Influencer Courses are Garbage: The Dark Side of Content Creation

[@supereyepatchwolf3007]

Hello. I know it’s been a minute, but thank you for watching the video! A combination of this video being a GIANT pain in the ass to research as well as getting covid (that’s why my voice sounds a bit messed up towards the end of the video) meant this one took a while. If you get something out of it, maybe consider supporting me on patreon, its one tier, its one dollar, and it does so much to help me keep a stable income, meaning I can put time into big weird videos like this: www.patreon.com/Supereyepatchwolf That said I think im probably going to go back to 30 minute videos about dumb media I like for a little bit, this video kicked my butt. I really appreciate the patience in waiting for this guys, I hope you enjoy. Im going to eat some burgers and watch Riverdale.

[@IndexInvestingWithCole]

Its been over 2 years since covid started and like half the youtubers i watch got covid this month

[@tennicksalvarez9079]

Thank u

[@U1TR4F0RCE]

It was really cool seeing the wide variety of people you interviewed for the video

[@jaysabilla8596]

amen to that!

[@gabagoooby]

Hell yeah brother

[@Light_Lead-b3v]

An influencer course might be the only piece of content where the phrase: "Who is this person? I've never even heard of them." is a valid piece of criticism

[@jorvaor]

Hummm.... Unless said person has been coaching a bunch of influencers from zero to fame and fortune. But yes, under normal conditions you are totally right.

[@MagikarpMan]

@@jorvaor bro did you even watch the vid

[@jorvaor]

@@MagikarpMan Hi. Yes, I did watched it. What do you think is wrong in my comment? Honest curiosity.

[@anansi6344]

@@jorvaor that you made up a scenario that didn't exist as a random counterfactual. no one is coaching influencers to fame from zero

[@MagikarpMan]

@@jorvaor you statement on a person coaching a bunch of creators from zero to fame, that doesn't happen and the entire video was him explaining why that isn't possible

[@funnycatenjoyer2758]

youtube: removes dislike button for "creators' mental health" also youtube: creates the perfect system to ruin creators' mental health and refuses to stop forcing you to look at it

[@cryandruboneout7133]

They definitely removed the dislike button for corporations who don't like receiving negative feedback from their shitty business decisions.

[@suezuccati304]

Btw, you can still see dislikes

[@suezuccati304]

@@funnycatenjoyer2758 yeah, by "you" i meant the dislikes on your videos, which basically proves it's just a bullshit excuse It keeps all the negatives of disliking while eliminating the positives, you now cant tell that a video is trash or a tutorial doesnt works just by the like dislike ratio alone. Now, just because the public doesnt sees the dislikes, doesnt means they arent happenning. If a random person decides to stir a mob to mass dislike a random person's video, they can still do it, and the person they did it to still sees the dislikes.

[@Jai137]

@@suezuccati304 how?

[@suezuccati304]

@@Jai137 when you go to the manage videos section it shows you the likes and dislikes Its a thing both on mobile or desktop

[@Origami84]

People understood this shit back in the 18th century. "If you want to get rich during a gold rush you don't mine gold, you sell pickaxes". Sure, the miner who strike gold gets incredibly rich, good for him, but for most people the real money is in selling stuff to those that hopes to become the next big thing. These courses are just the digital version of that old age common sense.

[@waterb-g9114]

If only they were selling working pickaxes lol

[@ajohnymous5699]

That's a great comparison and saying

[@Slutlyfe]

No cap

[@Vileplume87]

at least you got a physical pick axe back then haha!!

[@BeatsByGamer86]

Godlike analogy

[@buddhabarracuda_fm]

the irony being this video was a better "how to be a youtuber" course than anything else you've seen

[@ezzatisaid]

Yoooo you on to something there 😅

[@Rayzorbladez]

From it I took "do what you do for love of doing it" and "he is rich who wants nothing"

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

People are attracted to passion. But you have to be seen first, which is the 300 foot tall wall in between most people and that million subs. It's better to just do what you were going to do and see where it gets you.

[@chukyuniqul]

​@@OtakuUnitedStudioa lot of people seem miserable in doing things I do while seeming to struggle less than me. I think that is precisely because I have a scientific method mindset (which is just fancy for "fuck around, find out and write it down") and the expectations you wrote whike they hold themselves to some external, arbitrary standard. And you know what? At least one of the endeavors I have tackled like this has been very successful so...

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

@@chukyuniqul If you want that, and enjoy it, then I am not going to stand in your way.

[@mothersbasement]

Lesly is the real deal! Don’t believe him? I’m the guy whose daughter he killed!

