Exploring Scotland's outdoors responsibly: insights and inspiration, with filmmaker Calum Maclean
In this episode, we talk to Calum Maclean, a presenter, social media specialist, filmmaker and writer.
Fluent in Gaelic, Calum specialises in creating bilingual content about Scotland's outdoors, while helping to promote and enjoy responsible access.
With the publication of his first book on outdoor swimming, Calum's passion for the outdoors shines through all his work, earning him recognition as one of the most influential Scots on social media in 2022.
Calum shares insights into his creative drive, offers top tips for wildlife photography and outdoor swimming, and discusses easy and practical ways to follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and Make Space For Nature.
More information:
Find out more about Calum's work on his website, and follow him on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
Transcript
Kirstin:
Hi and welcome to Make Space for Nature from NatureScot, the podcast that celebrates Scotland's nature and landscapes. I'm Kirstin Guthrie and in each episode we will help you connect with and take care of our amazing natural world.
In this episode, Tim Hancock and I chat to presenter, filmmaker and writer Calum Maclean. Fluent in Gaelic, Calum specialises in creating bilingual content about Scotland's great outdoors, while helping to promote and enjoy responsible access. He gives us an insight into what drives his creativity and provides us with top tips for following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and Making Space for Nature.
Hi Calum, welcome to the Make Space for Nature podcast. Thanks for joining us today. So you describe yourself as a presenter, filmmaker and writer. So tell us where your career started and how you've managed to do what you do for a living.
Calum Maclean:
Those are the things I use to describe what I do, but I do so many different bits and pieces. Some people would call it portfolio career, I don't have one clear job so I do lots of different things. In terms of how I got to what I'm doing, I used to actually work as a journalist quite a few years ago, and it was kind of through that I ended up doing what I'm doing now. It was around 13 years ago or so now that I did a college course at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the Gaelic College in Skye, which was a diploma in Gaelic media. I was always interested in creating things and being creative and I think that was an amazing course because it gave me lots of hands-on training opportunities in terms of physically how to go and film a sequence of someone doing something on a camera, for example, or how to edit radio together. And it gives you a huge big taste of all sorts of things. Off the back of that, I got a placement at the BBC, which was like the second year of the course was a placement at some workplace, at a media workplace. So I was quite fortunate that I landed at the BBC just around about the, just before the Commonwealth Games. So they had lots more output, lots more kind of money almost. And also it was the time of the Scottish independence referendum so there were loads of opportunities then to get kept on just in terms of actually having a job at that point. Through that I ended up into journalism. The thing I always enjoyed most was the creative, I want to be outdoors and want to be creating things, that's what I want to be doing. So being a journalist fitted that to some extent but a lot of the time it wasn't what I wanted to be doing. Off the back of that, I started creating my own content. So I started a blog all about outdoor swimming, then started to make videos and I was lucky to get opportunities like BBC The Social, which was a platform that was just launching, made them some videos, and it's kind of off the back of stuff I've almost just made myself because I enjoy making it, about something to do with the outdoors in Scotland, that new opportunities have then popped up, and I've just kept saying either yes to an opportunity that I'm interested in, it fits with what I want to be doing or something that actually I do believe in. That's how I've kind of ended up where I am right now. Along the way I did do some outdoor instruction and I took time to go and get qualified in some outdoor qualifications. Very often when I'm talking about some of the stuff, I've learned some of the things through those qualifications, for example. And I do use them occasionally. Being outdoors and being creative are the two things that I really am interested in doing and also portraying Scotland in the way I enjoy it and if I can combine those things in the work I do, then generally I'll say yeah, I'll take this next opportunity and see what comes up next.
Tim:
That's fantastic. And you're relatively unique on social media as well, in that some of your work is in Gaelic, which we know you're a fluent speaker of. Can you let us know what you think the demand for Gaelic media is like? And have you seen much of an increase in that, and awareness of the language?
