Five things I'm enjoying and doing right now. Issue 2.

Right now I’m on a train at 250km/h across the Spanish countryside on my way home.

I’m about four hours into a seven-hour journey, doing my best to break down my thoughts into something legible for this week’s Substack.

A task made no easier by the lady next to me, who’s forgotten her headphones and decided that I am also interested in simple home TikTok recipes.

So I thought I’d repeat my letter from back in May, where I shared a lighter version of my Saturday newsletter.

Five things I’m enjoying and doing right now.

Let’s dive in.

If you know me personally, or have consumed enough of my content to feel like you do, you’ll know I love to talk.

One of the perks of being from a big Greek family.

Sadly, however, throughout the week, most of my working time is spent alone.

And so where possible, I try to fill the gaps by talking to other photographers, creatives and friends in the field.

Lately, I’ve been hearing the term world-building thrown around by a lot of them, and it’s caught my attention.

From what I understand, world-building is the practice of curating and creating the elements of your brand (your thoughts, your approach, your outlook) in a way that goes beyond the single output of your creative work (your photos, your videos or your art).

Think: Substacks, personal projects, behind the scenes, breakdowns.

All of these elements feed the asset that matters most: authenticity.

Now, world-building isn’t something I knew about before I started writing newsletters, posting content and sharing personal work. It’s just something I found myself doing.

But more and more creators are realising how much it matters, and it’s something I wanted to bring to your attention.

Because why wouldn’t you want people invited into your worldview?

Especially the ones who already like your photography.

A closely related topic I’ve been dabbling in (again) is vlogging.

We all know what it is, but the daily documentation of your life is something I’ve been enjoying a lot.

There’s something special about overcoming the fear of being seen in public with a camera. It’s a skill you can only build by feeling exposed and pressing record while people watch.

I’ve been on YouTube for a while, but I still haven’t found my ideal style.

Lately I’ve been shooting on the iPhone 17 Pro, and that’s helped enormously with accepting the reality of feeling seen.

The compromise on quality is one I’m willing to make when the trade is that I’m shooting far more out in public.

Why bother, you might ask.

For me, YouTube is a platform I find alluring for a lot of reasons, and perhaps they’re the same ones for you. Being able to share my work (beyond client jobs), my perspective and my style with a community of engaged watchers is my idea of creative freedom.

Along with this, consuming on YouTube I’m finding lets me choose what I’d like to consume, rather than be force-fed by a short-form algorithm.

Vlogging is a way I’ve been evolving from the tutorial-style videos I used to make, and it’s been the thing I’ve enjoyed most these last few weeks.

You can watch my latest one here.

Since adopting film into my workflow, I’ve made the effort to test different stocks and notice where each one works best.

I’m still fresh to the medium, so my sense of when to reach for what is very much developing.

Here’s my preference order so far:

1. Kodak ColorPlus 200. Beautiful tones and contrast. It matches the environments I shoot in, and it’s affordable enough that I keep reinvesting.

2. Kodak Gold 200. Warm colours, and I enjoyed the nostalgic feeling the images held.

3. Portra 400. The detail is unmatched, but the price isn’t ideal for daily shooting. I’ll certainly reach for this, or Portra 160, on client work when it’s requested.

I’m a little late to the party, but this week I’ve been binging audiobooks on Spotify.

The catalogue isn’t as extensive as something like Audible (which I used to have), but the idea of yet another subscription is one I’d rather avoid.

A few titles I’ve been getting through:

• The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

• The Inner Game of Tennis

• Greenlights, Matthew McConaughey

Audiobooks were something I used to consume a lot when I had a car and was driving a lot. However, since living in Spain and being on public transport a lot, I lost the habit.

I’m happy to say that I’m bringing it back!

Lastly, I thought I’d share a brief selection of YouTube videos that I’m positive you will enjoy:

Become a one-of-one creative in a world full of copycats: A great take on choosing what you consume. In essence, earning your inspiration.

Schooling Seniors: A song to dance around your kitchen to while you make coffee.

You don’t need a routine, you need a reason: A raw and honest take on routine making.

That’s it for this week. A lighter edition, but the kind I think every creative needs now and then.

I hope you’re enjoying summer, or winter, depending on where you’re reading from.

I’ll chat to you next week.

Matty.