nomadderwhere

Weird just happened – a unpredictable 2011 in retrospect

Lindsay Clark | Saturday, January 21, 2012

Dear Internet,

I’ve been horrible, saying I’m going to write and then rarely following through. And it’s not for lack of noteworthy developments; this was an unbelievably unpredictable and diverse 2011, with certain promise of continuation in 2012.

Upon returning to Indiana this holiday season, to a world so different from my working one, I managed to find only one word that adequately describes my baffled reflection on the year’s events: weird. How did I experience the myriad twists, obstacles, and accomplishments that plopped me into the role I’m in now? Did that all really just happen? And I didn’t even really get to tell you about it…

2011 was a weird year, and I don’t consider that word to be derogatory – for the most part. Here, Internet, let me fill you in on the tidbits worth noting. Read More »


Posted in Conceptual Travel, ProjectExplorer.org, THINK Global School, Update, World Narratives
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This is what the last three months in Ecuador looked like

Lindsay Clark | Friday, December 16, 2011

A break from being on-location isn’t a vacation; it’s when post-production begins. The gray days of Indiana don’t make me feel guilty for holing up in my room, rubbing elbows with the likes of Photoshop and Final Cut Pro. Though I got to experience some incredible sights in my three months in Ecuador, the majority of my time was spent staring at a similar vista: a high-powered spread of Steve Jobs’ many contributions to society.

With two terabytes of content to weed through, the process is slow and deliberate. As media specialist, I have to provide the window into life and academics at the world’s first and only global, mobile high school. What my viewfinder sees is what prospective students, teachers, and interested parties see. It’s challenging, but I can be creative, innovative, and create the kind of media that organically comes out of my system.

My hands have only process a small fraction of what my eye saw in Ecuador, this being my current photographic output.

There was rarely a time when I didn’t feel the necessity to document something; it all carried the weight of potentially useful in the eyes of a one-person production crew. My schedule seemed the product of an ADHD-ridden ninja. And on those rarest of occasions, I was able to venture around the corner of my hotel home to see angles of Cuenca myself.

Read More »


Posted in Photos, The Americas, THINK Global School, Update
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Coastline and culture in New England

Lindsay Clark | Wednesday, October 26, 2011

I’ve decided that, these days, if I can produce a blog post a month, I’m a lucky gal. Lucky to find breaths between beloved jobs to do similar work of my own volition. Lucky to be able to reflect on experiences and milk what value can be gathered. I doubt the cafe I edited in today for four hours felt lucky to have a table occupied by a one cappuccino gal, but I’m lucky I found that space this month to process my August road trip through New England.

What was meant to be a longer trek through areas of Maine and Vermont had to be cut short due to the panic surrounding Hurricane Irene. The trip had no conclusion in real time. It felt like a rush job of a trip, even more so the documentation of it, but what resulted is a video exalting the thing I studied most – the water that I feel sources so much of the grit and character of New Englanders.

I was surprisingly unfocused on my fleeting dollars being allocated to gas, the pile of money I dropped for the rental car, or my lack of accurate driving instructions or lodging reservations. The nausea I usually reserve for typical tourist activity – the expensive kind – took a vacation as well. Instead, I felt loosely propelled by the desire to consume miles of coastline and smell a breeze conceived hemispheres away.

Like gulping sweet water in the middle of the night, driving was refreshing after my nine month car-fast, a guilty binge on air, music, and speed with a known expiration. And with this limited excursion, I caught wind of what a conventional adult vacation smells like – not bad at all, in fact pleasantly normal, if infrequent and savored for its rarity.

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I’ve been through New England in a car with no plan

Lindsay Clark | Saturday, September 17, 2011

My entire summer was a jig-saw puzzle to assemble. Trips, subleases, weddings, births, and work were spaced out just so, as to make every two-week chunk a mystery until it was present. All flights were booked dangerously close to the week of departure, some including feline carry-ons and 12 hour durations.

On top of air chaos, I often didn’t know where I was going to be living or how to coordinate the housing of my cat (while she was still being a vagabond in New York). Newly cat-free and with a new job supplying accommodations for nine months out of the year, I decided against having a place in New York City and got a subletter lined up immediately.

There was a lapse of time between leaving my apartment and the start of work accommodations, leaving me temporarily homeless and living out of bags – something I tend to enjoy. During one of those weeks, I decided to rent a car and witness a region I’ve barely visited: New England.

Until I can whip up a fantastic video, here is a photoblog courtesy of my Blackberry.

