MIND CAFE EDITION 4 - CONNECTION
ON BEING PRESENT
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PHOTOGRAPHY
Joseph Marchant
L O C AT I O N
Kirtlington
MODELS
Adam Lind
The Kindness Of Strangers AU T H O R : A DA M L I N D
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hen I announced that I was embarking on a hitchhiking journey from Holland to Turkey with my partner, it’s safe to say I was met with mild criticism and concern from friends and family. Growing up in East London, the term ‘stranger danger’ was drilled into me both at school and at home. The general rules were: Do not talk to strangers, do not accept sweets from strangers, and definitely do not get in the car with strangers. At the tender age of 22, I decided to respectfully rebel against the wishes of my elders and, quite literally, put my life into the hands of others whilst hitchhiking across 21 borders by land. The purpose behind my journey was multifaceted. But at the core, my aim was to explore the art of surrendering, experiencing first-hand the true connection of humankind. Over recent decades, hitchhiking has become somewhat of a lost art. So for those who aren’t familiar, it’s essentially the act of standing by the side of a road with either a handwritten sign listing your desired destination, or waiting with your thumb in the air hoping for a car to stop. There are certain recommended tips to succeed with hitchhiking, like making eye contact with drivers, smiling profusely, and looking as ‘normal’ as possible. Using these methods, me and my partner Lauren took close to a thousand rides on our stint from Europe to Asia.
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THE HABIT OF RESILIENCE
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I’ll never forget our first hitch ride. It took place on the outskirts of Amsterdam. The Netherlands is a wonderful place to lose your hitching virginity as, unlike here in the UK, hitch-hiking is far more socially acceptable to the Dutch. It was a beautiful sunny day, so we made our way to the layby of the motorway that leads to Belgium only to find a tall skinny sign imprinted with a big white thumb signaling that it was a recognised spot for hitchhikers. I vividly remember turning to Lauren as we waited on the side of the road, smiling with our thumbs in the air, asking, ‘Do you think this is actually going to work?’ Cars passed us by one by one until, after only around fifteen minutes of waiting, a middle-aged gentleman pulled over. Mark was his name. He had a warm, welcoming energy, and so we decided to jump in. On our voyage towards Belgium, we listened intently to stories of Mark’s work, family, and we told him about our upcoming adventure. Twenty minutes before we were due to hop out, Mark turned to us and suggested that, if we had time, we were welcome to go with him to his home to meet his family and have a swim in his pool. As my partner and I had pre-agreed to practice the art of surrendering and essentially ‘go with the flow’ during our trip, it felt foolish to say no. So we spent an afternoon eating pizza in Mark’s uniquely-built Belgian home as he taught us about local culture and Belgian traditions before going for a swim. You might be asking how we got so ‘lucky’ to find Mark, or why a man would do something as ‘crazy’ to let two complete strangers into his house. Or in reverse, why would we be crazy enough to accept the invitation? These were the types of questions I was asked regularly by friends when we returned home. They led me to wonder where this initial fear of strangers actually stems from. This would be an easy time to start bashing mainstream media and daily news broadcasts which, in my humble opinion, spread a lot of negative and fear-inducing stories about stabbings, abductions, and all kinds of awful stories. As a result, it’s only natural that most of us are afraid of strangers. However, have you ever wondered how we’d all feel about strangers if we were to hear some of the positive stories? In some ways, the media can fuel many of our existing fears. I used to suffer from a fear of flying, for example, and I’d dread hearing the rare news of a recent plane crash since this would only make my phobia worse. But then I had an alternative thought. How many planes safely travel every single day that we don’t hear about? In the same way, I do genuinely believe if we are working with probabilities and statistics, the amount of trusting, kind-hearted, and good people on this earth massively outweighs the dangerous ones - we just don’t hear the positive stories. But those warm, loving people are still out there. It’s all about perspective.
THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS
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PHOTOGRAPHY
Joseph Marchant
L O C AT I O N
Hyde Park
MODELS
Spencer Elmer
Seeking Authenticity as a Creative and Influencer INTERVIEWER: ADRIAN DREW INTERVIEWEE: SPENCER ELMER
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chieving early success and accumulating a huge audience at such a young age is enough to inflate anyone’s ego to an unhealthy degree. Sitting down on the benches at Hyde Park to chat with Spencer Elmer, however, arrogance and self-conceit are entirely absent in his demeanour. And that makes him even more admirable. Talented and well-spoken, Spencer has every reason to be full of himself, and yet he sits with me, listening intently and leaving his ego at the door. Also known as Elmo Films, Spencer’s early success came through his YouTube channel, now sporting over 310,000 subscribers on the platform and more than 220,000 followers on Instagram. Since establishing his audience, the young filmmaker has now turned to writing song lyrics and rapping in a stripped-back, relaxed and authentic style not dissimilar to the likes of Loyle Carner and Maverick Sabre. “I’m predominantly a YouTuber,” explains Spencer. “But through the journey, I’ve kind of stepped away and found myself in different pockets of creativity, whether through music or fashion design. That’s where I am currently - trying to be as creative as possible and sharing my experience along the way.”
S E E K I N G AU T H E N T I C I T Y A S A C R E AT I V E A N D I N F L U E N C E R
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Asking Spencer what he aims to convey to his audience through these various different outlets, he recounts how it all began with him just documenting different things he was experiencing to share with friends and family. These early videos began gaining traction, thousands of followers joining Spencer’s journey and watching him venture through life as a teenager. “But I’m quite a vulnerable character, and it got to the point where it sensed that my audience at the time was noticing that, too. Since then, I’ve been more focused on being as honest and open as possible online, hopefully inspiring my audience to do the same. I want to communicate that you can do your thing without being judged, and you don’t have to be this strong, alpha male character all of the time.” He goes on to talk about how he aims to share with others what’s going on in his own head, his world, and to start a conversation that’s a little different to what’s online at the moment. “But before that, it all started with gaming videos,” he recalls. “I’d just record videos of me playing online with my mates, and then I remember I really wanted to start recording my experiences in dayto-day life. So I did. I uploaded every day from around fifteen years old, missing only a handful.” Spencer began filming and posting daily vlogs until starting to study film and business at college. “It got to a point where I could either fully take the risk and pursue whatever this video-based career could be, or I’d have to stay at college and continue the academic route.” Spencer decided to take the leap. And he hasn’t looked back since. Now living in London with fellow creators, Spencer continues creating the same style of videos, deploying his creative and artistic flair and enabling that to direct his unique editing style. “Have there been any challenges along the way?” I asked Spencer, the sound of birds accompanying our conversation in the greenery of Hyde Park. “Mentally, I’d say it’s one of the hardest jobs to pursue. I’ve had some massive challenges, and every week can feel like a struggle.
“The only connection that’s truly important is human connection.” A Q U OT E BY S P E N C E R E P M E R
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S E E K I N G AU T H E N T I C I T Y A S A C R E AT I V E A N D I N F L U E N C E R
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MIND CAFE - ISSUE 4 £11.99
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