Home: Just a concept?

Whenever I feel a flash of inspiration and I'm away from my laptop or notebook, I jot my ideas down in the 'Notes' section on my phone. I'm sure this isn't a surprising concept; many people do it. 

I found this note I'd left myself among the list of disjointed ramblings and thought I'd share it. So, here you have some thoughts conjured up many miles away from 'home'. 

As I type this, I'm sat on a plane 39,000 feet in the air on my way to Morocco to complete my charity expedition and (hopefully) summit Mount Toubkal. And as this metal tube hurtles it's way through the air at 499mph, I've been thinking a lot about the concept of home.

For a lot of people, the word 'home' conjures up images of parents, family, a childhood setting, maybe Christmas or other similar occasions. Family; security; safety. For others, it may mean a city, town, village; simply the place in which they're from. Somewhere they can ground themselves; a pivot from which they can resonate.

But for me, I'm unsure what home means. Sure, my first instinct would be to describe my mother's house; the place where I grew up. Or Coventry, as that's where I was born and where I've always lived. However, in the past year, I've lived in a number of houses in the same city, with a range of different people and they've all strangely felt at some point like 'home' to me. I don't know whether this just makes me an adaptable person, or whether I'm just a little lost.

So, I guess, what I would have to say is that for me, home can't be based solely on location or memories. It's a feeling, a concept. My home is wherever I feel most content; a place I can relax; a place filled with laughter, song, and most importantly, a place where I can be inspired. It can stay constant, or it can change without me even realising. 

I also feel a if a person can have more than one home. To me, the family home will always be my 'home', but it won't be the only home I have. And that's okay. 

I guess I'm lucky to have found more than one place where I can feel comfortable, and as long as I have that place to escape to when things get tough, everything will be okay one way or another.  

A

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xxxx

Dear Autumn,

You're a challenging one aren't you?

Along with your vibrant influx of colour, you bring winds of change.

Of challenge.

Of slight discomfort.

Yet, you've always been my favourite. Despite the struggles nestling just underneath the surface, you bring with you something so special.

A rusty hopefulness.

The chance of something new; a fresh start, a new beginning.

As the leaves flutter down from the branches, their job for the year complete, I imagine brushing away my worries just as simply.

But, it's not that easy is it?

Unlike your relentlessly happy sibling Summer, it's easier to feel alone when you're around, Autumn. Troubles and worries creep up on me in the early evening dusk. As the nights draw in quicker than before, I find myself contemplating a lot.

It becomes far too easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of negative thoughts. Like the leaves whistling, weaving and winding their way through the wind, my mind takes over and anxiety kicks in.

But, that's okay. I can manage with the worries; they teach me new things about myself and they remind me that I care. For months during Summer, everything is lightweight, free, fun and easy. Autumn arrives and we're thrust back in to the realms of the real world, as suddenly as we're jolted out into the cold. 

But, you're not a burden to me Autumn. Far from that. Instead, you teach me to embrace the changing landscape. By testing and challenging me in more ways than one, you remind me that the best memories come from not running and hiding from that which scares me. 

Autumn; you're a time for snuggling, for curling up in the warmth with a mug of tea as big as my face. 

For laughter, for music concerts, for new books, new friends, new moments to treasure. 

A time for reflection, for realising that everything is going to be alright one way or another. 

For remembering who and what means the most to me, and clinging onto them as we head towards the magic that is Winter.

You may not be as warm and inviting as Summer, but my gosh Autumn, you sure have my heart.

A

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xxxx

Summer in the City! | Part 3

Hello!

This is my third and final post on this year's Summer in the City! If you haven't read parts 1 and 2, you can check them out HERE and HERE. Yesterday's posted ended with me mentioning the planned trip to India that Jack and Finn (jacksgap), Louis (funforlouis), Ben (benbrown) and some others are going on next month. Two of my favourite YouTubers are Louis and Ben. They are both relatively small in the YouTube world- with Ben having less than 50,000 subs. However, they both upload high quality daily vlogs and I watch their content daily. 

