A couple of months ago, I posted a blog titled “Sunset in the Suburbs.” It told the story of a particularly striking sunset here in the suburbs of Suffolk, Virginia – a sunset that got me thinking about how I view the world around me. I began to recall the sunsets I’d seen throughout my travels thus far and, moreover, the stories behind them. I was drawn to the way the sun seems to have no prejudice towards what exactly it’s illuminating. You can see a great sunset anywhere.
So when I got the idea for a new media project, I turned to the subject of suburban sunsets for my first theme. When my mom hosted an event last Saturday, the videographer took one of the songs I’d performed there live and used it for the opening of the event’s DVD. Seeing the artistic shots he’d taken before the event started set to my music was a bit of an epiphany.
Any fledgling travel writer is constantly looking for their niche, their unique angle and story to tell, and for me, I’ve been searching for a way to incorporate my other loves into my writing – namely, music and photography. Seeing the DVD with a song I’d written playing over the film, I got the idea to do the same with places I’ve travelled to – with the mind of a travel writer, to tell a story with original photographs and music I’ve written. Videos like this one by World Hum’s Eva Holland have inspired me – even if I don’t plan on winning an Oscar for Best Documentary anytime soon, one perk of owning a Mac is at least being able to take advantage of the relative ease of programs like iMovie and GarageBand.
But without further ado, the video:
“Sunset in the Suburbs”
Home’s not known for catching me off-guard
It’s those far-off places that move my heart
It took a sunset in the suburbs
To open up my eyes to the idea
That there is beauty in between the lines
rare travels 