Driving out of Queens, NY in my first rental car

Driving out of Queens in my first rental car

Read More »


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How an e-mail scored me another travel gig

Lindsay Clark | Friday, August 19, 2011

I’ve been vague for months about what I do now. This is the long-alluded-to explanation of my new employment and how I got it.

In this evolving career of mine, I’ve taken many different tactics to attracting and pursuing jobs. I’ve ‘dressed for the job I wanted’ by creating the content I like to make, hoping those who need that work get wind of mine. Years of shooting resumes and cover letters into the online abyss that is an HR email account has never wielded the results most Baby Boomers seem to believe in adamantly. That act feels like tweeting to zero followers, “I’m awesome! You know you want this, and you CAN get this!”

But for me, nothing proves more fruitful than re-engaging in this multi-faceted industry. I like travel, media, the digital realm, education, art, and a unique combination of all. While my involuntary immersion practices don’t allow for fully connected ‘field’ time with my peers, it’s in those months between travels that I reemerge a human with new ideas and the ability to answer e-mails. And on this particular instance, I truly realized how few degrees are in between me and something I would love – the same goes for you, too, I’m sure.

We are always a few friends and clicks away from a fantastic gig, apartment, love interest, and/or Kevin Bacon. Read More »


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Is film school worth it these days?

Lindsay Clark | Monday, August 15, 2011

Yet another feature came out of my fingertips this week, one that started from the seed of a simple video on pixels. Entitled ‘How to produce award-winning films without going to film school‘, this piece packs in huge amount of information from some of the most outspoken self-taught cinematographers on the net.

Film school or no?

I went to art school, a study I’m sure many people would claim needs no formality or implied success with a degree, so I expected a little retaliation by film schoolers. Surprisingly, none have surfaced yet. Just I wait.

Without belittling the certain perks of attending film school (or formally studying any specialty for that matter), I believe if you’re motivated, there’s a way to teach yourself enough to obtain a great job, gain work experience, and prosper with continued self-improvements. As many advocates for the self-taught film path cite, it’s likely your favorite filmmaker didn’t study his craft at school either.

The underlined actions to take away from the piece include:

Get schooled for free at your own pace – with Vimeo Video School and online tutorials by self-taught filmmakers such as Philip Bloom

Get fluent in the ever-changing tools – Zacuto instructional videos, NoFilmSchool.com cinematography guide, and getting creative with basic tools like iPhones

Position yourself for the current job market – learn how to be autonomous like Alexander Fox of CrewOfOne.com Read More »


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Investigating the art and evolution of the film title

Lindsay Clark | Sunday, August 7, 2011

I’ve managed to compile myriad jobs and hobbies that complement each other, one absorbing skills to improve the other, making me feel like I’m ascending Penrose steps.

I spent the day researching ways to improve filmmaking skills that don’t include paying for or attending film school, a theme I’m covering for Matador. While doing so, I ran across this gem of a video, which attracted me with its RJD2 soundtrack alone. Also, I’d give ‘the art of…’ anything a chance (even that horrible Art of Travel movie).

Perusing the many videos highlighting brilliant title sequences in film and TV, I’m immediately jazzed about learning animation and advanced graphics. My previous practice with titles in online video is to produce the title within ten seconds of its start. Aside from some stylistic guidelines, that’s all the thought I’ve applied. With this study spanning decades of filmmaking, I’m inspired to pay closer attention to my video introductions, more than just watching the timeline and using a provided Motion template.

Perhaps the most intriguing comparison with past and present concepts is the affinity for an aged appearance. It’s comforting and pleasantly dusty, and it gives me more ideas for vintage effects. Do you have any favorite video motif that you rely on the title sequence delivering? Read More »


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A weekend in Boston

Lindsay Clark | Thursday, August 4, 2011

I took a vacation for myself, and it was evidence enough that the casual weekend away should be more of a priority. It was close by, surprisingly economical, and equivalent to a routine enema – a metaphorical flushing of habitual activity, not your bi-weekly bowl of Colon Blow.

Here’s a vignette of my weekend with friends in Boston, Massachusetts.

I’m overly focused on the long-term trip, when really there are far more people (especially in America) poised and prepared to go somewhere for a couple days than there are people raring for an RTW. Are there any weekend trips you’ve always wanted to take but haven’t yet? Tell me about it, and then go book your Megabus ticket. Read More »


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Why do you like time lapse videos?

Lindsay Clark | Friday, July 29, 2011

If you get a little tired of waiting for my posts on Nomadderwhere – which I admit have become incredibly random and sparse – I’ll give you a little supplementary material. Recently, I wrote a feature for the Matador Network entitled ‘Why the obsession with time lapse video?‘ Have you ever wondered this yourself? What’s your reasoning?

