An Attempt at Exhausting an Artwork in Cincinnati

In which John looks very long, and very hard, at a wanderlust canvas in his airbnb in Cincinnati.
In the last couple weeks, several thousand people have subscribed to vlogbrothers due to some introspective, carefully considered videos. I feel it is my solemn duty to inform these lovely people that vlogbrothers is sometimes also, like...this.
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[@vlogbrothers]

Hi. Over the last couple weeks, thousands of new people have subscribed to vlogbrothers. Many of these kind souls subscribed after seeing thoughtful, introspective, carefully written, and deeply personal videos. I feel that it is my solemn duty to inform these folks that vlogbrothers is also sometimes ... this. Please stay anyway. We do lots of cool stuff here. -John

[@MelodyJoy7813]

these are some of my favorite kind of videos and my favorite thing about this comment is that it implies that an in-depth analysis of a off-centered wanderlust print is not absolute gold. A+ 10/10 would watch again

[@therogueserafim271]

Oh, I just got here. And I have no intention to leave.

[@berrybread7215]

be weird with your chest, john we love to see it

[@ApequH]

I remeber a video about How to Cook Eight Peas. I think about that video at least once a month

[@rmdodsonbills]

Okay, maybe not *deeply* personal, and I can't speak to how carefully it may or may not have been written, but I don't think this is a bad description of .... this. Also, you can't -- and shouldn't try to -- do the same thing every time. And so while I agree that this is your solemn duty, I think most people will appreciate the change of pace.

[@MDHammond92]

That wanderlust canvas almost deserves its own Anthropocene Reviewed episode

[@vlogbrothers]

I thought about bringing it back just so I can dive deep into wanderlust-canvases-in-cincinnati-bathrooms. -John

[@risingsun5713]

@@vlogbrothers That would possibly be the best episode. Please do

[@ApequH]

@@vlogbrothers I'd be sooo happy

[@possiblypoet]

@@vlogbrothers it’s never too late!!

[@georgplaz]

@@vlogbrothers YEEES. I CRAVE MORE ANTHROPOSCENE REVIEWED (damn, I still don't know how to spell it)

[@cogspace]

"My favorite thing about this artwork, by *a pretty wide margin* is that it's off center." I don't know if this pun was intended, but it is amazing and I love it.

[@skylerclyne6542]

+ comment boost

[@DancingOnTheTardis]

Lolll +1

[@lorenzoblum868]

Here is more puns : IKEART or StandARTization...

[@ueblay]

+

[@phampants]

I think we found Cincinnati's new tourist slogan. "Wanderlust" not Southern France, but Southern Ohio."

[@bingolingo6555]

The fact there's not 2 quote thingies at the start so that one starts"Wanderlust" and the other ""Wanderlust not Southern France, but Southern Ohio" is kinda making me think it's a refference to the fact that the text in the artwork is slightly off-center, so the comment is "wrong" too, or maybe the writer just didn't check the grammar of a random youtube comment, but authorial intent doesn't matter

[@BlueManIan]

@you know this stop spamming this

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

++

[@myladycasagrande863]

Seems like being in Cinci might cause wanderlust...a strong desire to travel.

[@lorenzoblum868]

Today's South of France little to do with Sezanne, Van Gogh, Picasso. More like Macdonald, D&G..... Trash.

[@GeoDGeo]

Telling guests what wanderlust means feels passive-aggressive. I kind of want that design as a doormat.

[@spide3401]

I feel like it should have at the bottom maybe in parenthesis, ELSEWHERE.

[@CrazyBookEater]

John, your overrepeating that in Indianapolis there is nothing very interesting makes me want to visit it more and more, seems like it's not a very special yet comfy and peaceful place. It must be in itself a wanderlust artwork, isn't it?

[@vlogbrothers]

brb sending this comment to Indianapolis's tourism board. -John

[@adriannek8704]

For being Naptown, there's plenty to do there

[@bennyfactor]

May is the month to visit Indy!

[@jeffmcadams6691]

I spent the day in Indy just this Sunday. Rocket fizz soda shop Indiana Fever game Garage Food Hall for dinner A delightful day with the family.

[@CrazyBookEater]

@@bennyfactor I would love to do so, just I am stationed in Poland ;-; one day!

[@MadeleineKyger]

Maybe the wanderlust is a strong desire to travel somewhere else (outside of Ohio). I actually think a lot more people feel wanderlust when they’re in Ohio than when they’re in the south of France.

