In Conversation with Eva Meloche

On seeing beauty in the mundane, challenging conventional paths to success, and the magic of music in moments of struggle.

For many years, I’ve been avidly tuning into Eva Meloche’s travel chronicles and lifestyle vlogs, captivated by her eye for the beauty of everyday life. Accompanying stunning visuals with poetic narration, Eva has crafted a unique space where the mundane is transformed into something extraordinary. Through her lens, even the simplest moments—like sipping matcha in a sunlit room or strolling through a quiet street—become meaningful reflections on the art of living well.

I was so excited to speak to Eva for my interview series where I interview creatives about the media they create and consume. In all honesty, I have to credit Eva for at least a quarter of the books currently on my shelf. She has immaculate taste in films and literature, and from following her recommendations over the years, I was so eager to learn more about how these artistic influences have inspired the work she creates and shaped her into the person she is. 

On top of being a creator and consumer, Eva is just such a warm, grounded individual who brings authenticity and sincerity to everything she does. It was such a pleasure to have this conversation with her, and I hope you enjoy reading it. 

As always, minor edits have been made to this conversation for the sake of clarity and brevity. 

Eva Meloche by me on 35mm film

Hi Eva! I’m so excited to chat today. To start, I’d love to hear what inspired you to start making videos on YouTube. 

I’ve always been obsessed with home videos. My mom used to film us so much as children. Growing up, we had this really old VCR thing–I don’t even know if that’s the right term, but we had the real tapes, and it was this whole production to make it work, but I would beg my parents to set it up so I could watch them back. 

Then, as I got older, I started watching YouTube videos, and it felt like I was watching other people's home videos. I was really inspired by Margo Lee. I would watch her abroad videos–I think I was in grade 10–and I was obsessed with them. And so I just felt inspired to start documenting things for myself. 

I really am just obsessed with creating little videos with the thought that I can watch them back when I’m older. I’m such a nostalgic person. One day this summer, I spent the entire day just watching super old videos and going down memory lane. So that’s what drove me and still drives me today. 

I feel like your videos–especially your travel diaries–are like mini-movies. Not only do you capture such beautiful imagery, but you accompany them with a very poetic voice-over. What does your process look like for creating those scripts?

I remember the very first time I thought about doing a voice-over, which was for my Italy chronicles about three years ago. I was in such a rut with YouTube where I was just doing the same thing over and over, and I wanted to play around a little bit more and elevate the production of my videos. So I went on a vacation with my family, and I didn’t take my computer, but I was journaling a bunch, kind of just writing down everything we would do each day. When I got home, I thought about how to bring more narration without just putting text on the screen, so I ended up writing a script based on my journal entries. 

I’ve always loved to write, so it was really just pairing that kind of passion with how much I loved editing. Seeing it come to life so differently with the voice-over–making scenes come to life in the exact way I saw them–there’s so much creative freedom there. I started becoming a bit more poetic with it, so it wasn’t just “then I did this, then I did this.” 

My process involves going through the footage and sitting with how I was feeling at the time I was filming. I’ll really try to reflect on the interiority that maybe doesn’t come through so that it really illustrates the whole picture. I also just love movies, and I love to make people feel things, even though that sounds really cringe. I really just want to convey a specific feeling so that people watching can feel good and relate to it.

And then, for the scenes behind your narration–what are some visual elements that tend to catch your eye and prompt you to record? 

Through the years of playing around with my camera, I’ve become so much more observant of my environment, and I’ve kind of just developed this eye for things that I didn’t always have. I’m always seeing things from the perspective of a camera as if I were looking through a lens. By traveling, my eye has also developed so much because everything’s so new, and that helps shape how you see the world. Mostly, for me, it’s about finding the beauty in the mundane. I used to be more of an “I’ll just film everything” kind of person, but by sifting through all the footage over the years, I’ve learned what kind of shots I actually like and will use in my videos. 

You even make ad campaigns a cinematic experience–is there a difference in your creative approach with those compared to your long-form content? 

What’s really important to me when I’m approaching a campaign is to maintain that creative freedom. Of course, I’ll love the brand and the product, but I also want whatever content I’m creating to feel very authentic to me. It’s definitely been more of a recent development, and I’ve taken a step back and thought, “What kind of ad would I want to stop and watch?” I want it to be as enjoyable as any other content I put out. I’m also trying to make it fun for myself so that it still feels like a creative endeavor in itself. I set out to create things that I’d be happy to post, even if they weren’t sponsored. 

I’ve always been very interested in advertising, so this kind of feels like practice for entering that world later on. I love to go to the movies early to watch trailers. I just love short videos that make you feel something. Like those car ads that make you cry… I love that. So it’s just feeding that little passion of mine. 

