Shadowing Practice: "James Barkman" - VW Van Life - Learn English Speaking with Video
Les maken...
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music When I first moved into the van, I realized and recognized that it was very important for me to create space to be creative.
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For me, there was no better way to be inspired than live on the road
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and wake up in a new location every day, and that's really helped me establish more of my voice and to find the work that I do.
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I would consider myself to be a lifestyle and documentary and adventure photographer.
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The direction I'm headed is definitely more documentary, expedition style stuff.
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A lot of the people that am inspired by their work are the National Geographic guys
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and people like that that are doing photojournalism, real time, real deal expeditions.
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Whatever it is, that's what I would aspire to do.
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I landed an internship slash employee position with a photographer by the name of Chris Burkhardt in California.
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And that's kind of how everything changed and how I moved out here.
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If I wouldn't have quit my job, moved into my van, done all these trips and built my portfolio or my body of work, I wouldn't have been equipped to land that position.
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Ever since then, I've been building momentum and growing in my client base and my work, which is really exciting.
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And I'm so grateful for it.
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I honestly had no idea what would happen once I cruised out here, if the van would even make it.
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A lot of people think
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that you have to have it all figured out before you really take steps towards the things that you love, but it's not true.
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It doesn't all fall into place and then you take the step of faith.
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You take the step of faith and things happen.
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Sometimes it doesn't happen the way you want it to, but that's all part of the adventure and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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My name is James Barkman.
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I am 22 years old.
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Last May I drove my van 3,500 miles cross-country to the West Coast.
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Since my internship I've kind of just been cruising around, living on the road, and doing freelance photography and a little bit of filmmaking stuff.
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There's nothing more exhilarating and exciting than the open road
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and breaking down and meeting people and just all the thrills
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and risks of adventure and everything that the lifestyle of this van enables it's awesome.
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Around two years ago, I really started contemplating the fact that I don't want to live life with any regrets.
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Whether I go for something and it fails and I buy a bus and it breaks down, it's worth it as long as I go for it.
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I found it on Craigslist
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and it was maybe half a year to three quarter of a year after that that I decided to move into it.
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I was living in an apartment with a couple roommates.
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Between three and five days out of the week, I was literally gone camping in this.
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And I was like, I'm paying all this money to live in this spot that I'm never actually at.
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Most of the things I own are in this bus.
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It's way more practical than people think.
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I was an assistant manager at a manufacturing shop.
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They basically made this invention that was for roofing and it was a really good job, but I really knew that it wasn't what I was created for.
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I probably worked at that job six years.
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I think it was so good and necessary that I worked there because I learned work ethic, how to push through stagnant times in your life, work hard and be responsible,
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all those different dynamics that really helped me to sustain what I'm doing now
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and if I wouldn't have done that I don't believe I would be doing what I'm doing now.
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Before I actually quit my job I had been taking more steps towards building my portfolio
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and growing becoming more established as a photographer
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or as a creative as intimidating and saturated as that was I really felt like is what I needed to do.
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Quit my job, started making trips, I cruised through the Northeast, New England states and I'd saved a lot of money but I was trying not to just blow it.
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My family thought I was whacked.
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They're like, you're throwing away your opportunities, what are you doing?
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But I knew is what I needed to do
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and I knew somehow I was investing in the future even if I couldn't explain and define what I was doing.
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When I moved out and interned for Chris, it was a great learning experience and I think a lot of times when you do an internship of that nature,
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it's like a make or break it thing.
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You're like, I want to continue doing this or I don't want anything to do with this.
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This is not what I realized.
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I was very grateful to be a part of a lot of commercial shoots, second shooting and assisting, whereas a lot of interns kind of sit in an office, I was able to do a lot of trips and projects.
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So I think I learned that for one, I am very capable and come alive in an intense
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and high-pressure environment where you are expected to produce and expected to shoot great work.
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I think there's so many different aspects of photography or of being a creative.
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There's the business side and there's the creative side, and you need both.
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It was a very healthy experience to learn that business side
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and what it takes and how to hold weight in the creative world, how to speak the language of a creative, and how to communicate with big name brands.
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It was really surprising to move into the van
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and just kind of do what I loved and then realize it's almost like a whole culture.
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There's a lot of sketchy people living in their vans because they're broke and they do drugs.
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But there's also a lot of people living in their vans
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because they want to live outside of the box and they're creatives or they're filmmakers.
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It's, I feel like I've met every sort of person and it's incredibly inspiring.
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I've learned a lot.
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Consistently it will break down and you're always having to change parts, change the fuel filter, change the fuel pump, change the head, change the coil,
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change the mass air flow meter, stuff like that.
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It's just been sometimes a nightmare but also the best learning experience
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when you break down and you have to figure it out.
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The van just gets like 10 to 13 miles per gallon
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and I was surf all the time and drive super far
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so I was like I need a motorcycle that can cruise 70 miles to the gallon.