Calum Maclean:
Yeah, massive increase in awareness. I mean, for example, if you look on TV, BBC Alba didn't exist till 2008, I think. And so that has created much more opportunities for Gaelic speakers. And also a huge amount of what it's done is raise awareness of the language. A lot of people in Scotland go about their daily lives and not necessarily hear or see Gaelic. I think that's changing now in the past few years, but a huge amount of people would not even understand it was there or what it is even. So a lot of my work, I just try and, because as soon as you go on social media, it's like an English speaking world, it is what it is. And so a lot of the work I try and do, I just try and show people it's there. I get messages from people all around the world that are Gaelic speakers or that are learning or that are interested in it, which is brilliant. But I'm really keen that, if you look at it in Scotland, we've got Gaelic medium education, which is like growing massively and is brilliant. The demand for it is growing massively. Whether the people doing Gaelic medium education then get the opportunities to hear it, to see it, to use it outside of like school, I think it's really important that they see people using it, people that can then maybe give them confidence to use it. So I'm probably quite unique. There's a small number of people and it's growing all the time making content in Gaelic. I think that the more I can do it and encourage other people to do it, that helps and lifts other people up. I want to see other people making content in Gaelic and making better content than me and going out and doing things, because then it gives people more confidence. The more you see it, the more you hear it, the more you see peers using it, it gives you confidence to use it, which is one of the main reasons I use it.
Tim:
One of the reasons why I think a lot of people enjoy following you on social media is because of the kind of creative way that you portray content. A lot of the content is things that people have heard or seen before, but finding creative ways to put that out. We've seen that in working with you in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code campaign. Can you let us know a bit about your creative thinking and how you come up with some of those ideas?
Calum Maclean:
Yeah, very often it'll come to me spur of the moment kind of thing. An example, I was out at Forvie National Nature Reserve, a place I'd never been to before, and before I went I was thinking, you know, looks amazing sand dunes, all these big seal colonies, I could take my drone and get some really cool shots. And then, you know, I was doing some googling, finding that people had been using their drones and that had actually caused some issues with the seals. So then it got me thinking to myself, I was also imagining, put myself in the place of a seal, what would it be like feeling stressed out if someone started flying a drone above me? So then I tried to incorporate that into the video and almost then make it like a three-part piece at the start of the video, three ways that if you were an animal or some wildlife, how you could get stressed out from someone just trying to take a picture of you. I tried to use that as a way into the video because it was, I guess, unusual and maybe try and get the attention, especially in the days when people, you know, your short attention span scrolling like three or four seconds, you're just going to scroll on. So just to get the attention in the first place. And then as part of the video to give out some good information too. I'd never been to Forvie National Nature Reserve and it was like an amazing place, you know, this amazing dune system and huge big beach and yeah, like the more go visit there, you know, great. But with that as long as we can do it in the right way, I think is important. I have to say, going out and doing things. So going out, going for a walk, going for a swim. Often an idea will come to me then and like how I could do something. One time or a couple of years ago I was out and I was going to go for a swim and I came across like toilet roll that someone to obviously use and stuff down the rock. And you just think that's disgusting and it makes you angry. So like my instinct was to record my angry reaction and then I used that as part of a video. The more you go out and do things, the more ideas come to you I think. So yeah, sitting at the desk is like no good way to come up with ideas. I think you have to actually go out and like be in these places and sit there and go camping and then you'll get ideas as part of that I think.
Kirstin:
Yeah, absolutely. A lot of the videos you've been doing for us have certainly been going down really well on the social channels, which is brilliant. And you've also written your first book, 1001 Outdoor Swimming Tips. Personally, I'm not really much of a swimmer. So for a total novice, what would you recommend? What's your top five tips or top tips to get me started?
Calum Maclean:
I’ll give you some kind of like safety ones and then some more inspirational ones. Like choose somewhere you can get in and out of the water easily. So location choice is such a big thing. It's like, can I swim here? Is it safe to swim here? Should I swim here? And a lot of that comes with like experience and knowing how good you are and understanding the tide at a certain place, for example. So maybe a loch that's easy to walk in, easy to walk out. You might want to wear something on your feet because sand is easy to walk on but as soon as your feet get a bit cold walking on stones is just the worst thing in the world and so it helps you walk out of the water easy but also like prevent embarrassment if you're like crawling out the water.
Kirstin:
That would be me probably!
Calum Maclean:
Take someone with you so if you know someone who swims already that's a great way to get into it and they can like give some tips and show you places. But if not have someone with you just for a second pair of eyes to keep an eye on you, help you get changed when you get out too. We live in Scotland and this summer has been amazing, today it's blazing sunshine for me here and the water is still cold in Scotland, most places. Some of the fresh water, at least at surface levels, is definitely warming up, but you can almost be tricked into thinking the water's going to be warmer than it is. So just take your time getting in would be one big tip. Just walk in slowly, don't jump in straight away. Just walk into some water. I'd also say, take the time to find what you enjoy about swimming. So maybe a lot of people almost just go for a dook and just enjoy being in cold water. Maybe swimming out to an island, doing triathlons is not your thing, but at the same time, maybe that is your thing. So I would say experience it if you can for just having a dook and then maybe you go to an organized swim event and see how you feel about that. Because I think everyone can enjoy it in their own way so you don't have to necessarily like do it in a certain way that you've seen everyone else doing it online. Maybe the way you want to do it is different to that so take your time to see what you love about it.