[@crystalwolcott4744]

As a born and bred native, I can confirm. I have felt the most wonderlust while inside the state of Ohio.

[@matthaus8606]

May I suggest a different German loanword for this: "Fernweh", which roughly means an aching/yearning for nonspecifc faraway places (it is like the opposite of-, but constructed analogously to "Heimweh", i.e. homesickness). "Wanderlust" to me as a German speaker evokes more of an "enjoyment of traveling/roaming about", so you would experience it while traveling around the south of France.

[@ianbyrne465]

@@matthaus8606 people (in primarily English-speaking cultures, idk about everywhere else) make fun of the German language, but I love that you have specific words for such very specific feelings. It’s absolutely delightful

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

++

[@paperheartzz]

I know more people in Ohio without passports than with them. I wonder if someone in southern France knows the same? Thank you art. I feel less alone.

[@Eutrofication]

I AM SO JAZZED TO HEAR U SAY BAUMGARTNER RESTORATION I would love if he got sent a wanderlust canvas

[@fugithegreat]

I love it when my favorite channels intersect!

[@hana.gemini]

++++

[@sarahwatts7152]

I would love to hear him tactfully insult this canvas. Would he put it on a new stretcher so that it is actually centered??

[@leebrady9669]

++

[@Silrielmavi]

+

[@charleyb.8286]

one art hack i've found nice if you're truly on a budget (and like me live in a dorm room with too many beige cinderblocks) is to get a pack of index cards and markers and write words and phrases that are important to you (or just funny) and tape them up and then invite your friends to do the same. it might not be "fine art" but it adds a bit of color and joy to a room. (you can even write it annoyingly off center for the true Wanderlust Vibe)

[@rebeccacuthbertson1271]

Aww I love this! Another budget friendly art thing my husband (then boyfriend) and I did when we first moved in together was get some cheap canvases from our local craft store (which were on sale!) and cheap brushes and a few tubes of our favorite color paint, and then paint them. Solid teal (or as solid as we could, but they naturally have texture and variation because humans making art and I think we only did one coat of paint). Fun, affordable date night in that we did after eating take out and while watching TV in the background. Heck we even got the idea from an old episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Still have them almost 10 years later and still love them.

[@cetriyasArtnComicsChannel]

unless you plan to sell or commissioned, just enjoy putting color to canvas and have it. A great family activity or group therapy/ stress relief session works.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

So, what are some of your favorite words you've used?

[@blacklightstarcraft]

another one for if you have a bit of money but not a lot. most large art galleries (for example The Met) have high-quality digital scans of the most of their art that is in the public domain which you can get printed out at staples or similar places

[@Bea_Esser]

Yessss! We did this in college with quotes & facts! It was a joy to add to I was genuinely sad to take it down but thrilled to add my cards to my new place.

[@liamfoskett5220]

I like to imagine that the airbnb owner saw John's first video about putting stuff on your walls, said "anything?" and then followed those instructions. Now they're convinced John Green is just unsatisfiable

[@lavender_evie]

What was that first vid called? Genuinely just need to rewatch

[@AliCatWrites]

My favorite piece of art in my home was done for my birthday by a friend. It’s based on a photo of my and our other best friend who sadly passed away in 2009. She gave me the piece two months after she died, for my 21st birthday, the first birthday I’d celebrated without Shelley since we were 7 years old. I’m 33 now and it’s still my favorite piece of art in the world.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

+

[@lupevinado3087]

+

[@QuicklyLiquid]

PLEASE continue to do art ratings in the places you stay. This was fantastic

[@MrBinthestudio]

Ok, two questions... 1 - Your wife's painting reminds me of Jun Kaneko's work. Is she (or you) a fan? 2 - How could you have possibly missed the opportunity to end "put queso in my face-o" with "isn't to my taste-o"???

[@untappedinkwell]

+

[@oohihavecookies9377]

+

[@kryxena]

+

[@IMakeupStuff]

+

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

+

[@chashahjohnson]

I love bees so I've been commissioning all my art friends to make bee art, and I have it all hung up on the same wall!

[@okayheykae]

This is such a lovely idea and it made me feel safer and cozier! 🐝

[@krystofdayne]

Hopefully you hung them up in a hexagonal pattern 🥰

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I think you may have discovered the single best way to decorate your home. You've captured what really matters in life: friends, art, and bees.