[@zeo4481]

🤣🤣👏. Btw your video on Kaguya-sama ❣️ a few days ago was awesome. You 2 are both huge inspiration to me and many others online.

[@helixier6629]

Omg lucky! 🤩

[@0uttaS1TE]

Damn, I wish my child was killed by Lesly! You're so lucky

[@butHomeisNowhere___]

Wow! I'm convinced! 🥳

[@benherebefore]

So sorry for your loss Jeff.

[@FDSignifire]

I really want to develop a "Theory of the video essay" after videos like this. This was a masterpiece of what the video essay is as an art form. There's so many elements to what makes a good essay that are inate, but I also am fascinated with structure and writing style, editing style, performance and delivery. The irony is that while you can't really reproduce this type of content, when you've been watching as many video essays for as long as I have, I do think there are things to learn almost like you would learn about any artform.

[@caoilfhionndunbar]

oh neat your here! love your channel man

[@drewtime1]

seeing the two of you making cameos in each other's videos is mad cool

[@FTZPLTC]

Every video essay needs a wall of mid-transparency tweets over dramatic music.

[@beckstheimpatient4135]

That's a very meta perspective and I'm here for a long form video on the long form video. Video essays have completely changed my life and how I consume media. I used to hate writing or reading essays in school (had a prof that demanded 5-10 page handwritten literary essays) - but now I can't get enough of watching these! The research, writing, perspective and unique personal input that goes into any of these videos is astounding and it truly is an artform. Literary and film critics used to be chastised for being too talentless to CREATE so they just CRITIQUE, but now this new YT generation of critics is showing us an entirely new perspective! (I also don't know who you are yet, but I just finished watching the video and now would like to visit all the channels that were featured because I am INTRIGUED.)

[@jameshealy4594]

That's a really interesting take, you should make a course to teach people what you've learned about video essays. ;)

[@tehawsumninja]

"There is nothing wrong with you if other people don't pay attention to your art. That art is for you. That is enough. I promise." -Super Eyepatch Wolf

[@upg5147]

That's something I wonder. I understand the sentiment but what's the point of making art if not to share it? To see what others think, be that agreeing or disagreeing. As an aspiring writer, I wrote for myself but with the dream of having people read my work and speculate on things. Why would I make something subtle if only me, the guy who wrote it, would read it? Without the goal of getting my work to others, I don't see much reason to do what I do...

[@Shenaldrac]

I hate this kind of thing to be honest. I have another account where I've made 2-3 videos. And I made them for me, sure, _but also I made them to be seen by others._ Why would I put them on KZbin or another similar site on the internet if not so that others could see them? And just making them and posting them didn't really make me feel anything except nervousness. But you know what _did/does_ make me feel good, what makes me feel nice? When I look at those videos, and I read the comments, read people saying they enjoyed the video, that it helped them, that they hope I'll make more videos. That feedback, that attention and validation, _that_ makes me feel something positive. "Make your art for you, that's enough", that kind of sentiment sounds so wishy washy to me, so disgustingly saccharine, and for me at least, completely false.

[@upg5147]

@@Shenaldrac It's a fine line. You in the end are making art about what you love. When you start making it on something just because that trendy and you have no interest in it, then you'll run into the issue of no heart. That's what I think the true point of that line in, to make art you are passionate about, art for you. Now just cause it's "for you" does not mean it's also not for others. I want others to read what I write, that's a massive point about writing at all but if I was told to write, let's say Obi Wan as it is right now without my own twists then I'm not getting joy from writing it or giving it a another. Because that is no longer a wrote I wrote for me.

[@MusicoftheDamned]

@@upg5147 Eh. It depends on the type of art and, at times, arguably even the type of genre within that particular art form. I totally know of people who, say, paint or knit just to relax or just for self-improvement rather than for any display purposes. I think the same can go for any type of art, including even writing as someone who writes a decent amount but has only minimally ever shared stuff with others so far, in part because my main focus right now is to improve at something rather than "just" to try to entertain others. It doesn't mean that any of this will stop you from feeling potentially crushed when you do something you're particularly proud of or that you personally think is quite good and it just...doesn't "catch on" for whatever, even if it's just with the one other person you're sharing it with. That's basically inevitable though, unless _maybe_ you're only ever targeting the lowest common denominator and even then and even in the most cynical cases, that's still not immune to criticisms or to flaws or to even outright enmity. See: the Hallmark channel (and company) and the vast number of just Americans who don't care for its generic type of branding at this point for various reasons. The point of the quote in the OP seems more to be "you should make what *you* want to make even if you're going to share it with others" rather "art is best off never being shared since it exists only for self-satisfaction".