From a viewer's standpoint, that authenticity really shines through. And when it comes to your clothing campaigns, your creativity stands out in multiple ways—not just in shooting the outfits but in styling them, which is a deeply creative process that often gets overlooked. I wonder, what draws you to the world of fashion?

I’ve always loved clothes. When I was younger, in school–I probably shouldn’t be saying this–I would spend a ridiculous amount of hours shopping on my iPad and playing Covet Fashion, this styling app I was addicted to at the time. In high school, I would go to the thrift store all the time, and that’s really where I developed my initial eye for clothing–envisioning how a piece could be styled or how I could alter it. It’s such low stakes when you don’t have to spend $100 on a top. That’s definitely where I have the most fun with fashion: when I buy something second-hand. Whenever I travel, I’m always on the hunt for charity shops, and I love shopping on Thread-Up and finding pieces that are unique. All the work that goes into finding those pieces makes them all that more special.

I really developed my own sense of style when I went to Copenhagen, though. Being immersed in such a unique culture with all these people who really don’t care and wear whatever they want, I think, allowed me to come into that side of myself. I’m still figuring it out, but that’s what’s fun about fashion, which is that it is a part of your identity and the way you present yourself to the world, so, of course, it’s constantly changing over time. 

I find it hard to talk about fashion because I don’t see myself as a fashion icon or anything. I can wear cool stuff, but I’m still very casual, and I like to be comfortable. I’m definitely not here breaking boundaries or anything. But I’ve always tried to challenge myself with fashion and try not to care about what other people think, which is hard, especially when you’re living in your home town, it always feels like everybody is judging you, even though they’re probably not. For me, developing a sense of fashion is very closely related to confidence. It’s just this uplifting mode of self-expression.

So overall, with all these different passions of yours, and you kind of mentioned this earlier, do you imagine yourself continuing to work in the visual or creative industry in the future? 

I would love to, but I can’t necessarily see myself in an exact place or position. It’s kind of hard to imagine myself beyond school because I’m so in it right now, and it honestly gives me anxiety if I think too hard about it, but at the same time, it does excite me. I’d love to have a job where I can have that creative freedom and work with others to create what I do right now but on a larger scale. I think I need to try a couple of internships in different industries to see what I like best. I know being behind a camera and seeing how everything works and seeing it all come together… it gives me a rush. I’m also interested in the magazine industry because I love writing and photos. Just anything creative! A mix of everything would be awesome. 

Speaking about the future, you’re graduating this year, right? Can you remind me what you’re studying?

Yes! I’m majoring in English cultural studies at McGill. It’s essentially the study of how we take in art and culture. 

That sounds amazing–it’s actually quite similar to what I’m attempting to explore with my Substack, especially these interviews. So I’m curious: now that you’re nearing the end of your studies, how do you feel your time at McGill has influenced the person you are?

These are such transformative years of your life, regardless of what you’re doing, so when I think of McGill, I’m thinking of who I was as a 19-year-old starting University and ending now as a 22-year-old. 

I studied environmental science in CEGEP, so I had all the prereqs to study anything in science or medicine, but I had to take one English class in high school, and that made me realize how passionate I was about literature. My teacher was a huge mentor to me, and he introduced me to the program at McGill because I had no idea it existed. I think a lot of people have no idea it exists because it is a bit niche. So, coming from a science background, starting at McGill in English, I felt so out of my depth. I felt like that kind of insecurity and ‘imposter syndrome.’ 

Throughout these past years, I’ve grown so much in my creativity, in my writing, and in just seeing the world, honestly opening my eyes to so many more things. I had always thought I would go into engineering, so realizing that I didn’t want to do that and try something different was really scary, but it was the best decision I have ever made. During my time at McGill, I’ve really just come into myself and discovered what I love, what makes my heart sing, and what gets me excited about life.   

Maybe I’m just a nerd, but I love to hear about what people are studying and what things they’re learning from their classes. Since you study a lot of media, I wonder if there have been any standouts for you–whether it’s certain media objects, concepts you’ve learned, or themes you’ve gotten to dive into. 

Thinking back throughout my whole university experience, every semester, there’s been at least one class where I’ve been obsessed with all the material. For example, I took a Hitchcock class, and even though I wouldn’t necessarily sit down and choose to watch a Hitchcock movie now, throughout that class, I got so into it. I think I’m someone who is interested in a lot of things, so really, if the teacher is good and there are cool discussions around topics that aren’t super conventional, then I typically become very interested in that. 