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

Bees? (/cards game reference)

[@chashahjohnson]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Thanks!

[@EpicSkreaminSharpy]

Cincy native here; yeah... we aren't the epicenter for travel in the world because, well, Ohio. BUT, I've always stated that Cincinnati is an underrated hidden gem of a city and is the best of the three 'C's in the state (although I'm a bit biased)! However, while I want everyone to know how awesome it is, there is a great feeling knowing you have something special to yourself, or with a small amount of people that also acknowledge the fact. P.S. That old photo IS AMAZING!!! P.P.S. John, Cincy has an art museum! A really good one, you should check it out. ;)

[@vlogbrothers]

It really is a great city--and a great art museum. I am a little jealous, because Indianapolis is slightly worse than Cincy in, like, every way. -John

[@EpicSkreaminSharpy]

@@vlogbrothers Holy guacamole you responded! Found vlogbrothers from Crash Course in school and only REALLY got into your videos recently (I dabbled here and there on a video but now I'm basically bingeing). I'm interested in getting more involved in this community and you and Hank have rapidly become role models in my life for just how I want to be as a person. So thank you.

[@annamiller9207]

The Krohn Conservatory is also awesome!

[@tomrogue13]

Midwest cities aren't super famous but i like that. Less people makes it feel more personal to visit. I plan to visit Cincy sometime

[@Snpoe93]

Another Cincy native here! I agree, it’s a gem and I feel lucky to be here. I like Cincy a bit more than Indy but I like Indy much, much more than Columbus, Cleveland and many other Midwest states I’ve visited! Nice city, and wasn’t too difficult to get around by foot/bike!

[@virginiaheadley9982]

As an artist selling art locally, I deeply appreciate your plug for all of us out here working to make walls more interesting, relevant, entertaining, and even fun, one unique canvas at a time. Thank you John!

[@miriamrosemary9110]

+

[@mars_girl]

This! I am so done with the machine-produced target paintings! Please support your local artists. Especially if you're near an art school, you can buy better quality art for the same amount of money, and support another actual human being.

[@cetriyasArtnComicsChannel]

not even target, more like tj max/ ross left overs at this point.

[@lorenzoblum868]

Big Corps lock all locals....

[@zebedeesummers4413]

I kinda like the idea of having 3 or 4 of the same art in my home. That being said I'd likely print/frame it. I get what you are going for but I also think it is worth noting the fact I bet they got almost everything in that airBnB from from a few stores. I buy art from artists but finding something personal to put in a room for strangers to live in short-term seems like more effort than makes sense.

[@lukewertz]

I became a Cincinnatian when I said "I do" to my wife. We lived there for ten years, and in those ten years developed a deep wanderlust. So much so that four years ago we decided to do the digital nomad thing and have been traveling full-time ever since. Cincinnati (and, indeed, Ohio) has turned out some great astronauts over the years as well. Some might argue that Ohio and Cincinnati do inspire wanderlust: a deep desire to leave :) I say all of this tongue in cheek. We return often to visit friends and family, but my favorite description of Cincinnati remains: "It is a great place to be from."

[@Iffyish]

"I don't like straight lines - men make them" Beautiful quote from an amazing author. Would recommend Watership Down's sibling novel, The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams, if it's to anyone's taste.

[@Iffyish]

@@nony_mation I'm glad you found this suggestion useful! Plage Dogs was also adapted into an amazing, albeit less critically acclaimed and somewhat darker, animation from some of the same artists and voice talents as Watership as well😄

[@cynhanrahan4012]

I 100% agree. They are both on my shelf, and I'll put Plague Dogs on my bedside book pile.

[@rolfthewolf42]

Love both books! The plague dogs is beautiful! Love the animations as well. I'm glad the plague dogs movie kept Adam's original ending.

[@anushreenarayanan2962]

i would be extremely grateful if someone were to explain to me, what the quote means?

[@rolfthewolf42]

@@anushreenarayanan2962 men make straight lines. They don't commonly appear in nature. Watership down is a story told from the perspective of wild rabbits.

[@pjgr1231]

the irony of a wonderlust canvas in a cincinnati bathroom is delicious

[@thefaboo]

I have been in some AirBnBs where a little wanderlust was required to find the bathroom....

[@tomrogue13]

Maybe that's really the message of the art

[@leeraby1]

Even more delicious is John sneaking in the line, "During the long and lonely times I've spent with this artwork..." while describing something that hangs above a toilet. Chef's kiss, John. That was clever.

