Nestled in a cosy corner of the internet, Noa Maria takes her viewers on artistic journeys through her peaceful days where they accompany her journaling in coffee shops, painting, sketching, and reading— discovering the beauty of an everyday life, well-lived. Speaking with Noa, I was instantly put at ease by her beautiful set up, the cosy lighting, and her calm demeanor.
I wanted to find out where her Youtube journey began, having watched since her move to Denmark (after being recommended her channel on a video about niche creators). With over 200K followers now watching along, her niche days might be over, but she still maintains a wholesome down to earth persona online. Noa described how she has always loved Youtube and watching others, as well as documenting memories. We both related when she said she had “so many private Youtube videos” never posted just there to collect memories. Posting and gaining a following was a dream for her, a wish that she didn’t think could be possible, but here we are watching her online space evolve and grow. Much like her gentle and artistic vibes, there wasn’t a viral moment or sound-bite that accelerated her growth or propelled her into stardom, rather a set of devoted and dedicated watchers continued to tune in, sharing videos with their friends.
Whilst anyone would find being online pressurising at times, Noa explained that pressure on her was “never to an extent that I felt suffocated,” talking about her community with a smile on her face. “It’s all very loving and sweet… mostly girls” she said talking positively about her comments and viewership. I know I find her channel a comfort, offering a space to watch someone else experiencing the world and doing the same things I do, but in a different environment and life.
Without question her Youtube channel has an artistry of its own, but beyond it Noa is a talented artist sharing with her viewers snippets of her sketchbooks, pottery creations and paintings. Recently she launched a sticker business, sharing how her artistic style readily suited transformation into stickers. At the beginning of March she created a set called ‘Magical’; all greens, pinks and yellows, setting a whimsical spring theme perfect for journal pages or decorating waterbottles, CD players, and laptop cases. Noa mentioned how she loves using stickers across her journals and scrapbooks and touched on how sweet it felt inspiring others to get creative and back in touch with analogue.
Having shared online her travels to different cities, I was curious to know if Noa had a favourite spot she had lived. “Definitely Edinburgh… the past couple of days I’ve been thinking about the cherry blossom trees,” she replied. Unfortunately she briefly mentioned the struggles of getting a Visa in the UK when not traditionally employed, but said one day she’d love to come back, enjoying staying in places for a while to really see the world and live like a local. For the next three years she will be based in her home country Switzerland, she explained, returning to education in the coming months. We spoke about the potential challenges of balancing content creation and a new school-life balance, but she is still eager to continue growing her platform, so we can expect to see more to come!
I was eager to know if Noa had any advice for anyone wanting to get into Youtube. At first she explained how talking to the camera felt awkward but as time went on it felt more comfortable. She added something that I hadn’t considered. “Think about how you want to make people feel,” she said, mentioning her desire to create a safe and comfortable place that felt above all cosy. I couldn’t think of a better way to put it than when she described wanting to make it feel for viewers “what Gilmore Girls makes me feel when I watch it.”
Ending the interview on that lovely sentiment, we parted ways. It is always fascinating and somewhat surreal to watch somebody’s content week after week and then meet them, but I can confirm Noa is just as lovely in reality as in her videos! You can find Noa on Youtube at @noa_maria or check out her instagram @noaamaaria for short-form content, and @ateliernoamaria for a sneak peak into her artistic creations.
Image provided by Noa Maria for The Student