I’m currently taking a class called Romanticism and Revolutionary Writers in the Romantic Period, which is something I’ve never studied before. My teacher is taking a different approach to the course, and she made us all choose a different scholarly monograph to study at the beginning of the semester. I chose Living A Feminist Life by Sara Ahmed. It’s amazing. She has such a beautiful way of writing, and it’s all about becoming a feminist and living with the consequences of that. So that’s a book that’s been sitting with me a lot lately. Though it’s definitely not a book you just read for fun, it’s a project. 

Otherwise, I’ve been sitting with the books that I’m writing my thesis on. One of them is Milk Teeth by Jessica Andrews. It’s about this unnamed protagonist who is really struggling to find her place in the world. It’s all about trying to find satisfaction, and she ties it back to an eating disorder she developed growing up and how that has followed her into her adulthood and created this void inside her that makes it difficult to feel satisfied, both literally and figuratively. It’s just a wonderful book. 

Away from academics now, let’s talk about your favorite media picks in general, in life, that you’ve consumed. Let’s start with books since you were just mentioning some. 

I’ve only been able to read one book for pleasure this semester, Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. It’s these four sisters; their last name is Blue, and one of them has passed away, so this story is all about how they grieve. They’re all very different characters, so each of their [grieving] processes looks different, but they all also come together in sisterhood. It’s so good. [Mellors] has such a way of rendering a sad subject in a way that’s not very depressing to read but actually enjoyable. 

In terms of my favorite books of all time, or ones that I’m always recommending people to read, the first would be The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It’s so sweet and beautiful. I just love it. Do I even need to say more? Then, Tuesdays With Morrie. It came into my life at the perfect time, and it really did change my mindset [on life]. It’s such a wonderful story. 

Another book I read this summer is Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. I love intergenerational stories where a character is mentioned from one person’s perspective, and then you get that character’s perspective later on, if that makes sense–similar to Jennifer Egan’s A Visit From the Goon Squad. Everyone’s story is so well developed. I read it in two days just because it’s that good. So, those are my current favorites, but it’s hard because my list is always changing over time. 

I’m almost positive I picked up Tuesdays With Morrie because you talked about it in a video. I read it just a few weeks ago, and I can confirm that it’s life-changing. What about movies?

My favorite genre is coming-of-age movies. The feeling that I get from coming-of-age movies is a feeling I try to emulate in the videos I create–just capturing the excitement of growing up and the way it’s fun, but sometimes it’s not. It’s difficult as well. 

I always say Ladybird. I know it’s basic, but I don’t care. Also, Call Me By Your Name. I have a funny story about the first time I watched that–I spent an entire night in my basement because I put it on, but I was scrolling on my phone the entire time, and then when I watched the end, I realized I had missed something really special. I rewatched it, and I was like, oh my god. It changed my life, honestly. I also loved Killers of the Flower Moon. I also love Clueless, a classic. I’ve probably watched it twenty times. I studied it last year in my class, funny enough, and we read criticism on it, and I was like, I can’t read these because it’s gonna ruin it for me. 

This is the final question I like to ask everyone I interview: What is a piece of media that has changed your life in some way–one that perhaps made you think about the world, your relationships, or your art differently? Or one you feel just really shaped you into who you are today? (This can be a book, movie, song, photograph, painting, sculpture, anything). 

When I think of media that changed me, it’s honestly very rare that that happens with books and movies. I’ve already mentioned Tuesdays with Morrie and Call Me By Your Name. But something that has consistently shaped me is music. I have so many songs that bring me instantly back to a point in time. Or it’s kind of how I get through things [in life]; I’ll find a song that I like and play it over and over. 

The song that stands out to me when I think about this question is House Song by Searows. It kind of just fell into my hands when I was listening to this random playlist once. I was in a really tough spot [at the time], and it kind of just became my ‘theme song.’ I would bike around listening to it and go on walks listening to it. It was just always on repeat, and it… honestly, it cured me somehow. 

I was a few months into my exchange. I had been in Copenhagen for a few months at that point, and I was really having a hard time with the adjustment and being away from my family. I was just going through a big change in my life, and I was very emotional and feeling very alone, so it just came at the perfect time. Sometimes, listening to melancholic music has the opposite effect on me–it somehow makes me see things more beautiful. I would walk around listening to it, and I would just gaze at my surroundings in admiration. It really just got me through the rest of my exchange. Now, when I listen to it, it warms my heart because it reminds me of the growth I went through with it by my side. 

I love that song. It’s so beautiful. I feel like certain songs, when you’re listening to them, make you feel like you’re in a movie. For me, it’s Photograph by Arcade Fire. When I listen to it and walk around New York, everything feels so much more beautiful. I become so much more observant because I literally feel like I’m in a movie. 

Exactly. I could not have said that better. It’s such a great way to see your own life. It’s romanticizing the ups and the downs and remembering to be present and grateful for everything you have.

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