22-årige Marvin Flamme har ikke det, han selv vil kalde et ”almindeligt liv”, og hver dag gør han op med idealet om fast job. For nogle år siden opblomstrede hans interesse for at skabe film, og siden da har passionen for den visuelle historiefortælling ført ham verden rundt.

(English version below)

Af Cathrine Marie Nørgaard, camano@ruc.dk

Blandt klipper og rindende vand stod Marvin Flamme for to år siden med fugtige fødder og et smil på læben. Han anede ikke, hvad han havde gang i, men han nød det.

Kort tid forinden blev Marvin og hans belgiske ven, Jellis, tilbudt et job i det land, som Marvin beskriver som et af de smukkeste i verden. De blev inviteret til Island for at lave billeder og videoer for et islandsk rejsebureau. Dengang vidste Marvin ikke meget om at være freelancer, men han frydede sig over, hvor nemt det havde været at få dette job.

”Det var sjovt. Vi anede ikke, hvad vi lavede, men vi havde det sjovt!”

Hans ord hakker lidt i telefonen, men hans grin skinner tydeligt igennem.

Da de to mænd var færdige med arbejdet hos rejsebureauet, drog de ud på egen hånd. De lejede en lille bil og kørte rundt blandt heste, klipper og regn.

”Jeg tror ikke, jeg havde tørre sokker i nogle af de 16 dage, vi var afsted,” siger Marvin.

Han og Jellis måtte sove i den lille bil de fleste nætter, fordi de ikke havde råd til at betale for overnatning.  De anede ikke, hvad de havde begivet sig ud i, eller hvad de skulle bruge deres tid på, men de kørte ufortrødent rundt og sugede landskabet til sig.

”Vi lærte en masse,” siger Marvin om oplevelsen, der på mange måder afspejler den måde, han lever på i dag. Ligegyldigt hvor han er, sørger han for at lægge mærke til sine omgivelser og suge indtryk til sig.

For ham er det vigtigt hele tiden at lære nye ting om livet, og trods de strabadser, som turen indeholdt, fungerede den som benzin på hans indre rejseflamme. Siden da er han blevet uddannet fra den internationale filmskole, MetFilm School Berlin, og rejser verden rundt som freelancer.

Hjem

Siden arbejdet på Island har Marvin dog indset, at det ikke altid er nemt at finde virksomheder at arbejde for. Han er for tiden tilbage i Tyskland, hvor han skal være nogle måneder, fordi han har fået et samarbejde med et stort fitnessfirma. Det er en kæmpe mulighed for ham, og selvom han hellere ville være andre steder end hjemme i velkendte Tyskland, er Marvin nødt til at tjene penge. Og lige nu er det nemmest i Europa.

“Man er nødt til at kæmpe for sit liv og aldrig give op”

Selvom han er vokset op i Tyskland, er det ikke hans eneste hjem. Han har en lang liste over steder, han kalder hjem, og steder, han planlægger at kalde hjem.

Japan er et af de steder. For en person, der har en tendens til at kede sig, hvis han bliver for længe ét sted, er Japan perfekt for Marvin.

”Japan er et sikkert land med mange forskellige kulturer. Der sker altid noget nyt,” siger Marvin og fremhæver landets smukke natur og hovedstaden Tokyo, der betyder noget særligt for ham.

”Jeg hader storbyer, men ikke denne her. Den overrasker mig hver dag.”

Hans plan for næste år indebærer blandt andet at få en permanent base i Japan. Og senere vil han også gerne have en i Canada. For selvom det er rart at opleve verden, er det rart at have en base – eller to.

Et ”rigtigt” job

Marvins måde at leve og arbejde på er hverken billig eller ligetil, men han er ligeglad.

”Jeg vil hellere tjene ingen penge og bo på gaden end at lave noget, jeg hader.”

Et konkret eksempel på modstand ses i Marvins familie, hvor hans livsønsker ikke harmonerer med sin fars idéer om det ”rigtige job”.

”Han vil gerne, at jeg bliver ét sted. Måske få mig et lærerjob. På en måde forsøger han bare at passe på mig,” siger Marvin, ”men min person passer ikke til et gennemsnitligt job.”

For nogle uger siden gik Marvins far på pension. I over 40 år har han haft et såkaldt 9-5-job på et kontor, og ifølge Marvin har faderen længe set frem til at gå på pension.

”Han har hadet næsten hver eneste dag gennem de år,” siger Marvin om sin far. ”Er det det værd, at spilde 40 år på noget, du ikke nyder? Hvad er meningen med pengene så?”

Marvin behøver ikke svare på sit retoriske spørgsmål. Selv sørger han for kun at lave det, han elsker, selvom det til tider kan være en udfordring. Derfor er det svært for Marvin at acceptere, at hans far i sine unge dage smed en vigtig del af sit liv væk.

“Når jeg er ude af min comfort zone tænker jeg meget bedre. Jeg er endelig bange for ting igen”

Som ung rejste faderen meget – og han nød det. Men da han fik konstateret diabetes, var han nødt til at rejse hjem og få sig et ”almindeligt” job.

