The Common Pencil

Let me just take a minute to sit down and write. It is Monday morning, November 4, 2024.

Since the past couple of days, my head has been tossing YT video ideas at me non-stop. I just uploaded a video, but already I am itching to make a new one. The ideas are knocking at my door, walking all over the ideas that I already had planned to do.

When consulting the internet on how to bring these shiny new ideas to the audience, it became clear to me that the words in my mind are not trending. Meaning, the algorithm will not pick up on them easily. Popular YT-advice channels have all tips & tricks ready for you on how your videos can be discovered faster. I understand why these videos are being made, they are popular. To me, those videos work a little bit like a weight loss supplement. Everyone wants what they promise, and it probably works too, if only a tiny bit. In a world of percentage games, that tiny bit might just be enough for your channel to explode on the internet.

But they make me feel so insecure.. I have been keeping a list of content ideas since before I posted my first video. That list is based on ideas that happily floated around in my head. Inspired by books, movies, games, basically plucked from the world I choose to move around in. But those ideas are not trending either. Trending art-related videos are often tutorials. But I explicitly do not want to become a YouTube teacher. I want to explore the world of creating art organically and invite the audience to join in on this journey! Am I doomed to make videos that only a couple of thousand people will watch?

You know, I am a slow human. I think before I do. I write down my thoughts. My sentences can be long and, by nature, I am super curious about hundreds of different things. I am afraid of loosing myself if I focus on squeezing my ideas into click-friendly content.

YouTube wants creators to keep people hooked. I want people to feel inspired to put away the phone and start making art of their own. There appears to be a clash of interests.. But here is a thought: If I do what I think YouTube wants me to do, might I then not as well start working for The Man in a cubicle? Creativity has no rules, no boundaries. I am free to do whatever comes to mind. You are free to join me, if you want to. Let’s slow down together 🙂

Thank you for reading.