Experience
Brain Tattoo Experience
A 30, 60, or 90-minute session where people uncover their core values through vivid personal scenes.
About Robert
WikipediaEvery person has
a story worth telling.
Dear World is a storytelling experience that transforms the way people connect with each other, with their purpose, and with the world.
Years
15+
Portraits
50,000+
Method
Brain Tattoo
Focus
Human Stories
Founder, Dear World
Meet RobertX. Fogarty.
Robert X. Fogarty is the founder of Dear World, a global storytelling movement that shares people's most meaningful stories.
Dear World began as a photographic art project on the streets of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, where Fogarty asked people to share a short message to the world. He then invited participants to write that message directly on their skin in washable black ink and be photographed by him.
The photographic style is now studied in university classrooms, published in 30 countries, and the stark images with short messages have inspired millions.
What came next was a critical insight: leaders could use the photographs and the stories behind them to deepen trust and align people with the mission, vision, and values of their organizations.
Today, CEOs and leadership teams from Google to Duke men's basketball bring Fogarty and Dear World to design experiences when they need more than a keynote. They are looking to create the kind of shared experience people remember long after the conference ends.
Dear World has been featured on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday, CNN, the BBC, Good Morning America, and the TODAY show.
Fogarty's work has taken him inside refugee camps, war zones, Ivy League and community college campuses, small associations, and Fortune 100 companies. Across every setting, Fogarty's belief remains the same:
“The best leaders do not just tell their stories. They make room for everyone else in the room to tell theirs.”
About
We don't just
take pictures.We reveal people.
Born out of the chaos of Hurricane Katrina, Dear World has spent 15+ years and over 50,000 portraits proving one thing: the most powerful story in the room is always the human one.
We created the Brain Tattoo Method, a one-of-a-kind experience that helps individuals uncover the defining moments of their lives, connect deeply with others, and walk away knowing exactly who they are and why it matters.
The most powerful story in the room is always the human one.
What We Do
Storytelling that
moves people to action.
We bring our storytelling method to keynotes, corporate events, and community gatherings, turning audiences from passive observers into active participants.
Experience
The Portrait Studio
Where a photograph becomes a mirror for your story, not just your face.
Experience
The Portrait Process
A live, large-scale event experience that makes every attendee the story, not just the audience.
What People Are Saying
"Dear World's approach to the keynote stage is some of the best I have seen. They're able to take participants and their stories and make them as memorable, or more memorable, than the most inspirational keynote speakers."
The Portrait Studio
What if a photo could tell your story?
With The Portrait Studio, we don't just take pictures. We create a storytelling experience that helps people connect deeply and authentically through photography.
Inspired by 15+ years and over 50,000 portraits, we focus on what truly matters: the person in front of the lens.
Foundation / Mission
Stories that
create change.
Through the Dear World Foundation, we invest in voices that need to be heard, from nurses on the front lines to survivors of tragedy, to artists whose work deserves a stage.
We believe that when people feel seen and heard, they show up differently, for themselves, for their teams, and for the world.
Learn About The FoundationVoices We Champion
Nurses on the front lines
Survivors of tragedy
Artists whose work deserves a stage
Contact
Ready to tell
your story?
Whether you're planning a conference for 400 or looking for a moment of meaning for your team, we're only a phone call away.
hello@dearworld.com