”Han gav nærmest op,” siger Marvin. Han har aldrig snakket med sin far om hans fortid, men han tror, at faderens uforståenhed over for Marvins livsvalg stammer fra dengang. Men Marvin nægter at følge i hans fodspor.

”Han er skuffet over sit eget liv,” siger Marvin.

”Men man er nødt til at kæmpe for sit liv og aldrig give op.”

Resten af hans familie er mere eller mindre forstående over for hans livsstil. Mest af alt hans mor, der efterhånden er vant til, at Marvin kun er hjemme i en kort periode ad gangen. Men det er faktisk, når Marvin rejser, at han har mest kontakt med sin mor.

”Oftest snakket jeg mere med hende, når jeg er væk. Det er fordi vi finder mere tid til det der. Når jeg er her [i Tyskland, red.] arbejder jeg altid og har travlt med forskellige ting.”

”Drømmen”

Marvin har en plan. Næste år vil han, ud over at skabe sin første base i Japan, opleve 12 lande på 12 måneder. Én måned per land.

”En måned er nok til at lære et land at kende og få en hjemlig fornemmelse. Men det er også kort nok tid til, at du kan sige farvel igen,” siger Marvin. Han indrømmer, at hans lange to-do-liste over lande virker lidt umulig at fuldføre.

”Jeg er dum nok til, at jeg tror, jeg kan gøre det. Så jeg er nødt til at gøre det,” siger Marvin om sine livsønsker. Man kan vel kalde dem for drømme, men når Marvin bliver spurgt, hvad hans største drøm er, er hans svar undvigende.

”Jeg kan ikke have et klart mål,” siger han, men tilføjer hurtigt:

”Jeg vil gerne tjene penge på at lave det, jeg elsker. Jeg vil gerne være økonomisk uafhængig og have muligheden for at bo overalt.”

For ham er det derfor også svært at forestille sig en dag, hvor han selv skal på pension. Det er et ord, han har problemer med at placere i sin egen verden. Han er dog helt sikker på, at han ikke ender hjemme på sofaen foran TV’et.

”Jeg ser ikke frem til den dag, hvor jeg ikke behøver at lave noget. Den dag, jeg ikke længere skal lave film, er en dag, jeg finder noget andet at lave.”

Frygt er lig med frihed

I fremtiden vil han gerne have opbygget en kundebase over hele verden, så han ikke behøver tage til Europa, hver gang han skal tjene de gode penge. Han vil allerhelst tjene sine penge i et land som Japan, men det er noget, han skal kæmpe for.

”Jeg er ved at lære mig selv japansk. Det er svært at tjene penge der, hvis ikke man kan sproget.”

Sproget er svært at lære, men Marvin elsker en udfordring. Faktisk lever han for at komme ud af sin comfort zone.

”Når jeg er ude af min comfort zone tænker jeg meget bedre. Jeg er endelig bange for ting igen,” siger han velovervejet.

En af måderne at komme ud af sin comfort zone på, er ved ikke at blive på ét sted for lang tid ad gangen. For Marvin elsker at lære nye ting og udforske verden. Han trykker aldrig på play på sit kamera, hvis det foran ham ikke fortæller en historie.

Ved at rejse rundt har han fundet ud af, at der er så mange historier, der er værd at fortælle. Hver gang han begynder på en optagelse, er det fordi hans motivation driver ham frem. En motivation, der bunder i at lære nye ting om de steder, han rejser til.

”Det meste af det, jeg lærer, er fra mine rejser. Og hvis du fejler, lærer du ti gange så meget,” siger han og tilføjer:

”For mig er frygt lig med frihed.”

English version:

I would rather earn no money than do something I hate

22-year-old Marvin Flamme doesn’t have what he himself would call a ”normal life”, and each day he challenges the ideal of a permanent job. A few years ago his interest in creating film bloomed, and since then his passion for visual story-telling has led him around the world.

By Cathrine Marie Nørgaard

Two years ago, Marvin Flamme stood among cliffs and running water with moist feet and a smile on his lips. He had no idea what he was doing, but he enjoyed it.

Shortly before, Marvin and his Belgian friend, Jellis, were offered a job in what Marvin describes as one of the most beautiful countries in the world. They were invited to Iceland to shoot pictures and record video for an Icelandic travel agency. Back then, Marvin didn’t know much about being a freelancer, but he was delighted at how easy it was to get this job.

“It was fun. We had no idea what we were doing, but we had fun!” His words are falling out on the phone but his laugh is coming through clearly.

When the two men were done working with the agency, they went out exploring on their own. They rented a car and drove around among horses, cliffs and rain.

“I don’t think I had any dry socks in the 16 days we were there,” says Marvin. He and Jellis had to sleep in the tiny car most nights because they couldn’t afford to pay for accommodation. They had no idea what they were doing or what to spend their time on, but they drove around with no regrets and enjoyed the landscape.

