lifting the weight, but still getting my dose

while in thailand, a friend introduced me to vimeo.

he said it was like youtube, only better because you could upload/watch videos in HD.

yes, but it's much more. people don't upload 30 second clips of bad kareoke or lipsynching to the numa numa song. cleanly edited projects, full pieces, real stories abound there.

so i've been watching for inspiration. and also for relief.

i've discovered that there's lots of time to be utilised while rendering (a process in final cut pro where you have to wait a lot. sort of like downloading... same waiting and waiting until you can watch/listen), so i should do something productive with it (social networking doesn't count).

and so i've spent lots of time watching stories like the ones i like to do, or even short documentaries.

the problem is that many of these from sites like washingtonpost.com, the new york times, and mediastorm are so heavy! and yes, these stories need to be told, but sometimes i have to escape them for mental health.

this is where vimeo comes in.

some journalism, lots of cool stories, and plenty of creativity. it gives me ideas, ideas, ideas. yes, i want to tell good stories. i want to communicate. but sometimes i want to create just to create. just to make something thats beautiful or matches what i feel or hear or want to be. when other people do the same thing, it makes me remember that just because i'm in journalism school doesn't mean i have to think like a journalist all the time. the boundaries can be forgotten occasionally.

the point is always to tell stories. sometimes non-fiction, sometimes fiction. it so happens that a lot of what i watch on vimeo are fiction.

here's some of the ones i like so far (+ here's one from mediastorm that's not so heavy, but makes me happy to watch):