I’m reposting here some of my points, but be sure to check out the full post on MatadorTV and provide your own commentary.

Why time lapse for storytelling?

As a member of the MatadorTV triad, I appreciate the whole spectrum of travel video production, from the cinematic to the gritty. Video is an accessible vehicle for storytelling that can avoid the obstacles ever-present with language. And even though written word can facilitate a sensory experience, the combination of visual and audio elements is powerful on fleeting attention spans.

In browsing TV’s most popular posts to date, time lapse comes away a clear front-runner of stylistic and technical approaches, and these videos tend to follow a different editing pattern than most. Cuts are longer. Static shots are still dynamic. The resident audio is usually stripped from the footage and replaced by a soundtrack, and people still manage to follow a storyline and maintain focus on the evolving subject matter. Warped time appears to keep viewers engaged.

Read More »


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The road called and demanded a Boston weekend

Lindsay Clark | Friday, July 15, 2011

I haven’t traveled somewhere new for the sole purpose of leisure in a long time. Ironically, my mind doesn’t focus on potential trips I can take myself on without a ‘work’ angle – work being a very fuzzy concept often mistaken for hobby.

Moving to New York and the east coast was a strategic escape from the Midwest region that I’ve already traversed and learned to appreciate. In this portion of the states, aside from the city whose Indian name is Big Apple (or more accurately, Manna-hata), I’ve only meandered through Rockport, Maine. And I’m not even sure a trip centered around a daunting photojournalism course counts for leisure.

I wanted to be surrounded by unknown territory and be inspired to constantly day trip or weekend elsewhere. There were music festivals to attend, mountains on which to frolic, friends and family to visit – an abundance of excuses.

Well, the inspiration and excuses weren’t strong enough for the first eight months, but the road called me this weekend. Yes, she dialed me up – on Skype – and said: Read More »


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Where do we learn best and become our best selves?

Lindsay Clark | Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Before I publish an extensive post that dictates my next step in travel/work/life, which I’ve alluded to on Twitter, I wanted to share some videos I watched yesterday as a direct result of this recent thinking.

If you follow Nomadderwhere, you may know I’ve spent the last couple years chasing and creating educational initiatives. Having uprooted the family for high school, sought study abroad programs with fervor, developed programs in Nakavika, and obsessed over videos on global education, it’s ever-apparent I have an affinity for pursuing and cheerleading quality education, both in the traditional sense and otherwise.

Recently, I received an invitation to visit China with a group of teachers and students who were conducting a school there. And by there, I mean China. The school was China. China was the classroom, the subject, and the geographical home – at least for this trimester. And in this non-traditional learning environment, I began to wonder which experience in my own life had educated me the most: the pricey private high school, the college years that tested my application of academics in real life, or the tens of thousands of miles traveled after leaving ‘classrooms’ in my contrail. Read More »


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Indy to NYC: Flying with Felines

Lindsay Clark | Sunday, May 22, 2011

This is a two-pronged post – conceptual and practical – so before you hate on cats, read the first half and reap the benefits.

This week officially marked my sixth month living in New York City. Spending $100+ on shipping boxes was a cost I happily incurred, in the moment and in hindsight. Transporting little things on quick trips home was a breeze, especially since I’ve already weeded through and prioritized my material things in life. But the last step in this transition and relocation was the transportation of my 10 year-old feline, Alli.

Owning a cat at this stage in the game is one of the few things that goes against my potential nomadic ease. Three years of college in dorms and sorority houses weren’t conducive to hosting her, and post-college travels only had me in her vicinity for 49% of that time. For nearly ten years, my parents were wildly flexible and tolerant to house my shedding ball of love. And when the decision to move to New York called for a serious analysis of my pet ownership, I was overwhelmed at the extent to which I couldn’t live without her.

We suburban Midwestern gals tend to grow painfully attached to our household animals, and I assume this touches on a maternal reaction to a dependent’s reliance, which we embrace with fervor. We hear and respond to ‘the call’ – whether it’s directed at us or not – to serve other beings. And it hits us with a glee/glum one-two punch; the latter only for the inevitable life choices or threat of loss an invested pet owner must face.

Though I find it a ridiculous debate and one that deserve zero airtime in any arena, I know not everyone enjoys cats, hearing about cats, justifying the existence of cats, etc. And though I am scribing and cutting video with those feline travelers in mind, Alli has been an obstacle to one half of my lifestyle and a beloved necessity to the other.