[@upg5147]

@@MusicoftheDamned Humans naturally are social creatures which means we also have an ego to feed and thus we want to show what we are good at. Self improvement is great and all but why are you improving in the first place? Whether you know it or not, it will lead to know thinking "I'm pretty good now, let's see what so and so thinks". That's just the way it is, be that small form (showing friends/family) or big scale (New York best seller). I in no way believe art only exists for self satisfaction, that's merely a plus, like any hobby.

[@siuchaos2606]

I like how Super Eyepatch Wolf's "Leslie" influencer character is more tolerable than the actual people he's making the video about lol

[@MaterClaritas]

it's definitely the faylin phenomenon. (like when they had Tina Fay do Sarah Palin on snl to make fun of her but it just made her more likeable)

[@R3dcanaryunderground]

"Plane mansion" This parsona is hilarious, and I can never take them seriously.

[@thebaseandtriflingcreature174]

​@@R3dcanaryundergroundbro Leslie is cool as hell! I want a plane mansion too!

[@nicoleallen266]

As an English professor, I'm thinking about having my students watch this video and write an essay on this topic. Thank you for your vulnerability and imparting such an important lesson.

[@javi4591]

Thank you for adapting to the age of the internet and actively trying to include it in your teachings.

[@BageTalks]

Do it

[@grey_f98]

it's 2 hours long though, your students might appreciate a shorter video lol

[@currybread5298]

@@grey_f98 agree unless it's possible to watch this in class

[@cowpokesolo]

@@grey_f98 As a recent student, having 2 class periods of nothing but video is fantastic.

[@Bellomancer]

The irony is that this video is a better way to teach people how to 'get big' as a content creator than any of these paid-for scam courses. Excellent video, my dude. You're a real one.

[@nullakjg767]

"just have enough money where you dont need to work and then you can spend all your time doing passion projects" wow what a great point lol.

[@flux_casey]

@@nullakjg767 Aren't passion projects usually something you do in your *spare* time? So yeah, "Have a job and then make the things you want to make in your spare time, not expecting it to suddenly make you a millionaire" is actually pretty solid advice. KZbin or whatever other platform can be just fine as a hobby, and probably better a hobby than as a get rich quick scheme.

[@nullakjg767]

@@flux_casey "passion projects" still have value. They could have much more value then your day job, but most people live paycheck to paycheck and will never get the chance to do anything other than work. Being creative is something that can only be done from a place of privilege. Some people try and find a middle ground and have to game the algorithm so they can continue to create. It's not hard to understand.n

[@flux_casey]

@@nullakjg767 To an extent, yes. If you work fourteen hour days, seven days a week, sure. You're not going to have time to do anything else. And yeah, that happens more often nowadays. But it's sure not the norm. A passion project doesn't have a deadline. Being creative for the sake of wanting to create something doesn't have a deadline. If you're passionate about it, if you want to work on it, then you work on it when you can. Maybe that's only an hour or two a week. Maybe it's something you do instead of watching TV or KZbin or whatever. Unless you're living well below the poverty line working three jobs to make rent, you will have at least a little time to do the things you want to do. If you're privileged, yeah. You can dedicate yourself to KZbin or whatever platform and you'll have a higher chance of popularity. Of turning it into a job. But the entire point of a passion project is that it isn't about success. It's about making the thing you want to exist. If you care enough about it, and aren't working hours that will put you six feet under within five years, you'll find time to make it. Because it's your hobby, and you need no other incentive to work on it than it makes you happy.

[@grey_f98]

@@nullakjg767 in every passionate career paths, people are always advised to not quit their school or job until after they take off, this is true for musicians, for artists, and for writers, so why not youtubers? I don't really understand your issue, the advice you're making fun of is actually pretty common sense

[@LittleVMills]

My neighbours kid wants to be a KZbinr and I think I’ll show him this video. You described both the gig and the absolute luck it takes to be one better than I ever could 😅

[@randomdude9367]

Love your stuff dude. Head banging music with some funny thrown in. Nice

[@cthulhupthagn5771]

Your neighbors kid needs better parents if this is even on his radar

[@rasenganknight]

"If you need an AI to tell you what video to make next, I think you really need to think if you should be making videos at all" -SEW. Aged like fine wine.

[@PixelRockett]

Wait why?

