Vlogs
Vlogs were new and unfamiliar to me
when I first started following one, a little over two years ago. I came across
Eight Miles From Home, an almost-daily video diary made by a young English
expat couple living in Portugal.
My youtube viewing experience up to
that point had consisted primarily of travel videos. Some were slickly
produced, like those made by Expedia, or Rick Steves, and some were less
so. I was a fan of Kees Colijn’s videos in which he simply turns on a camera
and walks, or bikes, around a city for an hour or so. He has made videos in
many places, but it was his native Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, that I
was interested in seeing. In true Amsterdam fashion, he shows no fear of
getting hit, or running into, cars or bikes.
In the months leading up my trip to
Europe in 2016 I watched his videos frequently, whetting my appetite for my
travel to come. After my trip, watching one of his walks in Amsterdam, I
realized that he was walking through the neighborhood, and within a block, of
the apartment I had stayed in. I found this very exciting.
After watching one of my travel
videos, youtube had some recommendations for other things I might be interested
in, including Eight Miles From Home. I started
watching it regularly. The videos are well shot and edited, some of the
best I have seen in terms of photography and especially pacing. I find the hosts thoughtful, insightful,
and engaging. Jmayel and Sacha seemed basically to be quiet introverts, who found personal
value in forcing their personalities outward to do their vlogs, and to live the lives they have wanted.
The image above is a recent drawing
of a hinge, and part of a doorway leading to another door. I thought this drawing seemed relevant to the way vlogs cover the small details of their makers' everyday lives. My sketchbook wasn't with me, so I had to draw in my lined notebook
intended for verbal notes.
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