Jenny Welbourn's "Wear I Live" Exposes the Reality of Being a Youtuber in NYC

 ****TW: Anxiety and depression****    

 We all have our comforts that we turn to in moments in distress. For some of us, it’s baking, binge-watching Netflix, what have you... As for myself, I like to escape my world by peering into other peoples’. Youtube is the perfect space for that.

Jenny Welbourn is from Colorado and has been making Youtube videos on her channel "Wear I Live" for five years. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and now does Youtube full-time. Welbourn advocates for slow fashion and collaborates with brands that work to enact positive change in the world. Welbourn’s videos cover a variety of topics such as fashion, mental health, veganism, and city-life. 

When Welbourn first started making videos she was still living in Colorado. She dreamt of living in New York City because she believed it to be the ultimate location that could foster her passions. Since her first videos in 2015, Welbourn has become far more candid with her audience, letting them in to hear intimate details of her life. She now has 267,000+ followers and her channel is only growing. 

Something that I love about Welbourn’s videos is that she captures seemingly dull objects or actions on film and makes them captivating. For instance, many of her “Day in the Life” style videos have shots of her pouring coffee into mugs. This task may seem tedious, as many of us pour ourselves a cup of coffee every day without thinking. But for Welbourn, she makes a serene, aesthetically-pleasing experience out of it. Welbourn sets up her camera in a way where it looks like we are a guest in her house observing her. Her set-up is uniquely Jenny, as her shots always feature the unique artwork and vintage kitchenware that she has in her home. We see the steam wafting from the hot coffee mug and the sunlight pouring into its blackness. Welbourn emphasizes the importance of having rituals and discusses how something as simple as pouring yourself coffee can be a grounding sensation. 

Welbourn has become increasingly open about her struggle with mental health. Welbourn’s videos help her get back to a sense of normalcy even when her life feels chaotic. In 2018 she released a video called “2018 about my anxiety and depression.” In the description, Welbourn writes, “This wasn't the easiest to make but I felt like it was crucial to put out for me to continue making videos at a better capacity again.” While I can’t say Welbourn’s mental health struggles fuel her creativity, she does productively incorporate her mental health issues into her creative works. 

One of the reasons Welbourn’s videos are so alluring is because she seems to be both equally intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. She cares about her subscribers and strives to be more open about her life so that her audience can have a safe space to connect with others about shared struggles and passions. She also cares about her own wants and needs and knows that at the end of the day, she will make material that is authentic to her and her vision. Welbourn is aware that many people would rather hear about her takes on fashion rather than her mental health struggles, but this doesn’t stop her from creating what she wants and needs to make for her own personal growth.

When thinking about the Jungian personality types, Welbourn definitely falls on the “Sensation” and “Feeling” quadrant. She takes pride in her sensitivity and acknowledges how sometimes her emotions dictate her actions and behavior. This personality trait is what makes Welbourn’s videos so relatable and comforting - they don’t try to paint a perfect image of life, but rather, they expose both the beauties and the heartaches of it. 

Along with anxiety and depression, Welbourn suffers from a chronic illness. In an interview with Coveteur, Welbourne describes how “a big thing for me was fashion because it made me feel good on the outside, even though I felt not great on the inside.” Welbourn’s illness has pushed her to lean into her love for fashion and catalyzed the videos that feature her curated wardrobe. 

Welbourn sees the world through an artist’s lens; she turns seemingly mundane exchanges into lovely, calming scenes. She teaches her viewers how to look at life in different, creative ways. She demonstrates how to find fulfillment through simply shifting perspectives. When I need perspective from my own personal world, I turn to Jenny’s. 

Sources: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC56Olvxf2FznHWOHIcfxq_g

https://coveteur.com/2020/09/14/jenny-welbourn-youtube-star/

https://newclassics.ca/blogs/journal/interview-jenny-welbourn

https://issuu.com/localwolves/docs/freshtake18lw/s/17391

http://liveplanted.com/151-jenny-of-wear-i-live-on-changing-struggling-evolving-as-an-influencer/