Kirstin:
This is a bit of a random question, but have you come across anything when you've been out swimming? Animals or fish or anything that's given you a bit of a surprise at any time?
Calum Maclean:
You always get a surprise when you slap a jellyfish or feel some seaweed on your feet or something like that. That's always like an adrenaline rush which in the moment is not enjoyable but then you can ride it out and it's okay. I've never come across anything that's scared me other than a big jellyfish, a big lion's mane jellyfish for example. This summer I've found lots of small fish and eels in river pools. I'm not sure if it's down to lower water levels, so they're not managing to get between pools so much, I'm not sure. But quite a lot of river pools I've been into this summer, particularly have lots and lots of small fish. So yeah, that's really nice. I found lots of eels, I don't know that much about eels, but they often hide within waterfalls. You'll see them floating around in waterfalls. So I mean, if there's any eel experts out there, maybe they can tell us why they would do that. But that's really quite fun because they're very small usually and I think people maybe think of an eel and think ‘eww’ for some reason, because it's unusual, you don't see it so often. But they're actually amazing little creatures when you see them in the water and they're just sitting there chilling out and probably more scared of me than I am of them. Yeah that'd be the main one. Plenty of seals. Sometimes they'll follow you, they're quite curious and in the same way if you're paddling or kayaking they'll sometimes follow you. I don't usually swim towards seals but I've had them follow me, never too closely, not close enough to nibble on me, but close enough you can hear them snorting at you and stuff.
Tim:
Calum, we've touched on the Gaelic content you produce, which obviously you produce in both Gaelic and English. Could you let us know sort of the pros and cons of both, and which you prefer, if you prefer one over the other?
Calum Maclean:
If I want to reach as big an audience as possible, probably doing stuff in English is the best bet to do that. I usually try and subtitle everything I do anyway. But at the same time, it's easier to make stuff in English. You know, you've got so much resources out there if you try to research something, for example, or you're trying to make a video about a place, people who have been there very often and made a video or about a topic and you can learn so much. There's so many resources out there to make stuff in English, but if you're trying to make something in Gaelic it can be a lot trickier. So in some ways it's much more rewarding because I know it's important and I want to share it with more people in Scotland and tell people about it and encourage other people to use it. So from that extent when people enjoy a video I've made in Gaelic and reply to me in comments or send me messages in Gaelic, I really enjoy that, maybe more so than English because it feels like you've made the effort, the effort's been worth it. So it's definitely easier to make stuff probably in English but probably more important to make stuff in Gaelic because if you look online there's so much stuff in English from all around the world but there's much less stuff in Gaelic and very often it's focused around music, which is brilliant, and traditional things but I try and try put in like just what I'm doing today, but just do it in Gaelic. So it doesn't necessarily have to be about Gaelic always, just what you're doing, but just do it in Gaelic, which I think is really important too. One interesting thing is some creators, who I follow on TikTok, I follow people from different countries, specifically to see them do stuff in their own native language maybe. So even though it's got nothing to do with Gaelic, it's not Scotland, it's not even in Gaelic, that gives me then confidence to use Gaelic as well and I could see other people doing it in other minority languages. So I think I definitely try and do a mix of the two between Gaelic and between English and sometimes I'll make a video in Gaelic sometimes I'll make a video about Gaelic and it's almost just like I've got an idea or a message I want to get out there. How can I do it? And then I'll find a way to do it.
Kirstin:
We've just had a kind of mini series of little Gaelic cartoons and we've tried to use certain words and explain what the meaning of the word is through a little cartoon which our Gaelic officer Robin has been managing and they've been going down really well. So it's just kind of trying to do something slightly different and they're really lovely little videos actually so yeah, that's great.