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I've saved so much money so I bought a dual sport, a 91 Suzuki DR350.
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Had the idea in my head that what if I made a hitch for the van and then towed the bike somehow.
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I actually ended up finding a sketchy welder, welded me the hitch to the bumper, and I bought a trailer off Craigslist for like a hundred bucks.
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It's probably like 80% slower, but the van and the bike and the surfboards and the snowboard and the skateboard,
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it's everything I love and I'll sacrifice a little bit of speed for that.
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I'm sorry.
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I'm out.
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A lot of the people I admire are people who they really worked hard not just to develop an aesthetic
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but to develop their voice, you know, and it's I think what I guess ever creative in a sense is striving towards.
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Sometimes you kind of flip flop between being like stressed out and being ridiculously inspired because it's such a saturated world, especially like the whole adventure thing.
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It is like sometimes I have no idea what I'm doing and sometimes I'm like, I know exactly what I'm doing.
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So I'm still figuring it out and developing my voice in the creative world.
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And I think it's very important not just to pursue work opportunities, but to find your voice because that in the long run,
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will speak for itself and then people will seek you out.
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I would say I'm still learning and sometimes it's stressful
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and then all of a sudden this big job lands and you're like, why was I worried?
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And then sometimes you're like, oh man, how am I going to make money?
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But it's like I said, it's worth it.
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I don't want to live safe
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and I don't want to live in a secured environment where there's to know variables for risk and failure.
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It's real, you know.
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I'm writing the story, I'm figuring it out.
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I would aspire to do more like documentary, photojournalism type of work.
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I would love to do work in conflict zones.
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I'd love to do more expeditions like mountaineering and stuff like that.
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Those type of environments are what I love
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because it's easy these days to pick up a camera and take a nice photo, but it's harder to tell a story and it's harder to go in environments
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and places that most people aren't willing to go.
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You're freezing all night long, wake up early and shoot the sunrise, and hike 10 miles through the snow.
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I love that stuff.
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People live with a lot of material things that are completely unnecessary.
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And living in a van has enabled me to quiet the noise in my life
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and the distractions and really get rid of things that I don't need.
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I mean, I didn't know it would turn out like this or even be sustainable.
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It's proved to be true.
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I've had experiences that I never dreamed I would have.
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I wake up every morning and I'm just so grateful to live like this.
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I don't think it's as important as what you do or where you go.
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It's wherever you are, just being there with all your heart and investing in people, investing in relationships.
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We're designed to be around people, to help others and be helped by others.
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It's very important for me to surround myself with people who motivate, inspire, and push me to grow.
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I feel like I'm always looking for those people.
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And I think that's what's really going to hold weight and matter at the end of the day, is the people that you met and the people that you impacted, rather than what you attained for yourself.
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It is so important to go for your dreams, even before all the steps are in place.
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I think a lot of people are selling themselves out because they're making decisions out of fear, and they're not going for the dreams that they have because they're scared of what might happen.
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I think that's such a tragedy, honestly.
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And whether you live in a van, whether you move in a boat, whether you move to the Himalayas, it's so important to do what you're created to do
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and be who you're created to be and want to inspire people to do just that.
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James Barkman’s Van Life: A Story of Courage and Creativity
Imagine leaving a stable job, moving into a van, and chasing a dream of becoming a documentary photographer. That’s exactly what 22-year-old James Barkman did, as shared in a video about his unique journey. His story is full of relatable moments—doubts from family, the practical challenges of van life, and the thrill of pursuing passion. It’s a perfect scenario for english speaking practice, as it blends everyday language with heartfelt storytelling, making it easy to connect with and mimic.
Useful Chunks & Collocations to Master
- "Push through stagnant times": James talks about learning to "push through stagnant times" in his old job. This phrase is great for describing overcoming slow or unexciting phases in life.
- "Land a position": He "landed an internship" with a top photographer. Use this to talk about getting a job or opportunity, like "I hope to land a role in marketing."
- "Quiet the noise": Living in a van helped him "quiet the noise" of distractions. This collocation works for reducing stress or focusing on what matters.
- "Go for something": James believes in "going for something" even if it fails. It’s a casual way to say "pursue a goal," as in "I’m going for that promotion."
- "Build momentum": After his internship, he "built momentum" in his career. Use this to describe growing progress, like "Her blog is building momentum with readers."
Your Shadowing Challenge: Speak Like James
Ready to practice? Try the shadowing technique with James’s dialogue. Here’s how: Play a 30-second clip of his story, pause, and repeat his words immediately, matching his tone and pace. Focus on phrases like "It’s worth it as long as I go for it" or "I learned work ethic." This helps with fluency and intonation—key for IELTS speaking practice. For an extra boost, record yourself and compare it to the video. Notice how James stresses words like "passion" or "regrets" to convey emotion. With shadowspeaks practice, you’ll start sounding more natural in no time. Remember, James’s journey is about taking risks—so don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Every repetition brings you closer to confident speaking!
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.