This is the continuing story of a YouTube Channel that’s gone to the dogs. This article first appeared on my Medium blog. Enjoy! 🥰
Look at me: so full of optimism and hope (LOL)
I’m about to tell you a story about a video editor who won multiple Telly, Davey and Pixie Awards over the years for her work — but she’s failing at YouTube.
This is my channel, and this is my story.
The Beginning of… The End?
I started my YouTube channel in 2019, hoping a popular readathon hashtag would give me a boost. I work in publishing, so I thought it was a smart move to get involved. I mean, the hashtag is the life, right?
Not so much.
#Booktube = #Nope
I’m not sure if I’m imagining it, but the #booktube community feels quite closed. I participated in writing sprints, readathons, tried to contribute to the book community conversation and… it didn’t go anywhere. The tribe felt firmly established, and it didn’t seem like many new people were being let in — at least, nobody my age.
Looking back, I now see this as a blessing in disguise. My day job was in publishing, and at the time, I felt that my YouTube Channel should focus on this topic, too. But when my channel didn’t really take off, I was actually glad. After all, you know what they say about “too much of a good thing,” right? Time to move on and give YouTube more of an entertainment focus.
Which is exactly what I did not do.
Over-Thinking: The Death of Creative Joy… and Progress
Instead, I made vlogs (footage of a person’s daily routine) and haul/unboxing videos (footage of a person’s shopping wares, or opening up products), which are pretty popular on YouTube, but only if you’re a certain type of YouTuber like a fitness channel or somebody famous with a massive audience.
Creating and publishing videos also took so much time that it was difficult to produce new videos, but even worse than that, I didn’t even like the type of content I was creating!
I allowed my early experience with a failing YouTube channel send me on a downward spiral into perfectionism. I focused on the visuals, editing, and effects in my videos and on trying to predict other people’s interests. Soon, my perfectionism and my fear of failure killed my passion project. Now I’m starting over, sharing my notes with you — and hoping that third time’s the charm.
I Said “Torched,” Not Quit
So here is the plan — or for you “Mando” fans, “this is the way.”
I’m going to stop making unboxing videos and vlogs to focus on entertainment, gaming, and pop culture. I will also share what I’m learning as a brand strategist for my publishing clients, and as a professional video producer. My side projects will be evolving into podcasting and gaming. I will share all of these new adventures on my new YouTube channel and here on this new blog as they launch, and I cannot WAIT! Nothing is more important to me than sharing relevant content that makes a positive impact on the world. I will do this, one video and blog post at a time, regardless of how many views or readers that may bring, because I make content for myself first and foremost. No more perfectionism, no more over-functioning. Just wildly creative joy.
Two takeaways I want you to carry with you after reading this post:
Perfectionism is for quitters, and you’ve gotta suck at something before you can be good at it.
If That Thing keeps popping up in your thoughts, that’s a sign from the universe telling you to keep trying That Thing. (So do it)!
Looking forward to sharing this messy creative process with you, and all that the next year will bring.
Remember: YOU are MAGIC. Always Be Creating! ✨🦄💫
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