Calum Maclean:
Yeah, I’m not trying to slag anyone off out there, but, as a Gaelic speaker and someone who grew up with it and in the Highlands, sometimes you realise the level of ignorance about it is quite wide and a lot of people just don't have a clue about it and don't have a clue that a lot of place names or things are connected to it. Like I was explaining, a simple one to someone the other day and they had no idea it was in Gaelic and it was in the Highlands. And for me, it's so obvious. So sometimes I have to remember that not everyone is starting from the same position of knowing about Gaelic so sometimes I'll try and make stuff super simple to try and target people who would be at that level maybe.
Tim:
Calum, we often talk about the twin crises for climate change and nature loss and how important that is, but also how overwhelming that can be for a lot of people because it's so big and you think I'm just one person, what can I possibly do? But there are obviously a lot of small everyday things that people can do within their own lives. Do you have any suggestions for people listening who might want to help but don't even know where to start? Little things you can do for nature or for wildlife that you've come across and you would encourage people to do.
Calum Maclean:
Yeah, I think it can be very easy to feel overwhelmed, especially if it's something you care about. And if you feel like you don't have control, which I think is probably what lends that feeling of feeling overwhelmed that you don't have the control to make the big decisions that you think should be getting made or the big changes, because very often maybe it is a systemic change that we need. So something as simple as being part of an organization or supporting campaigns that you think make a change. You know, if we look at the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, getting the Land Reform Act didn't just happen by chance, there was a lot of campaigning behind it and people seeing a situation that they wanted to change, or they knew where they wanted to go and taking the time to campaign towards that. In addition to that, I think very simple things that I do every time I go to the outdoors, I always carry my own water bottle and take an extra one in the car too anywhere I go pretty much. So I'm not having to go buy bottled water or something simple like that. I'm always using reusable cups as much as I can. I think as well as that, if you're in an opportunity that you've got a garden or somewhere like that, get rid of your astroturf or don't put astroturf in. I'm a big believer in if you've got a garden or you've got an outdoor space, encouraging wildlife or nature within that just a wee bit if you can, if you can do it in a big way, great. And obviously that's not practical for a lot of people, depending how you use your garden or you use your outdoor space. But the more we can do that, even in small ways of having some plants. Then you start to see the bees arrive and you start to see insects arrive and it makes you think a bit more maybe about what's out there and what's around you and care a bit more about it too. Those are very basic, simple things. I think as well as that one thing I've tried to do in the last few years is every time I'm buying something, you know, do I really need this? Do I want it? Is it going to make a difference to me if I have this thing? Because I think a lot of people can end up accumulating stuff or buying things, buying new clothes when maybe you don't need to or buying new gear when you don't necessarily need to. And so it's just trying to cut back on the accumulation of stuff, which, if you look at it as a bigger picture, is less stuff being produced in the first place, I think, is what we need to stop producing as much emissions, we need to cut down on emissions if we want to look at this as a bigger, wider picture. So I think those are very simple, basic ways I think of going about it. So you can do things in your everyday life and then you can also look to support or put your effort into bigger campaigns that then will make a change for everyone too.
Kirstin:
Yeah, absolutely. We spoke to Less Waste Laura on a previous episode of the podcast and that was one of the big points she made about, you know, our propensity to just have stuff all the time. She spoke about tool libraries and borrowing clothes, these kind of things, you know, there's lots of services out there that we could certainly go through. When you were talking about the gardening side of things or kind of outdoor space, Make Space For Nature, the other campaign that NatureScot do, there's always tips on our website. I think there's 14 for summer. So following these kinds of things is absolutely key, as you say, and even having window boxes if you're in a flat. The astroturf thing seems to be quite popular and that's one of the things we'd encourage people not to do, as you say. And going back to the Scottish Outdoor Access Code campaign, the focus of that is wildlife disturbance, or sorry, not having wildlife disturbance, responsible camping, preventing wildfires, and general kind of ‘leave no trace’ messaging. And these are the kind of messages you've been spreading for us, which is great. Is there one or two that you particularly feel passionate about and why?
