earthquacksugarskull-blog

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

some beautiful Burmese art :) 

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

you have occupied my thoughts for too long and so, i think it is time that I let you go

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

You never actually go through a door. You go around the door.

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

#vanlife - not just a hastag

Hi there,

I am EarthQuackSugarSkull and I am a Filmmaker born and bred in London, currently residing in the north of England and loving it. just luvvinit. I moved to South Africa when I was 18 with my mum, to explore the world, travel, grow and ended up studying my BA in filmmaking in Durban. After I completed my course I moved to The North and now... here I am.

So here is my life at the moment: I am a part-time Postgraduate Filmmaking student, meaning I have school and lectures one day a week, though the majority of my course is ‘self-motivated’...ugh... which translates to: Do it yourself. Good luck. SO I am currently working on 2 films, one which is on pause to make way for the other one, which I am making progress with and hope to screen it at an exhibition at the end of June 2018. I try to leave 2-3 days a week (including school) to dedicate completely to working on the film. I also work 4-5 shifts a week at a pub, most of which are night shifts.... which makes waking up early... challenging, especially after working several nights in a row... after the 4th night I do nothing but sleep the next day...I work to make money for the film - the props, paying actors and crew, any location payments, travel expenses and festival entries. While I have managed to scrounge a little extra here and there, the film’s main budget comes from my work at the pub. I enjoy the job, don't get me wrong, but it isn't what I want to be doing. the late nights, constantly being ill from picking up snotty tissues, smelling like an alcoholic, walking home alone at night... there are many things I dislike about the job which... at this point in my life and after 6 years in the industry, I am ready to move away from. 

I consider my other skills: videography, photography, sound mixing, editing and other filmy stuff and apply for those jobs in my area. I find a couple but most of them are for a month or two at the most, and are paid in exposure bucks which are all very cute but don't pay the bills... furthermore the majority of work that I can get at my level are in London, for sporadic amounts of time at sporadic times and are also paid in exposure bucks or not enough to cover travel expenses and staying somewhere etc... so I consider: what about a regular job, an office job? tried it. hated it. furthermore, because of the film all of my spare money is going into the film and I certainly canNOT afford to survive the dreaded first month of a new job whatever it may be... so I find myself in a predicament.

I am writing this rather long-winded post because I just wanted to get this out. I have always been in love the classic VW surfer duuuuuude camper van, in particular the red ones.... luvvem. just... luvvem. And now all these damn beautiful millennial vegan yuppies are all up in them...GADDAMN IT MAKES ME MAD. but you know, I'm completely one of them - except the vegan part... but I LIKED THEM BEFORE THEY WERE COOL OK???!

Anyway - I've always thought it would be cool to put a mattress in the back and go on little road trips in it. Not until a couple of years ago, once admittedly I had come across the #vanlife movement, did I consider moving into one full-time. And now... I. am. obsessed.

Here is why #vanlife ISN’T bullshit. for me.

Please note: if there is anything I have learned from hundreds, I say HUNDREDS of hours I have spent researching vans, interiors, batteries, types of insulation, watching videos, vlogs, reading articles, blogs and so on... it is this: van life and the reasons for or against it are entirely INDIVIDUAL to the person undertaking this lifestyle. It is also important to note that van life isn't just a hashtag, it is an entire lifestyle. and it is not simply moving your apartment into a van, it is an entire change of life style. We are talking about going from stationary to nomadic homie... omg I can't wait!

I know what you’re thinking: damn millennial yuppy, living in a van is weird! well... stop right there, JUDGE JUDY! I hate yoga, I love meat, I eat pizza on the REG, I spend waaaaaay too much time on the couch, I’m slightly overweight but I make it WERK because SELF LOVE henny. I am pretty normal. though undiagnosed, I definitely suffer from depression, anxiety (you know, the usjj...), low-self esteem and all that LOVELY STUFF. But you know what? I’ve decided I don't give a shit. I’m doing it! I am buying a crappy van, empty. I am going to throw a mattress, a bucket, a storage container and a cooler in the back and FUCK THE FUCK OFF. And I can't bloody wait. But first... let me overthink this through....

PROS

I am doing this because it will help me career-wise because I’ll be able to travel TO where the work is and it will be fine if the work is sporadic because I'll be LIVING IN A VAN - a house on wheels WITH storage space?!?! perfect for being on a film set! I don't need to factor in commuting time especially when shooting runs late or starts early, I can just sleep in the parking area... easy! 