Dare I say we all have similar parallels? Read More »


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Neglect in a Time of Note-Worthy Experiences

Lindsay Clark | Friday, May 13, 2011

I call myself a writer, but I haven’t written – really written – in two months. Since my last real musing, I traveled to three regions of Haiti, frequented my second Carnival celebration, had a random reunion with a travel friend in the middle of a street parade, hosted my best friend and travel gal for a week in New York City, and traveled across the world to Thailand for production. I should have many a post on my site by now regarding all the previously mentioned events and experiences. Instead, I am a chicken sans head with too many things to say and not enough time to process them.

And you know what else is sad? I wrote the previous paragraph in the middle of March. I call this type of article a ‘Frankenstein’.

I’ve read others discussing this interesting phenomenon – the travel writer’s Catch 22 – and I know I’ve dealt with it using various methods in the past. Even though I’ve been based out of home between these escapades, there is still the delicate balance between experience and reflection, one that I usually miss due to overindulgence of one.

Sadly, my mind is a sieve. Without documentation and over-processing of real-life experiences, I tend to forget or reconstruct my life. Therefore, the neglect of noting certain meaningful experiences seems dangerous and irresponsible for someone mortal wanting simply to thrive on memories in the end. Read More »


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Nomadderwhere on the Black Informant Podcast

Lindsay Clark | Friday, April 29, 2011

I’m such a sorry case for a writer that I’m actually stalling the publication of a post on how I haven’t written anything in a while! 2011 for Nomadderwhere is a Catch 22 kind of year. If that’s not clear, then stick around for the explanation coming whenever I get my act together.

In the meantime, my interview with the Black Informant found its way onto the internet for your listening pleasure! Prior to this, I’d never done a radio interview before. I thought for sure my charming stutter would shine through, but it turns out radio is just about the easiest kind of interview there is (aside from letting the publicist type your answers while you’re busy getting a pedicure and playing Xbox, so I would imagine).

In this podcast, Duane Brayboy and I discuss:

  • the genesis of my travel obsession.
  • how travel transformed my personality, my learning, and the way I expressed myself.
  • storytelling and the power of descriptive detail with words, photos, or video.
  • documentary and editorial photography while on the road.
  • the most meaningful photographs I’ve ever taken.
  • impressions of Haiti and the apocalyptic media uproar.
  • where to next.

I enjoyed chatting with Duane and also hope this little update post whips me back into content cranking gear.

What did you think of the podcast? Now, I didn’t do this interview just to hear myself talk. Please do share your own insight on what we discussed: Haiti’s media coverage, your own travel obsession genesis, the most meaningful photos you’ve taken, and anything else.


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Let’s Speak Haitian Creole!

Lindsay Clark | Saturday, March 12, 2011

My first language post arose from a desire to document and transmit the full experience of being in a relatively unknown culture: tribal Fiji. I didn’t expect many people to find such a write-up relevant, but it dawned on me after hundreds of hits that lesser-known languages need some limelight, too.

One could travel to Haiti and speak French; there would be virtually no gap in communication. But, I didn’t have the luxury of French and instead opted for downloading some free software to learn Haitian Creole. Because I’ve spent the last eleven years learning languages that pack very few superfluous letters, the concept of learning French and not pronouncing half a word seemed absurdoix. Creole being a mix of many languages, including Arabic, Spanish, Taíno, and some African languages, it reads more phonetically and becomes more accessible than its’ base.

Visit Haiti. And when you do, use your Creole. In the meantime, I’m going to attempt to process my four day rare experience through Port-au-Prince, the Central Plateau, and Jacmèl.

The Basics

Alo: Hello
Bonjou: Good morning
Kòman ou ye (pronounced co-mah-oo-ee): How are you? Read More »


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Piecing Together an Understanding of Haiti Today

Lindsay Clark | Wednesday, February 9, 2011

This weekend came and went, and I never left my couch. My camera bag – meticulously packed for three hectic days across three cities – lies useless on the bedroom floor; memory cards untouched and road snacks un-nibbled.

For the second time in a row, our assignment in Haiti has been postponed due to civil unrest and political instability. I don’t really know what’s going on there at the moment, and with the one-track mind of sensationalist mass media focused solely on Egypt (and the Super Bowl, I guess), I’m finding it hard to understand this new situation, which has red alerts and closings already resulting from the anticipated nation-wide chaos.