“We learned a lot,” says Marvin about the experience, which in many ways reflects the way he’s living today. No matter where he is he always makes sure to notice and really take in his surroundings. To him it is important to always learn new things about, and despite some of the hardships on the trip, it was like pouring fire on his inner travel flame. Since then he has graduated from the international film school, MetFilm School Berlin, and is now traveling the world as a freelancer.

Home

Since the job in Iceland Marvin has realized that it isn’t always easy to find companies to work with. He is currently back in Germany where he will stay some months because he’s got a job with a big fitness company. It is a huge opportunity for him, and even though he would rather be everywhere else than home in well-known Germany, Marvin has to earn money. And right now it is easier to do that in Europe.

Even though he has grown up in Germany, it is not his only home. He has a long list of places he calls home and places he plans on calling home.

Japan is one of those places. To a person who tends to get bored if he is staying at one place for too long, Japan is perfect for Marvin.

“Japan is a safe country with lots of different cultures. There’s always something new happening,” says Marvin and highlights the country’s beautiful nature and the capital of Tokyo, which is special to him.

“I hate big cities but not this one. It surprises me every day.”

His plan for next year is, among other things, to get a permanent base in Japan. And later he would like to have one in Canada as well. Because even though it is nice to experience the world, it is nice to have a base – or two.

A “real” job

Marvin’s way of living and working is neither cheap nor straightforward but he doesn’t care.

“I would rather earn no money and live on the street than do something I hate.”

An example on the resistance he meets is found in Marvin’s family, where his life wishes doesn’t harmonize with his dad’s ideas about the “real job”.

“He would like for me to be in one place. Maybe get a job as a teacher. In a way he tries to take care of me,” says Marvin, “but my person doesn’t fit an average job.”

A few weeks ago Marvin’s dad retired. In more than 40 years he’s had a so-called 9-5-job in an office, and according to Marvin his dad’s been looking forward to retire for a long time.

“He has hated it almost every day through all those years,” Marvin says about his dad. “Is it worth it, to waste 40 years on something you don’t enjoy? What’s the point with the money then?”

Marvin doesn’t have to answer his own rhetorical question. He makes sure to only do what he loves, even though it can be challenging at times. That’s why it’s difficult for Marvin to accept the fact that his dad threw an important part of himself away in his younger days. As a young man his dad travelled a lot – and he enjoyed it. But when he was diagnosed with diabetes he had to go home and get a “normal” job.

“He sort of gave up,” says Marvin. He has never spoken with his dad about his past but he thinks that his father’s incomprehensibility originates from back then. But Marvin refuses to follow in his dad’s footsteps.

“He is disappointed in his own life,” says Marvin.

“But you have to fight for your own life and never give up.”

The rest of his family is more or less understanding when it comes to his lifestyle. Most of all his mother who has come to terms with the fact that Marvin is just home for a short period of time. But it is actually when traveling that Marvin has the most contact with his mother.

”Most times I talk more to her more when I’m away. Just because we find more time. When I’m here [in Germany, ed.] I’m always busy working and doing stuff.”

The “dream”

Marvin has a plan. Besides creating his first base in Japan, next year he wants to experience 12 countries in 12 months. One month per country.

“One month is enough to get to know a country and get a feeling of home. But it’s also short enough time to say goodbye again,” says Marvin. He admits that his long to-do-list of countries seem impossible to complete.

“I’m stupid enough to believe I can do it. So I have to do it,” Marvin says about his life wishes. You could even call them dreams but when Marvin is asked what his biggest dream is, his answer is elusive.

“I can’t have a clear goal,” he says but quickly adds:

“I want to make money doing what I love. I want to be financially independent and have the opportunity to live everywhere.”

That’s why it is quite difficult for him to imagine a day where he is retiring. Retirement is a word he finds hard to place in his own world. He is sure, though, that he doesn’t end up at home on the couch in front of the TV.

“I don’t look forward to the day where I don’t have to do anything. The day I’m not making movies anymore is a day I find something else to do.”

Fear is freedom

In the future he wants to build a client base all over the world so he doesn’t have to go to Europe every time he has to earn the good money. More than anything he wants to earn his money in a country like Japan but it is something he has to fight for.

”I’m currently teaching myself Japanese. It’s hard to earn money there without speaking the language.”

The language is difficult to learn but Marvin loves a challenge. He actually lives to get out of his own comfort zone.

“When I’m out of my comfort zone I think more clearly. I’m finally afraid of things again,” he says judiciously.

One of the ways to get out of his comfort zone is to not stay in the same place for too long. Because Marvin loves to learn new things and to explore the world. He never presses play on his camera if what’s in front of him doesn’t tell a story.

By traveling he has realized that there are so many stories worth telling. Every time he starts a new shoot it’s because his motivation is driving him forward. A motivation deriving from learning new things about the places he travels to.

“Most of what I learn is from traveling. And if you fail, you learn ten times more,” he says and adds:

“To me, fear is freedom.”