[@gemmamoon5998]

As a Cincinnatian, I love this video! If you want to see some cool art in Cincinnati, go on an ArtWorks mural self-tour.

[@michnish]

I love that the subtext of this video is just that he missed his wife while he was away. So sweet And also good advice about art buying and funny, this channel never disappoints

[@Jess-yi5gi]

Thanks for this, John. I'm at home sick with covid so it's the first time I'm catching a vlog Brothers video this early, but this poingant message was a comfort today. Much love to all and to this community.

[@vlogbrothers]

Hope you feel better soon. -John

[@Jess-yi5gi]

@@vlogbrothers Thank you, John, and for taking the time to reply. 💛

[@borogrlab]

As someone who has lived in southern Ohio the majority of their life and spent five years at one of those art schools, this really spoke to me. Thank you John.

[@boozypixels]

Bet the AIrBNB host wasn't expecting this kind of review 😆 "Avoid this guest unless you want your cheap artwork harshly judged"

[@katiegriffitts4311]

Local, handmade-with-love art is my favorite genre

[@rwaleed99]

John & Hank, I really wondered _as a young mom_ how did your mom raise you guys to grow up and be brilliant the way you are ? can you create a video about that ? would your mom accept being on camera and answering questions about motherhood ? what makes me wonder is the fact that you guys are both successful, kind and very companionate and caring and aware of the world surrounding you. I'm not trying to give a compliment, I'm being very honest based on what I've seen on all your videos. Thank to both of you and thanks to your mom and dad for whatever they did that made you guys super special.

[@Rayne474]

I'm not a mom and don't plan to be but I would watch this so hard. Seconded.

[@calipigeon]

This reminds me of the beginning of While You Were Sleeping “he would tell me amazing stories about strange and exotic lands as we headed off to exciting destinations like Milwaukee.”

[@jrpstonecarver]

This is why I have art from many friends in my home. It makes me so happy to see it here every day.

[@iPeace460]

1. I love that John didn’t even bother to turn the bathroom light on when filming the wanderlust artwork 2. There’s a giant painting hanging in my dining room that is only there because my mom found it abandoned on the side of the road and took it home with her so….that’s also an option?

[@tass466]

I have an amazing painting in my dining room that I rescued from a dumpster! It's a little damaged but absolutely beautiful.

[@Thetechnicolorchild]

As a recently graduated artist, please buy our stuff!! Your support means more than you know!

[@bananatassium7009]

i love the baumgartner reference, it always amazes me how much knowledge overlap there is between people even when they get it from such different places, its a small world

[@bella380]

I love this. I regret that I can only give it one thumbs up. As a former artist, married to an artist, and friend to many, many artists I can attest that "Starving Artist" is a real thing. Please, please, PLEASE support your local artists. I guarantee at least one of them will have artwork that truly speaks to your soul. You need it in your home. You will never regret it! Thank you John and Hank.

[@viviantompkins7925]

My favorite thing currently decorating my walls is a sticker that says "Refusing to harden your heart is a radical act." It's by the creator Art of Marza, who makes beautiful religious art.

[@deborahmatatall]

I love that Sarah’s painting makes you think of Watership Down.🌸

[@sam-the-moomin]

Both the poster and photo of Cincinnati are so cool and I kind of want one or both of them even though I live in Texas and have never once been to Ohio

[@paulrose5971]

I actually live in Cincinnati and it gives me a lot of amusement to know that John is hanging around town somewhere. Hey John! I'm pretty sure you don't have time for tourism, but you should absolutely check out Spring Grove Cemetery and their gigantic trees. I know it's not a vice president, but still!

[@elainatruhart1103]

Haha me too! I keep seeing “to set” and “basecamp” signs around UC and wondering if its for this movie or something else

[@CrypticMusic]

Thank you for the sly, unmentioned Georges Perec reference, down to the inclusion of a "W."

[@vlogbrothers]

It's definitely for a niche audience, but I'm glad someone noticed! :) -John

[@TheLaughingPanda]

Huh, when I saw that artwork Sarah made and especially when you started talking about rabbits it only reinforced my first thought of "a bamboo forest?" with "oh! I see! It's blades of grass!" And from the point of view of a rabbit, grass does kinda grow in straight lines, at least when it's still pretty short.