[@ShoppingatAM]

​@@PixelRockett the best reason I can give for not using AI to decide your videos is because, AI doesn't get people. It can look at what's popular, but it doesn't know why it's popular. it's like using a certain oil for a dish without knowing why the other people who make the dish used that oil. sure the dish is going to turn out well, but you can't apply the knowledge to other dishes because you don't know the why behind the how. second, the video idea won't be something you're passionate about, and a lack of passion will make your content feel corporate and soulless in a way that people can sniff out quickly and get annoyed with. many people hate a lot of the people who churn out content meant to be popular because they can just tell that the only motivation behind it is money. artists should create for the joy of creation, not with the expectation of money. and video creation is an art.

[@aj_style1745]

⁠@@ShoppingatAM How did it age like fine wine?

[@agentep9979]

​@@PixelRockettif the whole reason to make a KZbin channel is to do what you want, then WHY would you rely on a crappy machine-learning tool to make your decisions instead of just doing what you want?

[@Kilometers_KPH]

I remember hearing along time ago that Chuggaaconroy was being interviewed about what advice do you give to new KZbinrs that only have 100 to 200 subscribers and his response went something along the lines of "Imagine 100 or 200 people in real life watching your videos. How cool is that!" Which always got me thinking. Imagine a room full of 100 to 200 people, that came specifically to watch what you made when you uploaded it. That's like a high school basketball court full of people that are there to watch something you made. That's fucking cool

[@ReelQuizzers]

They forgot one thing not all %100 of subs will not watch your content you be lucky to get %10 to watch so really you have maybe 10 to 20 subs out of the 100 to 200 actually watching your content on every upload while the rest are non-subs.

[@LayerInfinity]

90% of people who will watch your videos will not be subscribed, especially when you're starting out. That's a persistent fact that a lot of people don't really understand and it's why a lot of new content creators actively push that fact. As someone else said as well, subscribers also tend to be a misleading statistic when you don't have many, as they are not guaranteed viewers. They are simply supporters of your channel.

[@angel_exe24]

I really don't want to be that "but" guy, however it's more like 100 people are watching your video and loving it, 75 people just watching your video for background noise, and 25 people are there just to hate you for no other reason than they are miserable and want to share it with other happier people. But at the end of the day, 200 people watched your video and that is still cool.

[@seinmstudio]

If you have 10k subs, that's a "small" channel. A few hundred years ago, if you had 10k people listening to you then you were a king, an emperor, or the pope.

[@Jenny_Metzelar]

@@seinmstudio I very much agree

[@asbestosfish_]

Super “John” Eyepatch Wolf is just one of those channels that can destroy your understanding of something for nearly two hours, and you’re excited for every minute of it.

[@maol2038]

That Garfield video just

[@oscarwillimott9296]

Also really good at building up an emotional response to anything. The Forgiveness Of Jon, man...

[@boeng5692]

Spin around three times

[@sneedmando186]

I still can’t look at Garfield the same. John Arbuckle is the original hero

[@ventrueinconnu3527]

I was safely watching a 'Who's Line' compilation video when Ryan said "Fluff my Garfield". I almost ran screaming from my house.

[@purplehaze2358]

“As per usual, Jake Paul displays all the flailing enthusiasm of a muppet that’s just dropped some acid and minted its first NFT” That’s so bizarrely specific and I kind of love it. I want someone to animate that exact scenario.

[@Ramsey276one]

I second the motion!

[@christianfriisjensen2055]

yet, it is UNDENIABLE in how bang-on it is I am almost frightened on an existential level.

[@rogueObscura]

My favorite Eyepatch Wolf-ism is when he said "explaining Chainsaw in as much energy as a child hyped up on too much birthday cake" when describing...himself from several years ago.

[@sketchpen777]

Dr. Bright who gave you permission to access the internet?

[@aturchomicz821]

right? Its too good😭

[@elliart7432]

Small creator lifehack: calculate your view count via broadway theatre venue. The largest theatre On Broadway houses roughly 2,000 patrons, so I can look at a video that "didn't do well" and instead consider that numbers wise, it pulled the equivelant of 4 sold out broadway performances. Considering the average venue is only around 500 seats, that's a lot more.

[@Sukinohito]

I’m a Japanese content creator for a niche genre, not a KZbinr. I don’t even plan to become one. But recently I was experiencing a situation quite similar to the animation story. Though I am confident that I’m still making content that I love and care about, the numbers started to get the better of me and started giving me anxiety every time I present new content to my audience worrying if I would meet their expectations. But your video reminded me why I was doing this to begin with. It wasn’t for the views or money, I just wanted to share my passion with people who like the same genre as me. That fact was supposed to be obvious, but somehow social media made me forget about that over time. Thank you for reminding me that I am the most happy when I do what I love, regardless of the numbers. I know sometimes it gets overwhelming but I hope you can keep finding happiness from what you’re doing. Arigatou & Ganbatte!(ありがとう&がんばって！)

[@MustacheDLuffy]

As long as you are presenting engaging content your viewers should find enjoyment in it. Your viewers aren’t likely as negative about your own content as you are

[@UsmevavyPanacek]

Good for you man, don't let it get you, these sites are made to basically entrap you in the skinner box it seems.

