waiting to be swept away by its soulmate."

-Molly Gallagher, New York City

Fashion producer + stylist

beat 12 - unobstructed

"It's on my sleeve."

-Kristen Collins, New York City

Production Director at Delias Inc.

beat 11 - captured

"My heart is happiest when I'm with those who love me unequivocally and without question. My family, Aggie, friends. I'm so lucky! But the one thing that makes my heart beat triple time is this smile that Aggie sometimes gives, it's a very specific smile. I can feel all of her love and every bit of her happiness that comes from us. I knew she captured my heart because making her happy makes me happy and makes my heart happy. Lately there are a hundred songs that get my heart going. "Here There and Everywhere" by the Beatles is one that aggie turned me on to. It's one of our songs. Pearl Jam's "Just Breathe" is another, it has amazing lyrics that make me appreciate how much I have."

-Michael Zaro, New York City

beat 10 - credence

"My transcendental heart: As my heart ships out to the vast uncharted sea of ignorance, circling around the venomous islands of doubt and worry, you, heart are able to navigate and reach the golden shore of the beyond...thank you from my amygdala!"

- Christopher Bobal, Hoboken, NJ

beat 9 - virtuous

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. -Maya Angelou

I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone. It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them. People so seldom say I love you and those three words can make another person's day. I feel incredibly lucky for all the love that surrounds me, especially the love of my family, as that is life's greatest blessing.

And so I leave you with this...

"Never frown, because you don't know, whose falling in love with your smile"...

-Georgina Cohen, London

Art Dealer, Gagosian Gallery London

beat 8 - dauntless

"It runs deep

never afraid

no regrets

always looking forward

as scary as it may seem

life's a book you close

a chapter and open a new one."

-Venus Bodillo, Bronx, NY

Fashion company receptionist in NYC

beat 7 - femme

"What do I love about my heart? I love the happiness it always has because it makes me feel like a better person in this world. There are three important women in my heart, they each hold a special place. My mother is the one who brought me to this world and loves me unconditionally. My fiance is the woman who has completed my heart. And my sister is always there to make any bad situation into a better one. But it's fatherhood that brings out every emotion that my heart never experienced before."

-Luis Torres, Brooklyn, NY

Concierge specialist

beat 6 - kin

"I have my mothers heart...

she's the most beautiful, most caring and loving woman I have ever known. She'll do anything and everything in her power to keep me smiling...even if it seems stupid - and permanent. Ever since I can remember I had wanted a tattoo - it was my 17th birthday when my mom finally gave in and took me to get my first tattoo - little did she know it'd be the day she got her first as well. There's no one I love more in the world then my mother, she's my role model, my inspiration so it only seemed natural to have my first tattoo relate to her. I had her draw a small heart on a piece of paper which was traced onto my hip, after it was made permanent my mother took a deep breath, switched seats with me and received the same exact heart. Some may find this stupid and weird, but I see it as one of the tiny examples of how my mother, my best friend, would do absolutely anything and sacrifice everything to make me happy. I only hope and pray that one day I can have as an amazing beautiful heart as my amazingly beautiful mother."

-Dylan Rait, Armonk, NY

fashion intern/student

beat 5 - bestow

As we walked together talking about love in life she tells me "my heart is too big for my own good. So I often hide it from myself, to protect it from getting hurt." Hours later, a realization, and I'm told, "my heart is for others and has always belonged to others. I don't think that will ever change."

-Willow Mayor, Brooklyn, NY

artist, hair and makeup stylist

beat 4 - perspicacious

"My heart is warm and happy because I know all of my children and grandchildren are healthy. And when you are healthy you can be happy. Life is never smooth like water. There are bumps. You need to go with the bumps and learn not to fight. I have been married for 59 years. It has not always been easy because nothing is. We are very different people. He likes to stay home and not travel. I like to get on a plane and go - to New York, to India - I like to go. But if we were to get upset by each other's differences, we would fight. Instead we have learned to accept. You must accept. In his heart he likes one thing and my heart likes another. We get along because we understand those needs. Fighting will get you nowhere. I have had a very good life. I am very happy inside. Right now seeing my great grand child for the first time makes me even happier."

-Diane Faucon, Brussels, Belgium

Mother of 2, grandmother of 6, great grandmother to Luca

beat 3 - color

My Heart...can't help but chase rainbows. Can't settle for anything less. What I'm struggling with though, is, do rainbows even exist?

- Ellen To, New York City

Director, Design Strategy at MySpace

beat 2 - feeling it all

"It's wings are wide."

-Amanda Shine, New York City

Fashion Assistant

beat 1 - dextrocardia

"My heart -- my beating humming skipping jumping muscular physical "thing" of a heart -- came out all wrong but I turned out alright in spite of it. She's a mirror image reflection of normality (a status shared by her neighbors in there), the result of some recessive gene hoodoo that's fairly rare, statistically speaking. Situs inversus with dextrocardia is the clinical term, but I know deep down that I'm just ass-backward."

-Amy Roth, Ringwood, New Jersey

Design Director/blogger/photographer