Photo courtesy of Living Water International; www.water.cc
Man, those kids are cute. So, redirecting focus from destruction and disease to the timeline and facts visible, I’m hoping to gain some clarity. Note: I am not a journalist, nor am I attempting to be, but I’m interested, motivated, and capable of compiling trustworthy tidbits to come to a reasonable conclusion. Join me, won’t you. Read More »


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Mentally Preparing for Haiti on the Earthquake Anniversary

Lindsay Clark | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

With every assignment, my job is gaining more meaning and thrill, becoming increasing moving and educative. From researching Frida Kahlo to cutting videos on Nelson Mandela, I’ve been diving further into pivotal, global issues. And though – technically – our upcoming trip to Haiti is a freelance assignment to document a medical non-profit, I’m going in the capacity of a filmmaker and an indirect educator.

For the past month, I’ve been taking in knowledge of old Saint-Domingue like a sponge, and I’m hoping to include you, my ever-enlightening audience, in this pursuit of awareness.

On the Anniversary of a Catastrophe

On January 12th, 2010 at 4:52pm, a 7.0 point earthquake knocked an already feeble Port-au-Prince into a deeper state of instability. I was isolated from this knowledge in Nakavika and only became aware three days later, along with the rest of the village. Though we weren’t on the exact antipodal point from the epicenter, we were pretty darn far away. Even on the other side of the globe – in a culture relatively out of the information loop – the Fijians had a visceral moment of sadness for their brothers and sisters in Haiti. I couldn’t fathom what I heard.

Houses of concrete cards collapsed with ease under the pressure of this rumble. Three million people felt the shutter and the awful repercussions afterward.

I didn’t grow up feeling particularly infuriated with the injustices of the world I couldn’t see, but I remember being saddened to the core when viewing beggars on the highway ramps. To use some classic American lingo, it’s hard for me to react viscerally until I see the whites of eyes.

Understanding the plights of those in countries with which I’ve had little contact is difficult for me. Black voids usually become inhabited with faces and experience once I step foot inbounds. It shouldn’t, but it takes a personal relationship to make that connection happen – that relationship sometimes only need be as deep as a passing glance. Even today, I go through a constant battle with my own mental inertia, knowing I have a civic responsibility to my world to understand what my fellow humans go through. Read More »


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What a New Year Means to a Traveler

Lindsay Clark | Friday, December 31, 2010

Do you know where we were a year ago today?

This is a game my family plays. Actually, this is just a common sentence equation my parents throw around, about which my brother and I like to joke. Whether we recall where we were last month or dream of our future location a week away, the Clarks can often be found discussing their coordinates except where they are in the present.

Today, I’m sporting my genes and recalling my exact location at the 2010 New Year: on the Pacific Harbour beach in Fiji, taking a break from an exhausting project. Don’t worry; I have a purpose for this nostalgia.

Read More »


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Andrew Zimmern and the Transformative Power of Travel

Lindsay Clark | Saturday, December 18, 2010

I’ve been a big time fan of Big Tony B. since the No Reservations series began in 2005. His approach to travel television and subjective, experiential authenticity abroad felt so relevant amidst a sea of market-y documentation. His conceptual thread continues to be pretty darn obvious, which makes it easy to instantly jump on the Bourdain train. But for his fellow Travel Channel host (and our Creative Council member), Andrew Zimmern, I had a harder time identifying what truly made him tick and drove him to produce what he does. Thankfully, I had a recent opportunity to hear Zimmern clarify his concept in an illuminating way.

Poised and ready with my notepad, I asked my mom sitting next to me at the IUPUI convention center what she knew of Zimmern.

I think he eats weird stuff on TV to gross people out.

Mom represented a common understanding that was obvious among the crowd that night. Most people who posed questions seemed to think he was a superhuman eating machine with a hunger for the grotesque. Fear Factor meets Travel Channel. In actuality, and as Zimmern soon cleared up, this is far from the intention of the show. Read More »


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Indy to NYC: The Unnervingly Seamless Transition

Lindsay Clark | Saturday, December 11, 2010

I am 26 days fresh in New York City. Already recovered from the lower back strains of poorly lifting a 65 lb. military  trunk, I’m finding real comfort in the room that houses my first purchased mattress and this neighborhood that seems to defy the modern-day NYC paradigms. As enjoyable as this month-long transition has been – and as dedicated as I am to making this city mine – I still feel in transit, and this feeling seems potentially eternal.

The Undetermined Layover

In my continued efforts to define (or redefine) “travel” as a state of mind rather than a displacement of the body, I’m approaching this new life with the fervor of a new backpacker. Instead of riddling off various dictionary definitions of “home” or claiming that my apartment is my new personal oasis, I’ll clarify that even though I’m purchasing beds, tables, and sofas, I’m merely making this place part of the overall journey, like a very extended layover. Read More »


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