[@ahobbyist9520]

what are you on?

[@porygonlover322]

@@ahobbyist9520 Most likely nicovideo, Japan's big YT competitor. I doubt you'll get a clear answer, though - this seems like a burner account for anonymity, which is fair enough (this comment is the only thing theyve ever posted, and the channel name translates roughly to "person who likes")

[@Sukinohito]

@@MustacheDLuffy Thank you for the encouragement. Yes, I'm pretty sure most of my audience like my content (or else they'll stop supporting me). But once I reached certain success that I've never even dreamed of when I started creating, that feat suddenly becomes my standard. And somehow that bar gets higher and higher and gradually gets overwhelming which led to my mindset of the original comment. Basically I became my worst enemy.

[@GeekCritique]

The first time I ever heard that metaphor about KZbin being like "throwing a message in a bottle into a sea composed entirely of messages in bottles," Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw was saying it and it was 2007. Even fifteen years ago, your chances of making it here were *already* that slim.

[@SingeScorcher]

Yup. Personally saw that maybe 7 years ago? And even in that video he points out that by some sheer fucking coincidence someone with a big boat and a stupid amount of money will maybe see you and give you some of that money if you keep making messages in bottles for them. Literally in a few seconds telling people how he got his job, and that it was purely luck.

[@redgarlicbred6228]

Idk how related my comment will be but I genuinely did not expect to see someone reference yahtzee on a super eyepatch wolf vid.

[@Spinevoyager]

Love your videos!

[@MrMarinus18]

I actually think the things they are saying about traditional education is potentially the most harmful. Sure the traditional system has plenty of improvement points but online content creation is very volatile and unreliable. I think it's when people depend on it for their living that it get's dangerous. You should still have a normal career and you can do content creation as a hobby on the side. If you have that 0,02% and it blows up you can temporarily live off of it but when that flame burns out you still have skills and likely some remaining contacts and so you can just pick up another job. And if you are in the 99,98% where it doesn't happen you can have it as a hobby on the side. However if you are dependent on youtube all that stress goes up 10 fold. Normal jobs have things like job security and very clear rules and other such things. Sure it's not perfect but it's a lot more transparency and security in a traditional job than in youtube.

[@Yuunarii]

I don't know if anybody will read this. But after watching this entire video, I really wanted to share my own story regarding the whole "becoming a KZbinr" spiel. Actually made a whole video about this all a few months ago too. Detailing my own journey. I've been making videos on KZbin for at least a good 10 years at this point (14 if you count my older channels). I started when I was 11 years old. I've always had a love for video editing and creating art and such. For a good chunk of that time (till 2016) I mostly just dabbled in niche communities so my channel wasn't all that big. Around the end of 2016 I gave the animated storytime video format a go. I really enjoyed sharing my stories, so I kept it up. I managed to build up a nice dedicated and small following of about 10K people. Then in 2018 I had my first (and only) viral video. It quickly amassed a good 600K views and after a week or so even broke the 1M mark. My storytime videos up till that point usually got around 5K views, so this was massive to me. I even, just like SuperEypatchWolf mentioned, had some of my idols/big names comment on my videos, telling me they enjoyed my stuff!! It felt really surreal. The video in question was one where I showed off some old Sonic fanart I had drawn during my early teens, with my storytime character adding some commentary. As the video went viral I did notice a huge influx of younger viewers/commenters, particularly kids who were massive Sonic fans. Constantly asking me when part 2 was gonna come out. I could have capitalised on the success of that Sonic video, but I never really had any plans on making a follow up video for it. There wasn't really much else to talk about. Neither did I see myself as wanting to become a "Sonic" channel. So I didn't. I didn't want to trap myself into that sort of content, as Sonic wasn't something I was passionate about. So I just moved onto the next topic I wanted to talk about. As a result, the huge subscriber boost I got from that viral video didn't really amount to any long term viewers. Soon my viewcounts were back to what I had before, despite now having well over 60K subs. All the new people were just there for more Sonic content. Or more content that they (12 year olds) could relate to. Meanwhile my main demographic was people around my age (early 20s), who could relate to my experiences and stories (stories about college, internships, etc.). Over the years, my subcount kept climbing, while my viewership kept on falling and falling. In 2020 I had another small "viral" video that made it up to 200K views. And once again, this video drew in a big crowd. A crowd that once again wasn't interested in any videos I posted after said viral video. And were just there for me to make another video about [topic x]. In early 2021 I actually managed to surpass 100K subscribers, but it just felt so... Off. Yes 100K is a very big milestone and it was surreal receiving that play button, but if that number does not reflect the "success" of your channel at all, is it really something to be proud of? It's all just empty numbers. If I could delete all of those "dead subs", I'd do it in a heartbeat. For a long time I thought it was my fault. The fact that people weren't watching my videos, despite having such a large subcount, it must have been my fault. "My videos probably weren't good enough", I told myself. "I had a viral video before, so I must be able to do it again". Luckily after a lot of reflecting I managed to snap out of that mindset but it plagued me for a good while. Chipping away at my mental health. What I think happened is that KZbin has permanently lumped my channel into the "Sonic channel for kids" category (despite me labelling my channel as not for kids, and despite me actively not making content that would indicate I'm a Sonic channel) because of that one viral Sonic video, thus only really recommending my videos to that demographic. Of course that demographic is not going to relate or understand any of the topics I talk about. So KZbin will see that as: _Hey we recommend your content to the appropriate audience, yet they're not watching your content. Therefore your content is not worthwhile recommending further._ Unfortunately there's just not much I can do about t hat. You're at the mercy of the algorithm. I'm 25 years old now and I'm at a point where my new videos on average get about 2K to 5K views, with a small pool of dedicated fans still commenting and watching my conent. In recent times I've been trying to come to terms with the fact that KZbin might indeed never work out and that the performance of my channel is not within my control. So I've started looking into other avenues, that can bring me similar amounts of happiness that I get from making KZbin videos. No longer solely relying on KZbin. It hurts, as it has become a part of my identity. But in the end, I don't have control over what happens to my channel. And I don't want my choices and path in life to be dictated by something I have no control over. If anyone read this entire thing, thank you very much!! 😊😊