After the panel with the twins, Cara and I headed into the West Hall for some food. I decided I quite fancied an ice cream so we moved over to the stand and to my surprise we bumped into none other than Ben himself! He was at the coffee stand with Steve Booker, another of Louis' closest friends. I had not expected to bump into either of them, and was very happy that I had! Due to not a lot of people knowing who they were, I got the opportunity of having an actual conversation with the guys, and they are just as lovely off screen as they are on! Meeting them both was a highlight of my weekend; it's much nicer to actually have a conversation with a creator than it is to just run up and snap a selfie with them. That being said, I did grab a cheeky photo with them both.

Steve

Ben

 (At the end of the post there will be links to everyone I have mentioned so far; I highly recommend you check these boys out. I predict they're going to become very popular very fast!)

After this, we stayed in the Mainstage area for the closing entertainment. Jack and Dean performed a brilliantly hilarious live set in which they sang Incognito for the final time! Their pairing works so well, they bounce off each other brilliantly. The crowd were going wild; the atmosphere was amazing! After them, the wonderful Hank Green performed for us all. I know I've said this before, but isn't he just the best?! Anyone that sings songs about why their should be an eighth Harry Potter wins in my book. Apart from this though, Hank raised a brilliant point regarding the struggle the media has reporting on an event like Summer in the City as unless you are a part of the YouTube community, it can be a difficult concept to grasp. He then said we should give them something to report that they could understand. 'Hair for Hazel' is a campaign his brother John has become involved in recently since the actress who is playing Hazel in the film adaptation of his novel 'The Fault in our Stars' cut her long locks off. It involves cutting off at least 8 inches of your hair, and sending it to a charity that provides wigs for children who have lost their hair. Hank called up on stage Rosianna, John's assistant and proceeded to cut off her beautifully long hair, live! 

Here is her vlog of the exact moment 9,000 people cheered as her hair fell down:

Alternatively, if this doesn't work you can watch the video HERE.

The whole thing ended Summer in the City on such an inspiring high. The creators and organisers of the event did such an unbelievably good job at pulling the weekend off. They overcame many obstacles on the first day, and the whole thing ran so smoothly. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and will definitely be returning next year!

I hope you have enjoyed hearing about my experience at SitC. I found it so inspiring to be surrounded by such a vast amount of content creators both big and small. It reminded me that to get better at something you love doing, you have to practice and to push yourself. As the saying goes, 'Do more of what makes you happy.'

Although I am not brave enough to sit infront of a camera and talk to people the way many vloggers do, I adore sharing stories with people. And I love writing, therefore I am determined to get better at blogging. I am going to post more, (dare I even say daily?!) about my life and the things I am learning about myself and my surroundings as I complete my degree. My life may not be the most interesting, but even if only ONE person reads, I'll be happy. So thankyou, if you have read this far. I promise I'm going to try and make these better!

A

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xxxx

P.S. Here are the links to everyone I have mentioned if you haven't already checked them out!

Hank and John - http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers

Ben Brown - http://www.youtube.com/user/benbrown100

Steve - http://www.youtube.com/user/stevebooker

Louis - http://www.youtube.com/user/FunForLouis 

Jack and Finn - http://www.youtube.com/user/JacksGap
Rosianna - http://www.youtube.com/user/missxrojas

Summer in the City! | Part 1

Hello!

As I mentioned in my previous post, last weekend I travelled down to London with my friend Cara to attend Britain's largest YouTube gathering, Summer in the City. The event was held at Alexandra Palace and around 9000 people came! I had an awesome time, so thought I would share some of my favourite parts here with you.

The day before SitC was set to begin, we had booked with the Megabus to take us down to London. It was a typical Midlands morning; the rain drizzling down from the grey sky. Still, this didn't stump our excitement and we arrived at the stop in time to begin our weekend. Ten minutes passed. Then an hour. An hour and a half. TWO HOURS and we were still at the stop! The bus was incredibly late, and what made this worse was the fact that they didn't tell us at all. I ended up ringing the centre up in Scotland to find out how long we were going to be stuck waiting for. Eventually, it arrived and we were London bound!