[@Kagedtiger]

I took this advice from you previously, and I think the art on my walls makes my life noticeably better. It comes from all sorts of places, some of it cheap and some of it expensive, but all of it makes me happy whenever I look over at it, and that's a beautiful feeling.

[@milandu]

You could say that 'Put queso in my face-o" wasn't really your taste-o

[@xryxix]

Hahaha nice

[@AxxLAfriku]

Please stop giving me mean comments. My mother reads the comments I get and she cries a lot because of it. Please be nice, dear mil

[@fictionalhuman]

+

[@marcellastname6862]

As an artist from Southern Ohio I really vibe with this video on many levels. Not least because the year I graduated high school, my parents mailbox received so many pamphlets from the art school in Cincinnati that it now has enough sentience to know about the art school in Cincinnati

[@3countylaugh]

I now want to meet your parent's sentient art school knowing mailbox...

[@elizabeths3910]

While it is oHiO, Cincinnati itself has some loveliness in it! Particularly, the art scene. The art museum is amazing, so is the regional ballet company, the plays in the park, the Shakespeare theatre, the symphony, etc. We are not southern France but there is a wee bit of wanderlustiness in our city, and in most cities I think. :)

[@olivia_rcr]

Cincinnati does have a really nice art culture! Music hall is my favorite :)

[@eliontheinternet3298]

I actually really like this kind of art! Same with those live-laugh-love signs. I find them so comforting, and they often contain reminders I need to hear. Traveling can be overwhelming, it can be nice to glance at such a beautiful word and be reminded of how much you wanted to be there. Also life can be overwhelming and demanding and hateful, hence the reminders to live, laugh, and love. The prints are also usually very understated, which I also find relaxing, with just enough intrigue about centering and font and definition word choice.

[@plasticwrapofdoom]

I so thoroughly love this video! I do a lot of art myself - photography, embroidery, cyanotype printing, etc. - and I absolutely love the fact that my apartment is my own personal art gallery. What I didn't make myself are things I purchased from other artists. I find it so weird that people generic wall art from Hobby Lobby or Target or somewhere when there's a whole wide world brimming over with interesting things you can decorate your life with. And most of them don't even cost that much.

[@dwtardisallonsy]

I am absolutely obsessed with the personal kitsch that individuals collect. Like my bedroom is covered in vintage prints of medieval tapestries and my living room is covered in mythological art prints and manuscript pages and antique books and Twilight memorabilia and my best friend’s house is covered with his favorite comic book and video game memorabilia and action figures and toys and somehow, without like active planning, our homes our such a reflection of what we love and who we are…. It’s wonderful. Thank you for sharing some what you love and who you are today…. And… I guess? What the air b&b people love? Or think people love?

[@okayheykae]

Aww I love this! And maybe this explains why I'm not a fan of minimalism - I'm curious and snoopy and I want to see what people are interested in and if they only have 7 decorative things then it doesn't satisfy the curiosity!

[@dwtardisallonsy]

@@okayheykae I want to live in one of those Bridgerton Style salon art shows. Minimalism can go to all heck. I’m going clutter core

[@okayheykae]

@@dwtardisallonsy yes! Clutter core for sure!

[@roadrunnercrazy]

I have to admit, I generally don't like things to be perfectly centered. Asymmetry alows my brain to relax.🤷‍♀️

[@lynnaschaefer]

This is so helpful! Now I know why I prefer off-centered, asymmetric anythings. Brain. Relax. Thanks!

[@rmdodsonbills]

My brain really likes things to be perfectly centered, but my laziness has learned to assert himself and tell the obsessiveness to chill out some. I'm finding a balance.

[@sonia_AAAAA]

As a college age artist I feel the need to shout about how good this message is!! My peers make wonderful work and there's nothing like getting an original work that someone put labour and love into and making someone very happy by giving it a home

[@hannahbee618]

Supporting local artists is so much fun! It's eye opening because many times you get to meet the artist. Get art for your house and make a new friend!

[@pippinhart7340]

Re: the personal artwork on your walls thing - I'm so lucky to have artists in my family, both immediate and distant. My grandfather made a number of bird paintings that now hang in my parents' dining room, and my great-grandmother, whom I never got to meet, did incredible pastels and oil works that I have the privilege of keeping in my room. Living in the constant company of their talent is a singular joy.