[@RiC_David]

Don't sweat it, we read it! I don't have much to add really because I only ever dabbled in creating videos (back around 2012/13, which if I'm not mistaken was still the tail end of the amateur 'person sitting in front of a camera in their living room' years) but I certainly noticed the issue of muddying the waters with inconsistent content. Some of my videos were about relatively obscure traditional ASCII roguelikes, some of it was audio only venting on social topics, some was video edits of things like my friends playfighting with a Mortal Kombat overlay, then came my Sgt. Pepper's phase when it was just me dressed in plain whites talking about spirituality, and finally came what could have been my most marketable videos - the painstakingly edited 'Two Cups of Coffee' series on topics like drugs where I matched up often abstract images to accompany every sentence. Oh and my 'Diary of a Masked Man' series where...I can't remember what I talked about, but I wore a Zorro mask and it had a long fancy intro that's almost certainly been silenced for using a licensed Muse song. Every "series" ended after the first video because I either lost interest in the concept or realised the planning, scripting/freestyling and editing was something I only wanted to do when I felt compelled to. Nobody besides myself would have cared about all of these different ideas, hell most people wouldn't care about even one of the many themes. It didn't really matter to me because I just did it as a creative outlet and to express myself, but I certainly realised I was sabotaging any chance at gaining a following by being so all over the place. Heh, my most successful video really sums this all up. It was a Weird Al style parody song ('The Day the Wrestling Died' - an American Pie spoof) that I wrote, recorded, edited and uploaded in about three hours-it was as niche as it got, being all about a wrestler who enjoyed mild success and then practically disappeared off TV whilst still being employed for seven years. His longevity became an in joke among a pocket of online fans (niche of a niche of a niche) with him somehow escaping the axe every time there was another round of mass firings....until one day, he didn't. This was relevant to a tiny handful of people for about a week, tops. Still, I'll put it up against any parody song out there (including 'The Saga Begins'), it's just a shame only like twelve people will get all the cheeky references. Some wrestling website wrote an article about it, and my mum loved it (I suspect a few thousand of the views were her) so I was chuffed regardless. If I'd stuck with the concept, I could have probably gained quite a following from wrestling fans, but this one worked because I got the whole thing done within hours of the story breaking. I had a follow up in mind but by the time I'd finished the lyrics, the buzz had died down - it was 'Sympathy for the Hulkster' with the opening line "Please allow me to excuse myself, I'm a man in the midst of disgrace...". following his sex-tape/racism scandal. Not sure where I was going with this, but then I suppose that too sums up my youtube experiment! Guess I had a fair bit to add after all, albeit of dubious relevance - also fitting. Oh, the parody song is on my wrestling related channel and I won't post it here in case it's marked as spam, but it's the third result if you search for "The Day the Wrestling Died".

