Oops, I haven’t done a blog post that wasn’t about books in 6 months. This blog wasn’t supposed to be a book blog (although the October reading update is coming) so uhhhhhh… here’s a post about something else I like to do, which is hide from my problems by watching YouTube.
Recently, like many people, I have been a teensy weensy bit stressed. So sometimes it is nice to just make a cup of herbal tea and settle in to a cosy video. Here are some channels I have been liking a lot recently. Some are vlogs, others are more focused on hobbies of which I have little-to-no experience, but they all generally deliver the cosy vibes that I really crave at the moment. Also most of them involve cute pets, which is a benefit to any parasocial relationship.
CatCreature
I’ve been watching Annabelle’s vlogs for about a year now and they never fail to make me smile. They’re generally very low-key slices of life – if I described the “plot” of each video, it probably wouldn’t sound especially riveting – but it’s just nice to watch her make art, hang out with her loved ones or even do random chores. Her videos have an intimate, almost home-movie-like vibe to them that make you feel like you’re along for the ride. Also I love her thrifted outfits. And her cats.
Cheyenne Barton
Cheyenne is a Seattle-based artist who posts a combination of art videos and vlogs. (I have bought stickers from her before, and they are very cute.) She has a lovely, whimsical style of illustration which I find really relaxing to watch, and I always come out of a video feeling more inspired to create something – although whether that’s art or baked goods depends on the video. But she also has a really genuine presence, and everything she uploads just exudes warmth and caring in a way that I don’t think many other creators can pull off.
Foo the Flowerhorn
My most recent discovery, and the inspiration for me making this post. This channel is just a guy maintaining several aquariums. I don’t know anything about keeping fish, but there is something so lovely and soothing about watching him look after these tiny underwater environments – each one has its own ecology of plants, shrimps, snails and fish. The rhythm of cleaning tanks, changing water and feeding brine shrimps to betta fish makes these a really peaceful watch.
Rachel Maksy
I find watching people make stuff to be really satisfying, and this channel totally scratches that itch. Rachel is a cosplayer and vintage clothing enthusiast, and very good at what she does – I am still amazed by the Gandalf transformation in the video above – but her videos also feel like you’re hanging out in a friend’s living room, chatting while she sews some sort of elaborate costume and cuddles her dog. Ideal comfort viewing.
Zaypixel
I don’t know how I started watching this channel – I don’t even play Minecraft at the moment – but I still look forward to every upload. Zaypixel makes the absolute cosiest building tutorials out there, from hobbit holes to witch houses to underwater bases, and watching her construct them piece-by-piece makes for surprisingly relaxing viewing. Textured cubes never looked so inviting.
iris.zone 