[@grimmschmidt38]

So, I'm an artist. I've been making, and more importantly -keeping a record of- art that I've made since 1990. I was not expecting to find myself genuinely touched and a little Misty eyed at the conclusion of this letter to Hank. I understand that it's silly, but I'm also at a point in life where I have been making art since I was five, and seriously honing the skill since I was ten -- and at 37 I've had a bit of a crisis of purpose and identity. To make something and have someone else choose to live with it, to get to know it on this level, is such a beautiful thought to me right now. Thank you, John. I didn't know I needed that.

[@jasmeenmalhotra2225]

“…but does it play in Southern Ohio?” is the most adorably snarky thing I have ever heard John to say. I wanted to hug him.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I've never heard a better description of Southern Ohio.

[@gavinmitchellmusic]

I have stayed in one of the rooms this Air B&B service offered. The room décor featured a multi-colored cow, obviously something we are quite proud of here in the Queen city. Also, there's quite a history here in Cincinnati when it comes to Art and Design Schools. I work for DAAP which has been here for 150 years and we've had some cool stuff come from our graduates like the first line of Star Wars toys, the Little Tikes Cozy Couple inventor studied at DAAP, and Michael Graves one of the New York Five architects.

[@daveinacave]

The joy of wanderlust is not to travel where everyone travels, or where no one has, but to enjoy those places which we cannot accurately or fairly imagine- for me, Cincinnati seems more than perfect for wanderlust!

[@sckilham]

The walls in my home are decorated with sports jerseys, because they double as art and function. I love them because they represent my family and how we grow and change. We've added new jerseys as we've added new members to the family, some of them were purchased at a game and then come with those memories. One of my favorites is my husband's childhood Manchester United (sorry john...) jersey which was one of the few belongings that came with him when he moved to the US as a refugee. These jerseys may not be art by themselves, but they've become art because we've added our stories to them!

[@rebekahosgoodadventures7435]

My grandma went to that art school and I didn't realize it until I made a slightly spontaneous (but well researched and cost-effective) choice to move here for my own schooling. And to pay for my schooling I rent out my spare bedroom on AirBnB with her artwork from that art school on the walls!

[@Onebadterran]

My mother is a local artist here in Reno, NV and I have her art all over my walls. Art really makes a wall feel more complete. Gorgeous pieces that we hope to start being able to share in a wider market one day.

[@moth6020]

I'm moving into my first apartment in a few months and I'm incredibly excited to decorate my walls. Is it weird to put your own art on your walls? I have a couple pieces I quite like.

[@MorriganShay]

Not weird. Love it.

[@chashahjohnson]

I put my own art up! My eyes are the ones that look at it the most so idgaf what other people think

[@vlogbrothers]

Your own art is the best art to put up! We have paintings by Sarah and my mom and our kids on our walls! -John

[@JordanThatblondegirl]

Absolutely not!

[@tmntallthewaydw]

my walls are more than half my art and it's lovely

[@JamesOKeefe-US]

I do the same with my wife's paintings, she thinks so little of them but they are the world to me and decorate our house with meaning. Art done with passion, whether a Masterpiece seen by millions or a painting seen by me and my wife are alive and powerful if appreciated and loved. Thank you for your thoughts John, they are appreciated and loved by me as well.

[@alisoncarlisle807]

My most precious pieces of art are of places I have known and loved made by people I have known and loved. I have a sketch of an old lighthouse in NY that my architect brother drew in 1991. It's priceless. A watercolor of downtown Athens, GA, that a friend in SC painted. Priceless. A painting of Sans (from Undertale) and Donald Duck getting married that was a collaboration between my oldest child and my youngest that you'll have to pry from my cold, dead hands. If you are lucky enough to have artists in your life, you are the luckiest of all.

[@ziyuanma1226]

Sarah’s painting is beautiful! For someone who’s favorite color is green looking at feels like HEAVEN

[@sxerosie]

I need a man that takes my art with him when he travels, so wholesome 🥹

[@ktoth29]

I couldn't agree more...now Cleveland, that's the very definition of wanderlust in urban form.

[@lillyhill6093]

My favorite art that keeps me together in lonely times was all made by people in my family. I find comfort especially in a photographed portrait of a nameless woman. It reminds me how wonderful it is to persevere, but also that being remembered is an utter coinsidence.

[@TerenceClark]

My friend is a metal sculptor (he does other media, but that's his primary) in Madison, WI. He has several pieces prominently placed throughout the city and in other places around the state and country. And yet he still has had times where he was sleeping on a couch in his art studio because he couldn't afford rent. Further, my wife is now embarking on a career in art and is finding it pretty hard to get going. I very much appreciate this video and encourage those viewing it to follow this advice. Support your local artists. Support local businesses in general. It can make a very big difference to someone.