Calum Maclean:
I think one that maybe it's not until the last couple of years I started to care more about it or think more about it is to do with fires. I used to live for just over a year in the Glenmore area so just near Loch Morlich in the Cairngorms and you're basically living in an amazing big forest around you there and there's a few occasions I saw folk having fires and I think it did happen that a fire did start in the forest a couple of years ago close to Loch Morlich and it was just the realisation that if you're having a fire there, especially in summer and when summer's so dry, that you could start something that just changes the place so quickly. Because the forest is so thick there in some places they could just lose so much so quickly so I think that's one that I really care about. I mean I have to admit sometimes when I go camping, when I go kayaking I do sometimes have a fire on the beach on the shore but it's massively changed. I don't think I've ever had a fire in the forest, but I never would now. So I think that's one I really care about and I didn't necessarily think that much about until the last couple of years. And you can just see how it could change something so quickly. And also when you come across where someone's used a barbecue on the ground or you had a fire, it is a bit annoying, when you're in this beautiful place and then suddenly you see this, evidence like that can be really annoying. So that's probably one because of the big effect it could have on like nature so quickly. And in addition to that, probably wildlife disturbance too. Again, it wasn't something that I didn’t consider so much probably until like last four or five years or so. But the more you go out to places, when you find a beach full of seals for example which you get at Forvie but you also get in various different islands, you might be kayaking and come across this beach full of seals just chilling out not realizing that you're there and very easily you could disturb them all and they all go rushing into the water. I haven't done it myself but I've seen videos of other people just kayaking up and then the seals all in the sea around them which you know looks amazing on video but then you realize hang on they probably shouldn't have done that. Because then it's also got a knock-on effect, if you're at breeding season that it could disrupt seal pups, for example. That's just seals, but it could apply to all sorts of animals, and especially birds, nesting birds and things like that. And so those are two of the ones. And I think probably I'd care more about them or they'd come to my attention because it's not just affecting your enjoyment. You know, if I see someone's left a campfire or left one of those black circles on the ground, it's annoying, but it might not actually be that big of a problem in some places. But if you're having a fire that could, you know, burn down a whole forest, for example, then it's going to be a huge problem. It’s not just going to annoy me, but it's actually going to have a massive knock-on effect to that area that you like and you visit. So yeah, I think it's almost about seeing what annoys you, but then realizing, hang on, it's got a much bigger effect all around you. The reason that we like going outdoors and being outdoors is because we enjoy these places. They're beautiful, they're amazing, they make us feel relaxed, they make us feel like free from our job and our house and whatever. So we have to look after these places so that we can go back and do these things every year, every weekend or however often we go out.
Tim:
A lot of people enjoy going outdoors much like yourself and taking a camera or something to capture some video of wildlife or nature with them. But it's often not quite as easy as that. What advice would you have for someone who's hoping to get a really good picture or make a nice video when wildlife doesn't stop and model for you all the time and you've got to find new ways or techniques of trying to get a good image or video?
Calum Maclean:
I have to say that for a lot of bigger wildlife or that might be a distance from you, if you’re just shooting on your phone it's really hard. Simple answer is that it's really hard. If you are somewhere where you see birds feeding for example, a very handy way is if you work out how to prop up your phone, is to go and leave your phone close to where you see they're feeding and then just walk away take yourself a good distance away, let them come to the camera. So I've used that sometimes where I've seen birds pecking at the ground. That can be a good way. I think if you're looking to actually film some nature, for example, if you just got your phone and you don't have a big zoom lens, which is really the easiest way to get something big in an image, is to look for stuff that's slow and small moving. So this year, I haven't made a video out of it, but I was doing quite a lot of where I'd go for a walk near Loch Tay. I found these pools that had tadpoles in them. So I'd be sticking my camera into the pond, just sticking my phone into the pond. Most phones are waterproof, I think. You might want to check that before you do it. Not fully, just half of it, the camera. And then you could see the tadpoles look amazing under it. Not the tadpoles itself, because they're frog spawn. And then as they turned into tadpoles. In some of the ponds there were little lizards as well, little skinks or newts of some kind. I have to say though, I did realize after doing it a couple of times, sometimes they'd be getting scared of the phone. So that was me learning not to do that where it was close to the lizards. But things that are small and slow moving, a lot of phones now have a really good macro mode where you can take photos of stuff quite close. So you can actually get some really cool images of dragonflies if they don't move or small insects and things like that quite easily if you take the time and the patience. And then once you stop and slow down and look at the ground actually seeing there's like way more than you realize when you're going at walking speed. So even like ants nests you can walk past them so easily unless you slow down and have a look and you start to realize there's like stuff all around you. When I was filming some bluebells recently, when I stopped and filmed the bluebells I saw this little spider on the tree beside it so there was little green flies as well and there's all sorts of little things that you'd never notice unless you stop and look at something in detail. So yeah those are good tips. And also I'd say get yourself a tripod, a super simple one that you can put your phone on. It's going to save you so much hassle in terms of the phone wobbling. Even if you're filming yourself or you're filming something else, having a tripod makes things so much easier to keep a steady shot and then also you can let your mind think of, what else could I do to make this an interesting image? Could I shoot up the tree? Could I shoot down the tree? Could I put my phone in the tree? Could I strap my phone to the tree somehow? You can start to get really creative once you give yourself a bit more freedom and having a tripod to hold the camera can help you with that.
