msuCatalyst →

By Angie Jackson

At a school populated with over 40 thousand students, the challenges of starting a unique endeavor may seem hard to swallow.

But Travis Kliemann’s recipe for success only called for three ordinary ingredients: a baseball cap, a pair of blue safety glasses and a camera. Throw in a super-sized helping of persistence and he had created something cleaver. His project, known as “My Hat and Glasses”, connects him with a significant fraction of the East Lansing area: currently 5,500 people strong, and growing each day.

If you haven't heard of Kliemann yet, then he's most likely taken a picture of one of your friends. The concept of "My Hat and Glasses" is to capture each and every person who will pose for a picture, but the catch is they have to wear his signature hat and glasses. Before the project, Kliemann, an accounting junior, rarely took any pictures. But now his digital camera accompanies him everywhere he goes in case a photo op arises. Surprisingly enough, becoming a local paparazzi wasn’t part of a well thought out plan; it was just a spur of the moment idea.

Simple yet creative, the idea for “My Hat and Glasses” sparked last April. Kliemann was hanging with friends when he stumbled across a baseball cap (which has since been altered to a trucker hat) and pair of safety glasses in his apartment. He thought it would be funny to wear the two together, and then passed it on to his buddies. He began snapping pictures and over the span of one night, he had convinced over 300 people to try on his newest fashion accessory.

Now nine months past the debut and the venture has evolved into a part-time job. Between taking pictures, uploading them and maintaining the rest of his website, Kliemann dedicates roughly eight hours a week to “My Hat and Glasses”. Everyone who participates in the project is guaranteed to find his or her picture in one of the albums online, which are updated weekly. Although time consuming, Kliemann doesn’t see himself putting a cap on the project anytime soon. With a goal of 10,000 pictures, the time spent is well worth it.

“I usually go out with my friends and then wind up disappearing to take pictures,” he said. To get the most photos, Kliemann approaches random people at parties, games, bars and anywhere there’s a crowd. A successful weekend means he has accumulated 400 or 500 pictures to add to his collection. While each photo is unique, they all have one thing in common: they showcase MSU Spartans enjoying life, while sporting the blue hat and oversized glasses.

Throughout the adventure, what’s been most significant for Kliemann is the priceless opportunity to meet new people. Approaching thousands of strangers takes courage, which he said has helped him bring the meaning of outgoing to a whole new level.

“It’s been really rewarding to meet new people and to get all of the support from them. Most people are really excited about it and love the idea,” he said. “And I’ve learned that people are much more outgoing than I thought.”

While the majority of people Kliemann approaches are thrilled about “My Hat and Glasses”, there is one miniscule concern that comes along with sharing a hat with thousands of people: lice. But no pesky parasites here, he washes the hat frequently to keep it clean.

All worries aside, it is undeniable that Kliemann is making big moves with his project. He plans to take “My Hat and Glasses” on the road this summer to Chicago and Mexico, and it’s no doubt he’ll be snapping thousands of photos. And he isn’t pulling the plug once he reaches his goal of 10,000 pictures. He hopes to attract celebrity attention and eventually make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The instant success of this spunky project goes to show that an idea doesn’t have to be complex to be meaningful; all it takes is passion and dedication. Kliemann advises anyone with the slightest flicker of creativity to act on it and set their aspirations ablaze.

“No matter how much criticism people give you, stick with it,” he said. “My friends called the whole thing stupid at first, but I’ve realized that doing something like this forces you to meet people and learn a lot about yourself at the same time.”