[@Felisquoreda]

No one can even imagine how much I'm fangirling about John knowing Baumgartner Restaurations 😍😍😍

[@kirstenroos6781]

This made me smile way more than I had thought :)

[@conqu2]

dang that 70's style Queen City travel poster is DOPE

[@noahsong3865]

This has to be one of my favorite vlogbrothers videos yet. Cincinnati’s great!

[@jamiemiller8269]

Dearest John - I just visited Cincinnati as a college student on my first ever self-funded vacation. My partner (who lives in Indianapolis) and I (who lives in Ohio) met in the middle for a vacation. While I can't speak to any beach-front views, I can speak for the Underground Railroad Museum. It was yet another reminder that, in the middle of corn-shucking landlocked United States, the land is commensurate to our capacity for curiosity. If you have an afternoon to yourself, I highly recommend the trip to check out the museum and its debuting art exhibits. P.s. I've been a nerdfighter since 2014. Thank you for all of the work that you do!

[@i-love-comountains3850]

Thank you and Hank for helping keep the howling dark at bay.❤

[@westrich81]

I hope you do actually enjoy your time in Cincy. I know you may be busy with movie stuff but it really is a beautiful city - especially the older architecture. Id suggest if you have time to try to take a walking tour or underground tour. Also - plenty of good murals which you can see if you are so inclined to come back again for Blink in October. It’ll be crowded but it’s pretty spectacular. Id love to run into you 😆 But either way - enjoy your time here!

[@purple-flowers]

Urban Rangers has really good stuff about Cincinnati architecture

[@baillie987]

One thing I've inherited from my mum is the habit of buying postcards from the gift shops of museums and putting them up on walls and cupboards. If you have too many to display at once your can even curate little exhibitions on your walls, displaying works together which you think go together either aesthetically or in the meaning you take from them.

[@rustyhill7575]

I live in Dayton, and Cincinnati is indeed a destination for other people in Southern Ohio. I know you are there for work, but if you have time, take the Underground tour. It's really about the city's long history of Beer culture and talks a lot about the great German heritage in general. My wife and I just got back from a weekend in Columbus Indiana, a fascinating town filled with post modern art and architecture, but the local citizens don't really seem to get how wonderful their own town is. I guess most places are boring if you live there, but interesting for others to visit.

[@janarussell3515]

John Green has read Watership Down, and also quotes it. I always felt that John was an amazing soul, and this cements that feeling.

[@cloneno.625-a5]

"Farewell wanderlust, you've been ever so kind You brought me through this darkness, but you left me here behind And so long to the person you begged me to be He's down, he's dead Now take a good long look at what you've done to me"

[@upawaterfall]

Owning non-mass-produced art can be such a great joy. One of the paintings I own was done by a student at the Queer Resource Center at my university long before I ever set foot there. I may never know who they are. But damn do I love that weird little painting. One of my favorite pieces in my bedroom was done by a dear friend and mentor, and buying it from them in the artist alley at a con gave me a powerful sense of connection.

[@ladyclovenstone]

To a Scot Cincinnati is an exotic and worthy of wonderlust. It depends on the view point and so does the art. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@kristenkohler2340]

this is so relevant to my life right now because i just stayed at an airbnb in georgia with lots of art like this, including three very large signs in the office that have the words "HUSTLE" "EXECUTION" and "GRIND" along with their definitions

[@ItBeMeSara]

Hearing you talk about the city I grew up in and continue to live in with such admiration just makes me smile and appreciate it more

[@carolinevenus7901]

This video comes at the perfect time. I had spent a LOT of money on a print by my favorite artist in collaboration with my favorite band, it just arrived today, and I just had the most stressful day trying to get the right frame for it. And that message right at the end, that I got something that was special to me, helped me feel so much better about all the money I've had to spend getting this. I'm not really a person to keep artworks, or decorate my walls, but this will be special to me

[@xycid]

Dude-John, I love you even more now :) I am a techie turned into an art gallerist promoting and selling art every day in my little shop in SF. People surround themselves with junk "art" in million-dollar houses. What a world they miss? or not even million-dollar, there're SO MANY great pieces that another human put his heart and soul into. Anyways, I bought these cool Ukrainian easter eggs called "Pisanki" on Etsy recently; they were like $1-2 per piece and came from Ukraine. You won't believe how many people came by my store, loved them, asked me where I found them and wanted to buy them. To their surprise, I just gave the easter eggs away to them, because they weren't expensive. All we have to do is to **look for something** to find it. And we'll never find anything interesting if we never look for it.