After checking into our hotel, we headed out for some food and then got an early night in preparation for the exciting days ahead.

DAY ONE 

We awoke early to (thankfully) blue skies. Our hotel was situated ten minutes walk around the corner from Ally Pally so it was ultra handy. As we were ascending the hill a gradual noise could be heard getting louder the nearer we approached; the sound of excited chat as people sat on the floor queuing to get in. I couldn't believe the size of it considering it was only 9:30am! However, it moved pretty quickly; the staff and volunteers were so professional and we found ourselves in the venue at 11:10am. Alexandra Palace is HUGE. I loved the style of the building, it has such a classic vibe to it what with the huge rooms combined with delicate dated decor. 

We had looked at the schedule previous to the event and planned the main things we wanted to attend. The first place we went was to the West Hall for Joe Sugg and Jim Chapman's Meet and Greet. The room was packed within the first few seconds. I was surrounded by girls charging through one another to reach queues. As Joe and Jim were scheduled at the same time as Jack and Finn, and Dan and Phil you can imagine the demand for space. It was confusing which queue to get into and for a while we were stood in the wrong one! The queue moved pretty quickly for us though and we got the chance to meet the boys. They were both so lovely! 

Before heading to the Taste and Decency panel, we had the chance to hear both Dave Giles and Daniel Dobbs perform on the main stage. They're both excellent musicians - definitely take some time to check their channels out if you haven't!

I found the Taste and Decency panel very interesting. The panel included comedians who push boundaries within their content, for example Benjamin Cook, Jack Howard, Emma Blackery, Hazel Hayes. The main topics discussed were to do with the amount of freedom content creators have on YouTube as opposed to other media platforms such as television and print and whether this helps or hinders a comedian, and whether this freedom of speech is good or bad. It was nice to get the opportunity to hear about the issues they have had behind the camera since we are so used to just watching them be 'funny.' 

Another debate raised was whether a viewer should be offended by jokes made within comedy. Some excellent points were made on this, especially by Jack and Ben. They were talking about how if something is addressed well, and clearly intended to be a joke then no, it shouldn't really have any offense taken from it. However, there is a fine line that can sometimes become blurred. Comedians have to be careful not to be misleading with their language, as Ben found out in the Becoming YouTube episode directed at the 'Women of YouTube.' If something is worded wrongly, you can have some pretty harsh labels thrown at you.

The panel ended with a focus on the community that is YouTube. Because it is a community and a conversation between creator and viewer, situations can be addressed directly. Therefore, when Ben accidentally offended many women with his episode, he got the brunt of the attacks back directly. That way he was able to address the issue immediately. Other media platforms don't have this. They lack the personality that YouTube has. 

After the panel, we headed back into the Mainstage area where we got the unexpected chance to meet Brad and Liam from World of the Orange and the lovely Jack Howard! This was great as their actual Meet and Greet's clashed with other things we wanted to do, so we had resigned ourselves to the idea of not being able to meet them!

FRIENDLY FLOWER!

As you can probably tell by the title of the post, I have decided to upload my SitC 'story', if you will, in more than one part so that I don't end up rambling on and on and on. 

If you've made it to the end of this one, thankyou! I hope you'll return tomorrow for Part Two!

Did you go to SitC this year? Have you ever been to an event like this? I'd love to hear from you if you have! 

I'd also be very grateful if you followed me on any of the links below. :)

A

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xxxx

P.S. Here are the links to everybody I have mentioned if you haven't already heard of them!

Joe - http://www.youtube.com/user/ThatcherJoe

Jim - http://www.youtube.com/user/j1mmyb0bba

Dan - http://www.youtube.com/user/danisnotonfire

Phil - http://www.youtube.com/user/AmazingPhil

Dave - http://www.youtube.com/user/DaveJGiles

Ben - http://www.youtube.com/user/ninebrassmonkeys 

Jack - http://www.youtube.com/user/JackHoward

Emma - http://www.youtube.com/user/emmablackery

Hazel - http://www.youtube.com/user/ChewingSand

WOTO - http://www.youtube.com/user/WorldOfTheOrange