I cannot say 2021 was my most productive year on this blog. It’s not that I didn’t have ideas – I added a myriad of new entries into my ‘things to write about’ list but somehow this didn’t translate into actual blog post and remained intriguing but yet unexplored topics.
Maybe after 5 years of blogging, this is not a surprising development. Honestly, I have no idea how I managed to write 3 posts a week when I started – the novelty of blogging definitely carried me through. Also, sometimes it’s so much easier to make a few photos and create bite-sized visual stories on Instagram than planning, writing, photographing, and editing a whole blog post. I feel a bit bad about this as I hate thinking I give up my own platform for renting a tiny space from the social media giants and thus being totally vulnerable to their tactics and algorithm shenanigans.
So, while I won’t make grand promises, mostly because I try to be realistic, I will promise myself to make more of an effort in the next year. Because I do miss the more in-depth storytelling a blog can offer. I won’t go into video anytime soon, I still think I have so much more to learn in photography, I don’t see myself sitting in front of ‘How to edit a YouTube video’ tutorials. And don’t get me started on TikTok – I’m way too old for that. But I am inspired to explore more ways of digital storytelling and frankly, I miss writing as well. There’s no way I’m keeping a strict weekly schedule, but hope to spend more time here in the new year.
But before I unleash all my fantastic new content unto you, I thought I would give a shoutout to all my favorite YouTubers who have educated and entertained me in 2021. There’s an immense amount of shit content on that platform (YouTube has just recommended me a video about a random guy eating a gigantic gummy worm, which amassed more than 350k views, a fact that totally dumbfounds me), but these content creators consistently deliver top-notch quality videos.
I’m sharing my 5 favorites now to give each ample focus, but there’s quite a few more creators on my list, so will come back with a part 2 sometime next year. So, check them out, support them and let’s keep the faith in quality overcoming gigantic gummy bears.
And of course, do share with me your favorites as well!
KarenBritChick
Karen Blanchard, aka KarenBritChick is an awesome British fashion blogger and YouTuber. Her ‘What Everyone is Wearing in New York’ series is in my opinion the best streetstyle series on YouTube right now. She founds the most interesting people ever and the way she leads the discussions about their personal style is incredibly interesting. I always end up majorly inspired by those videos. Her style and eye for detail is also impeccable – I love that her fashion content is not only about what she has bought (though she has the best thrifting vlogs), but she also shares lots of tips on how to come up with and style outfits with things we already own. Plus she has a charming personality and an infectious laugh.
Philosophy Tube
Abigail Thorn’s videos discuss political and social issues from a leftist point of view through a context of philosophy. If this sounds as something that should belong to an academic conference rather than on YouTube, just watch one of her videos and be surprised. The videos feature elaborate costumes and makeup, fun props, a deliberately dramatized narrative style and cinematography, some acting (she is originally an actor) and are generally just as entertaining as informative.
Jubilee
Jubilee’s main mission is to bring back empathy into our discussions – even if this may seem like an impossible challenge in our hyper polarized world. Their most acclaimed format is Middle Ground, a kind of debate series where strangers with opposite views on hot political and social topics come together to discuss their beliefs – with an interesting twist. Instead of just letting the people in the same belief groups stick together and engage in an endless shouting match, a host throws in various statements that may force participants to find middle ground – or at least learn more about why others think the way they do. It’s incredibly interesting, I think I binge-watched most of them when I found the channel. Other videos share the same “heavy topic but in a fun and engaging way” style.
Jenny Mustard
I’ve been following Jenny for years – she’s a vegan minimalist content creator with a YouTube channel, podcast, and a beautiful Instagram page. Her aesthetic is always on point, her videos cover lifestyle, interior design, slow travel, mental health, beauty, vegan recipes, books, minimalism, and decluttering and are beautifully shot and edited. She’s not your average bland-beige minimalist either – her style is funky and eccentric but still relatable.
Shelbizleee
Shelbi makes incredibly informative and engaging videos on sustainability and zero waste living. She’s a self-declared eco minimalist, which means she tries to lead a minimalist life in order to reduce her environmental impact as much as possible. I love her energy and how she manages to pass on knowledge in a simple and engaging way. She’s not preachy at all and has a very realistic and compassionate take on sustainable living with tons of practical tips, from ranking brands in terms of sustainability to zero waste swaps.
As for Hungarian YouTube, I’m currently mainly watching: Partizán (probably the best channel at the moment), fókuszcsoport, ZSHOW Time, Pottyondy Edina, and Dalfutár.