[@RandomRyter]

John and Hank remind me to think deep. Something I haven't done since high school, in the quiet and silence of a pre internet, pre-dont-let-your-brain- think consumptiom of media I have fallen into. Thank you, for all your reflections. - Liz

[@NoaShaby]

I don't usually leave comments on your videos (but I do watch every single one) but I felt the need to tell you that I really liked this video.

[@flibbertygibbette]

One of my favorite pieces of artwork I've purchased was by a local artist. It's a collage of sorts made from 18th and 19th century fashion plates, made to look like two women wearing dresses from two different periods (one wearing a voluminous Victorian gown and the other a robe a la Francaise), but then the heads haev been replaced by the heads of an elephant and a rhinocerous from Little Golden Books. It's also in an antique frame. A lot of people look at it and laugh or are extremely puzzled. I love it for reasons too numerous to explain.

[@woogaloo]

I love that you brought Baumgartner Restoration into this. Julian would love telling a story about wanderlust and have the perfect segue to a sponsor!

[@KroK013]

I'll never forget the first time you shared this advice here. I haven't purchased a piece of mass produced art since and it has revolutionized my living experience.

[@shannonottarson9247]

The Baumgartner reference killed me! My first favorite youtubers liking one of my other top 5 youtubers is an oddly joyful degree of separation 🙃

[@godbeforeme]

As a more recent Cincinnatian who spent a decade living in Europe, I echo that the Queen City does not provoke a sense of wanderlust unless one is thinking to leave and wander elsewhere. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I visited its free art museum. It’s worth a visit when you’re in town.

[@SJPace1776]

Being from Cincinnati we have a really solid art museum I visit each year (I mean, it is free). Also, Cincinnati is a super underrated place. It has come a long way since the dark age of the 1990s. I do wonder about that old print from Cincinnati a hundred years ago... Drives me a little crazy thinking John is in such proximity. My favorite book of his being made here is surreal and cannot wait to see finished product.

[@daughter_of_sarah]

Also, I love that piece by Sarah, and I don't usually enjoy abstracts. But this one makes me feel wind blowing through bamboo.

[@mai-lo8222]

For some reason, I expected you to rank each artwork out of 5... I give this video 5 stars.

[@missaest712]

"I have at least five questions." XD I love the thoughtful, serious vlogbrothers content. But man, these lighthearted thoughts on real life are gems. Thank you, John.

[@clairecatherine4047]

Stunned that my favorite author is visiting my city to film my favorite book!! P.S.: The Cincinnati Art Museum is lovely and free to the public!

[@alicekatev]

the baumgartner restoration appreciation was exactly what i needed today

[@RangerRuby]

honestly this gives me some of the old hotel room vlogbrothers video vibes and I AM HERE FOR IT

[@FunnyAnimatoFilms]

I once stayed in a much smaller hotel room with the exact same painting of a mountain on two opposite walls. It took us a day to notice because there was nowhere in the room where you could stand and see both paintings at the same time.

[@alexreid1173]

My aunt volunteers at The Barn in Cincinnati, which is an art school/gallery. I’ve helped out with some raffles and such there myself. Great place! Honestly the art scene in Cincinnati is better than one might expect lol

[@amandabrito6047]

I love Cincinnati so much and miss it so badly. If wanderlust means a desire to hike or roam about, Southern Ohio almost certainly affords many opportunities to do that. Also, my mom said y'all were filming in the Applebee's by her house. She was VERY excited. I wouldn't call that PARTICULAR Applebee's the pride of the northern Cincinnati area, but my brother met his wife while working there, and that's at least something.

[@capreo]

My first year of University, I bought roughly $100 Canadian dollars worth of pretty generic gaming and music posters to decorate my dorm. Then, months later at a party, I was telling this to a bachelor of arts student who promptly voiced their disappointment in me. One of those posters, however, has survived every subsequent apartment, and is even framed now. It’s a piece by Luke Chueh called “Revenge is a Dish”. It’s of a dog sitting at a dinner table, staring solemnly at a hot dog, and I love it.