[@axcrobat]

Just wanted to let you know that's an interesting story and I hope you find happiness in whatever you chose to do next.

[@Shinkajo]

Everyone on KZbin is enne algorithms bitch. Some just have more luck than others.

[@biazacha]

Read the whole thing and that was such an honest and insightful look into what the not 99% is really like. Have you consider start building a rapport as editor? There’s good demand for people who knows what they’re doing.

[@ronthorn3]

Thank you for sharing your story I was hooked from the get go!

[@AaronPlay]

Plane mansions are the hallmark of next level business savvy. They can’t tax you if your house is flying over international waters.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

*The thing nobody ever seems to mention about social media types:* They're often already rich - or at least middle class - and thus have the money and time to 'invest' at the outset. They're good looking too which is frankly, half the battle.

[@statz3697]

I just saw another one of your comments like 2 seconds ago

[@zeo4481]

Pretty much ye but also time. 99% of billionaires are above 45 years old and more than 70% of millionaires are above 40 . There is time to invest in your education/business at any age but the younger you start the better.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

@@statz3697 Yeh I'm binging YT for a bit and can never keep my thoughts to myself so :D hahaha

[@AdrianArmbruster]

Most success is about 90% A) Already looking photogenic and B) having contacts willing to do you a favor in the form of an 'entry level' job that pays enough to buy multiple houses, or give you top billing at an advertising firm, or just AstroTurf for you. Having a dad who is an investment banker (or whatever) fills in part B by default, and also provides the money to fix part A.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

@@zeo4481 What I meant was, because they start of rich/well-off, young and hot, they don't really have any real life pressures or distractions like a job or important studies etc. Plus, they can afford to focus 100% on 'influencing' because they don't have to worry about money and bills. Since 'influencing' makes no money for 99% of its lifespan, they can take that hit; they're insulated from failure.

[@1980rlquinn]

"BoJack. You've just been nominated for an Oscar. How do you feel?" "I feel... I feel... ... the same."

[@datokvartskhava4711]

sometimes life is a bitch and you keep on living.

[@nier2609]

Such a good line from such a good show

[@vivian-sasha-taylor]

i see a bojack quote and i have to like, it's a condition

[@TheBluePhoenix008]

@@nier2609 from such a great character yet shitty person

[@ohdippy7825]

i remember this

[@LVArcher]

2 hour Eyepatch Wolf on a Sunday. Thank you for this meal we are about to recieve.

[@rickrolled3666]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZe1i3WGnLGgqpY Finally its here .

[@behelitquest]

Itadakimasu

[@bogdandrgn]

Iknr i love this guy content too sad that he can't post more

[@jhsrt985]

Itadakimas!💖🙏🥢🍶

[@scruffy4743]

🙏 Let us eat

[@JLacan]

"Ethically Steal" is one hell of a thing I wasn't ready to hear. My brain literally stopped processing information after that and had to pause. Excellent stuff here mate. Love your videos.

[@Sangled]

A good rule of thumb is that if a ‘hack’ financially benefits you with little drawbacks, it doesn’t work. Because if it did, people would shut up about it.

[@saraha2667]

It's like MLMs but youtube

[@Warfoki]

This is true all of these "miracle solutions": woo "medicine", crypto bro schemes, others get rich quick schemes, self-help guru nonsense, pickup artists... If a miracle solution existed to life's most common ails, the one coming up with it would make a fortune using it, and wouldn't sell it to you via a $99 intro course.

[@cgg2621]

Or it would be illegal

[@kingmanic]

@Bionick Toa A lot of real ones are 'free' and widely known. But they're boring and you need to be in a certain financial situation to use them. Like maxing your 401k/RRSP each year to minimize tax load. Or pay down your mortgage if you have extra cash, as the compounded savings in interest can be better than most investments.

[@ms.x1669]

This has always been my rule of thumb 🌟

[@mothersbasement]

The "slot machine" approach to youtube success does make a lot of sense.... specifically from the perspective of someone making an online course about how to succeed on youtube. Sure, the actual odds that any individual student will succeed are vanishingly small, but nearly 100% of people it does work for will credit that course for their success, meaning you get more testimonials and more suck- uh... "success stories waiting to happen" signing up from that new creator's audience. it's really not unlike a Casino in that sense. Very few of your customers will actually come out on top, but everyone who walks in thinks they'll be the one.

[@EggheadsGuide]

Wait I thought eyepatch had a restraining order against you... or was it the other way around?