Kirstin:
Brilliant, they're great tips, thank you. And speaking of small, slow moving creatures, your tick video that you did that was brilliant. Such a funny way to get a serious message across. And I actually just loved reading the comments as well, because I don't think people really believed that you hadn't eaten one, or maybe you did eat it in the end. I don't know, it's a mystery. Anyway, so, what's your favourite video that you've done and why?
Calum Maclean:
I really enjoyed that tick video. So basically we were we were looking after a dog for a couple of weeks and we'd been out camping and I think it must come from the dog, a big tick crawling along the floor in the house, it didn't come from me. I was like ‘oh that's just disgusting’ and then picked it up and saw his legs crawling and moving and I was like ‘wow I need to film this, I need to film this’ and then I didn’t use the footage for like two weeks and I was like I could use this to somehow make like make a video that's raising a bit awareness about ticks because we know the issues or the number of Lyme disease cases going up so much and if you go for a walk in the outdoors in Scotland there's a good chance you're going to get a tick at some point so I thought yeah it's a great chance to one, satisfy my creativity but get a good message out there and also it was a good test of a video to see who watches to the end of a video I think as well because there's a bit of a reveal at the end. You go on TikTok and see all these comments like ‘oh bro he ate the tick he ate the tick’ and then I'm like ‘well did I?’ you know you've got to let people just believe what they want to believe sometimes because not everyone’s going to watch the end of a video but yeah I enjoyed making that one. I really enjoy making videos where I get a chance to be creative and also satisfy my own ideas. So that was an idea I had myself and I was like, I just need to go and make this. It wouldn't have mattered if no one saw it almost, I just need the satisfaction of creating it. And I really enjoy when I'm actually doing something as part of a video. So that was fun because it was an interesting idea to make, but when I'm actually, you know, going out there, going camping or going swimming, doing something rather than just like something being posed in a way. The satisfaction of actually doing an activity and making a video of part of it. It's definitely harder than just doing the activity for fun, combining it with making a video takes a lot more time and can slow it down but it's much more satisfying I think because then even if your video didn't work for whatever reason, you know, the sound is ruined or you don't want to make it, you get home and you realize you missed half the shots you wanted, you've had the satisfaction of doing the activity. So yeah, I really enjoy going out and doing things and filming as part of that as well.
Tim:
Last year, you were named as one of the most influential Scottish people on TikTok. Can you let us know how you keep up to date with the number of comments and engagements you have and finding the time put in that's needed to make an impact on a platform like that?
Calum Maclean:
Yeah, I think it was really interesting. I'll often just try and not set aside time, but once I go on TikTok, for example, spend 20 minutes replying to comments and getting back to people. Very often once a video has been up for a while, I'll just stop bothering because very often it's like the same comment will get repeated and repeated so there's no point almost answering because you've already answered it somewhere already. I think it was really interesting that came out, the most influential Scot on TikTok. I think it's worked well because I didn't have a huge following, you know, compared to like Lewis Capaldi or something. But my interaction on several videos was so high. And it was because I was doing videos about swimming in like very deep Scottish lochs, which you know, because I'm so used to doing it and just enjoy doing it, and I would just do it for fun, it just is second nature to me, but it almost triggers a reaction from people who are maybe scared of deep water. So as part of that, I'm like, oh, what can I teach people as part of the video? A little bit of education is always good. But yeah, I think it almost elicits a reaction from a lot of people, which is half the challenge when you're making things online. I think you want to attract someone's attention. So yeah, I need to make more. I just need to go and swim out the middle of a Scottish loch and make a video. I mean that seems to be the way to go to go about getting attention. But yeah, it was a lot of fun but it could take up a huge amount of your time if you reply to every single comment and try to keep on top of it all. And you've got to balance it up with actually just not being too hooked on social media. Earlier this year it was more Twitter, I was really bad for just scrolling constantly not necessarily posting that much myself but just doom scrolling so I've got a new phone that doesn't have Twitter on it right now which is very good and I might keep it that way so that I just don't get into the trap of just scrolling endlessly. So once you've made your content you've got to set aside some time to reply to comments. Obviously if you've made a mistake in the video correct it for example. But you've got to balance up your time during your day-to-day life. And if it's not your job to be doing it, you've got to consider, hang on, why am I spending three hours just replying to comments, for example?
