SEEN:: Beyond the Surface

She was twenty minutes late. Eight months later, she was still paying for it.She trained him. He got the promotion.She said it first. Twelve minutes later, someone else got the credit.You may know these moments. You may have lived them.SEEN: Beyond the Surface is an illustrated collection of short stories about being overlooked, misjudged, and the surprising outcomes that follow. Through ordinary people facing painfully familiar situations, Lance Clarke explores the distance between who we are and what others think they see.Meet Maya, whose stalled train becomes the beginning of a judgment she never hears. Dana, whose dedication leaves her wondering why she keeps getting passed over. Keisha, whose talent everyone praises but nobody thinks to hire. And Luis, whose knowledge seems to disappear the moment people are watching.At work, at home, and in the moments when being noticed matters most, a quiet assumption can shape what happens next.These stories invite you into the conversations, disappointments, and unexpected encounters that rarely appear on a résumé, and often explain more than one ever could.For anyone who has worked hard, meant well, or had something valuable to offer and still wondered, "e;Why don't they see it?"e;You may recognize someone in these pages.You may recognize yourself.