Romanticize 3: Do Watch
Someone making something.
When I don’t know what to do with myself, I generally grab a book. One of my personal mantras is, “If I can’t write, I read,” and it’s served me well, for the most part. But there are days when my attention span is shot and I’m binge-watched out and I find myself lying supine on the couch staring at the ceiling beams asking them, in their infinite (ahem, 175-year-old) wisdom, for direction.
One day, as I did this, I gazed at their rough-hewn edges and wondered about the craftsmanship behind making them all those years ago. Naturally, I fell into a YouTube rabbit hole watching people embrace the old technique (my favorite is Reliance Timber’s Roy Watson kicking beam butt in his trout sweatshirt). The educational-yet-calming effect of these videos was intoxicating—they filled a very specific void, one that required a combination of rest, substance, and inspiration. And that’s how today’s Romanticize came to be.
The Romanticize
Watch someone making something.
The Advice
You can find your makers anywhere—YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc. All you need is a keyword or two (want to watch someone bake? Google “baking videos” or search the hashtags #bakersofinstagram or #bakingtok, for example). Embrace the overwhelm; sift through until you find a maker or two you love, and follow them.
Add a folder on your social channel of choice to compile your favorite maker videos so you can go back to them whenever you need a creative hit.
The Inspiration
Some of my favorite makers are Li Ziqi (a Chinese vlogger who takes homesteading to new gorgeously-filmed, ethereally-soundtracked heights) and Christine McConnell (the goth witch Martha Stewart of my dreams). I also love following hashtag prompts on Instagram to see how different artists interpret them, like #100DaysofSummer—my friend Michaela Jean posted stunning painting process Reels each day when she participated, and they never ceased to soothe me. Her Day 61 painting is based on a photo I took—so flattering!
Today I was in the mood for some Li Ziqi, so I pulled up her YouTube channel, scrolled, and landed on an episode wherein she harvests apricots, peaches, wild strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and tomatoes to make various jams. As usual, I was blown away by her knowledge and skillset (not to mention her traditionally-stocked kitchen and bucolic farm). This episode also happens to have subtitles, which always allows me to fool myself that I’m following along for any reason other than pure pleasure. Also: grandma cameos (she will become your new favorite supporting character).
The video reminded me that I had some apples in the fridge that weren’t quite crisp enough (I’m a stickler on that front) that I’d been meaning to make into applesauce. So I put on some autumn-themed piano music and got to chopping! I roughly peeled and cored the apples, cut them into small cubes, and put them in a pot with half a cup of water over medium heat. I added a few generous shakes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove (which I crushed with my mortar and pestle), as well as a few dollops of local honey, then let the mixture boil until the apple pieces were nice and soft. Then I mashed it with a potato masher until it had a chunky consistency (I like more texture in my applesauce but your mileage may vary!) I rewarded myself by enjoying a piping hot bowl of the spiced-sweet-tart goodness while gazing at the rapidly coloring foliage outside my living room window.
I’d love to know the results of your romanticize—feel free to share your experience in the comments, or tag me on Instagram. Until next Wednesday, fellow romantics!