Kirstin:
Yeah, so true. And just lastly, we want to know, how getting outside helps you and what you do each day beyond swimming or camping to make space for nature in your life. But also, what happens if you don't? You know, I certainly feel a lot better when I head outdoors. But how do you feel, you know, how does it make you feel to not actually get outside?
Calum Maclean:
Yeah, I really can't stand it. It can happen sometimes where I've got loads of computer work to do or something. And then if it's like the weather's rubbish and I've not managed to get outdoors. If you don't get enough sunlight or daylight, I think is almost a big part of it. You've just got to force yourself into doing it. And I pretty much will go out and do something, do some kind of exercise or find somewhere new to go for a walk or something. Look up something interesting on a map and go somewhere, not every single day, but I'll try and do it a lot. And it just makes me feel a lot more creative, feel a lot more chilled out, less anxious and less irritated. Like if I'm sitting at computer all day and I don't get outside, I can be very irritated. And even replying to emails, I can be really short with someone. And it's almost like if you go outside and go for a swim in the river, you come back and you happily write out a big email and praise the world. But yeah, you can almost get trapped in your own head, I think, sometimes just sitting indoors. And as much as I know how good it is for me to get outdoors and to just go for a walk up to the local waterfall near me and just take the time to be in nature and enjoy what's around you. I know how good it is, but sometimes it's like a self-defeating thing. It's like if you don't do it, then you're like, oh, it's too late in the day to go out and do something. Which is a really good thing in some ways about social media, because you can go on and look at like what you've done yourself and think, oh yeah, I felt great that day. And it can be a good way to remind yourself to go out and do something almost, to not get trapped into like, oh, everyone's doing really cool stuff all the time, to almost use it as like a diary of stuff that you enjoy doing yourself and get yourself outdoors. Yeah, always makes me feel happier, more relaxed. I went for a wee walk just down to the river before recording this which was a good way to set my mind at ease as well, other than like staring at a screen for like half an hour before talking about being outdoors. You know, it's not the same thing. It's almost like you got to do it regularly to keep that good feeling topped up, I think.
Kirstin:
Yeah, and giving yourself that little shove now and again to just head outside because I think you've got to remember the feeling afterwards as well. It is almost like a refreshed feeling, isn't it?
Calum Maclean:
Yeah, I think so. And I think, you know, that's really important sometimes to go and do big trips, go out for three or four days if you can, if you're able to. And if you're fortunate enough to be able to go camping for a few days and not look at your phone. But in addition to that, even if you live in a city, to just have regular, small opportunities where you can go running in the morning or just go for a walk and listen to the birds singing in the morning. Everyone's got that place where they really like for whatever reason it is, you know, maybe it's down to your local canal or maybe it's to your local park, maybe it's a mountain that's just behind your house, if you're lucky enough to have a mountain behind your house. Everyone's got a special place they really love and they can get to, hopefully without too much difficulty, so if you get there regularly and then keep the good feeling topped up.
Tim:
Brilliant. Thank you so much, Calum. It was really interesting hearing from you and learning about your stories and your life as a social media influencer, and also just a person who loves the Scottish outdoors.
Calum Maclean:
Thank you. Yeah, I would say you can use the term. I never, I never call myself an influencer. If someone else calls me, I’m kind of be like, okay. But I don't love the term because it's not for me to decide. If someone calls themselves an influencer, I'd say, are you influencing me? Yeah, I don't know. Maybe I worry too much about it. I'm over it. It's done.
Tim:
A person who loves the Scottish outdoors, should we say then?
Calum Maclean:
Yeah, absolutely.
Tim:
We look forward to following your adventures coming up and seeing what new creative videos you come up with in the future and hopefully that encourages more people to get outdoors and enjoy the Scottish countryside and nature and remember to follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and if you don't know what that is, there's a very handy website you can Google and find out.
Kirstin:
Thanks for listening. If you're enjoying Make Space for Nature, please follow it on your podcast app and leave a review or rating. We would also love you to tell more people about the series. For more ways to connect with and help protect Scotland's natural world, go to nature.scot
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