Turning Outwards: Introducing Book Journey

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Above is a pirouette en dehors. It is a basic movement known by those who engage in ballet meaning “a spin, turning outwards.” This is where the dancer turns toward the direction of the leg they lift into the turning position. For instance, a dancer with their left foot in front, will lift their right foot into the pirouette and will also turn right with the pirouette en dehors. But why am I talking about an elementary ballet movement?

It’s simple. I am attempting to turn outward in a movement that I am already engaged within. That movement is my love of physical media, specifically within the context of film and books. The process of a story, whether through watching or reading, can be interpreted in a multitude of ways and also be fundamentally related. So I began asking, what about books regarding film? Or books about those who create or star in film? Or maybe even the stories of the people who get inspiration from those who create or star in film? This is where the book journey idea blossomed, but let’s go back a bit shall we…

For anyone following my YouTube channel over the past few months, I have been having friends from all over the world on to discuss their love of film. And it’s been INCREDIBLE! It all started by reaching out to my friend Chris Buie from Film Stocked, as we sat down for a 30+ minute conversation about his film journey and the paths that it continues to take him. After that moment, I knew something special was about to happen and that was the flood of guests to follow. I met with my good friend Steph (Movie Chatter), who has been a pillar of support during my early days on the platform, who shared her wonderous journey. Next, I met with my (now) girlfriend, Vanessa (Veebs), who shared her love of silent film and passion for the community that I had just started engaging with more and more. Following suit would be my friends Dave (Cinema Dave Media), Chris Mohan, SJSFilms, Sam (Film Blogger Sam), David (Cartoon Fortress), Rob (themovievault), Daniel (Cobwebs Podcast), Bailee Walsh, Doug (COOLTOY), Heath (Cereal at Midnight), and more to come!

First Book Journey w/Vanessa Buttino

Each of my friends through their film journeys, have inspired my own, and the journey never stops. Enter the Book Journey Series. As a reader of this blog, you know that I love film, records, and books, but I’ve not really crossed them over into the world of YouTube. My channel is dedicated to film and discussion on that medium, but something really clicked about a month ago. It was a conversation that I had with my girlfriend that inspired my pirouette en dehors, that spin of turning outwards towards something already going in the same direction. Why not add books to the mix?

To date, I have had two incredible guests for the Book Journey Series. The first being Veebs, that unbelievable girlfriend of mine, who had an INCREDIBLE time going down memory lane with books ranging from topics of film to art to ballet. The entire video is unedited, and she wanted it that way. It’s remarkable, honest, and raw, and certainly worth your time. Also go check out her blog. The second and most recent, was with Raquel Stecher from the Out of the Past blog and a bajillion other places (links on the blog), who has remarkable knowledge of all things classic film and the books written about that time. That astounding knowledge flows within her journey and her passion shines through with dynamism.

Both Vanessa and Raquel have fantastic stories, but this is just the start of our pirouette. There is SO much more to come! Each story that is told, whether film or book, will add movement into the ever-evolving dance that continues to inspire us. Our community has many voices and each of us motivates the other to continue this dance. With each rotation we take, turning outwards, we begin to understand what a simple spin means as a communal whole.

What do you think of this shift? Do you enjoy the Film Journey Series, Book Journey Series, or both? Let me know what you think, and reach out if you’d been interested in joining a future episode.

Thanks for reading, I’m not Jonesing around!