I can visit my friends and family more (they live eVERYWHERE - this makes it very expensive and time-consuming to visit them because it takes hours in the coach or train, and I can only travel at certain times because they don't run 24/7 and you can travel WHENEVER in a van. I'll also save money on food and coach/train tickets as well as trains and cabs in and around their areas. 

I have done plenty of TRAVELLING in my life and I think those experiences and lessons cannot be forgotten or lost, which is why I think this is a brilliant idea. I want to explore my weird little Island, I want to explore Europe (before BREXIT FFS), I want to drive from the North of England aaaaalllll the way down to Cape Town, South Africa because many of my uni friends live there and I NEED TO SEE THEM.

I can save so much MONEY man... seriously - in the long term, and I say after a matter of a few months, I could make back the money I have spent out for the van, and from there we are talking petrol, insurance, food and then expendable income. I can put that money towards equipment, films, festival entries, travel to festivals and other industry events or just savings.

The FREEDOM! I love being able to move about freely! I love having all of my possessions to hand - it makes me feel empowered, independent, strong and those cannot be bought or achieved with a big house, for me anyway..

CONS...

...

comfort? no... insulation, blankets and cushions... ok

Safety? - fair point, sir... I imagine an alarm, a dog and a large knife can take care of that...

there don't seem to be many more...

I’m going to come clean now... at the END of the post ok I KNOW... bear with me ok

I do not have a driving licence.

I know... I KNOW OK?! calmit... I moved to SA when I was 18 and over there it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to apply for a driving test as a foreigner. In the year and a half I was trying to book one, I went back and forth from the driving authority MANY MANY times... each time there was a new document I needed which I didn't need last time...and then when I moved back to England I found out you have to live in England for a certain amount of time before you can book a test, plus I needed a new provisional licence. I have also had many many poor months in the past year, leaving little extra money for lessons and the test itself. I booked my driving test this morning as well as a lesson with an ALRIGHT instructor, but if we’re honest... which we always are - I've been driving for years. I am a safe driver but just need a little practice. so - assuming I pass pay test in June... I should be on the road by July 2018. I should get a larger pay check in June and hopefully the film’s expenses will be mostly complete so I'll have a bit extra to play with... hopefully. if not then I will spend another month or so working and then move in ASAP before winter comes!!!

so... that’s the plan... this PROBABLY won't work BUT I have to hope above hope that it will because honestly. I can't do this any more. I can't do being tied to one location any more. it isolates me from those I love, and me being the lazy poor motherfucker I never have spare income to buy tickets and book trains to go visit my friends and family. I feel constrained. I feel flattened... I feel the weight of all of it on my back and it kills me. I need to do this. this isn't some #vanlife bullshit. fuck all that. fuck all the fluff around it. Life on Wheels is the perfect way to minimise, mobilise and empower oneself. in the world we live in today? it seems like the only option for me, unless I fall into the machine taking a 9-5 and a lease/mortgage. I can't do that. I will literally be HORRIBLE to be around. I will feel FIlTHY and oppressed and that will send me down a mental journey that I have experienced before and simply won't survive again... but that is a post for another day.

Aaaaaaanyway, if you've made it down here - thank you. thank you for listening,  thank you for the shit that you have given me today. Here, have one in return. <<SHIT>>

One love,

EarthQuackSugarSkull x

#vanlife #bullshit #someidiotinavan #filmmaker #editor

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

So annoying...

Don't you hate it when you out yourself out there and message/text/contact someone and they just ignore it??

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

So annoying...

Don't you hate it when you out yourself out there and message/text/contact someone and they just ignore it??

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

Do you ever get those days when it feels like everyone is staring at you? They're always the days when you look terrible you feel me

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

I hate being single but I hate being in a relationship you feel me

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

Can we please not kill it. Thanks

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

i wonder if there is anyone nervous to talk to me.

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

forever my favorite video on the internet

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

I hate being in that mood where nothing’s really wrong but nothing feels right either

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where though lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my god: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.  - Ruth, 1:16-17

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

Black sails s4 ep9

This is honestly the best episode of any tv series i have ever seen and i have seen a shit ton. They deserve an award for this episode alone. Hands down #blacksails

[earthquacksugarskull-blog]

Stop drinking, start smoking