[@fraggerlagger]

basement thoughts

[@fihess]

O

[@dinogt8477]

you are a fraud

[@justrobYT]

Remember when you were part of the Procrastinators Podcast at the height of their edgy racism? Will that be in your course?

[@CyberController-]

"If it works, why doesn't it work?" Is such an amazing quote that could be used for so many of these kinds of things.

[@joym3357]

36:58 those spiderman pregnant elsa youtube kids videos prolly came the closest to the algorithmic hack anyone ever has

[@allurajane4979]

omg ur right making shitty "kids videos" is the algorithmic hack

[@arran4285]

@@allurajane4979 I mean with the number of those videos with millions views is proof enough that it work

[@certainlynotmalo1.0.0]

@@arran4285 But we don't see the (propably hundreds of) millions of videos that didn't do well. It's the same logic fallacy he explained in the video. I bet that not more than 0.01% of the shitty kids videos have more tha a thousand views, kids are making those video all the time all over the world. Some of them will blow up, the overwhelming majority gets no attention at all.

[@OSW]

This was an emotionally difficult watch, had to do it in parts as it's both uplifting (Eyepatch's encouragement and honesty) and so depressing (YT scammers). This is a video that needed to be made, thank you mate 💚

[@Thor-Orion]

OSW! OSW!

[@Snake64FTW]

really hope you guys can do a Collab at some point, get all the irish lads in the youtube boys stable for a review

[@NathanielBandy]

Damn this was a really good video, I used to obsess over analytics as well but really being successful on youtube is different for everyone on here. Everybody has different amounts of persistence, strategy, and luck. You really can only go into this expecting nothing in return, that's how I started at least. It only worked out for me because I was one of the very first in my niche and have continued to be very consistent for a decade

[@rainboss6296]

Nathaniel bandy I thought you died

[@midnalazuli793]

I definitly believe being one of the first people to do something helps with growing a channel, since you become the foundation for what a lot of other aspiring creators wish to emulate.

[@Kruskfar]

Great to see so many creators posting on this vid

[@drewba7741]

Being part scuttlebug is an advantage though.

[@CrusticusGameing]

@@midnalazuli793 being the first to something definitely helps. I used to grind out Let's Play videos at a ridiculous rate back in 2015, and the only thing that really got any traction were Fire Emblem Randomizer videos. I was one of the first people to do that, and FE being a kind of niche community as it is helped it grow in that scene. Almost every episode had over 1k views while I would upload Pokemon stuff (which is lowkey what I REALLY wanted to grow) and those videos would only have a couple dozen views. Traditional LPs are pretty much a thing of the past now and were on the way out when I was uploading, but that one series blowing up vs. other series that weren't as "groundbreaking" going nowhere is a clear case of that to me.

[@gavink8824]

The scene in Blue Period, where the main character is laying on the floor, crying, saying, "just because you love something, doesn't mean it is easy," has always stuck with me. It's beautiful because despite feeling like that, he still gets up and continues to do the thing he loves, despite it hurting him too. You have to love the thing you do, or else you'll just be miserable.

[@patch-fm]

Haven't read the manga, but Jesus does that hit harder than bricks, it literally could be applied to anything

[@MisterFoxton]

I don't agree with your last line, you can certainly be miserable doing something you love, but that love can get you through that and out the other side with something valuable.

[@TwoSoulsOneCup]

Shout out to all my miserables

[@CHEFPKR]

Blue Period was raw

[@LKonstantina915]

I loved Blue Period, I thought it was going to go a different way when I read the manga after the first season ended but its very good eitherway. I suggest anyone to watch the anime or read the manga or both lol. Honestly one of the first anime I enjoyed in years because its so relatable and original.

[@AidanOAArch]

"An entirely different pint of spiders" is one of the best descriptions i have ever heard of anything ever. Thanks.

[@joelman1989]

There’s a classic finance book called “where are the customers yachts?” The title refers to a story about a visitor to Wall Street who admired the yachts of the bankers and brokers. He naively asks “where are the customers yachts?” Which of course none could afford despite dutifully following the advice of their brokers and bankers. Financial influencers like Graham Stephen follow a similar job description to the bankers of making money off of their customers rather than actually making their customers money.

[@hughcaldwell1034]

Employee: "Wow boss, that's a nice Ferrari!" CEO: "Well kid, if you apply yourself, work hard, and put in the extra hours... I'll have another one next year."

[@GhettoFabulousLorch]

Link right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4mwh3mcrtJkjMk I first heard about it from Warren Buffett. Well worth the read/ listen.

[@JaxBlade]

This video is sincerely a masterpiece, S CLASS WORK all around, especially when you were interviewing people and the animation at the end. ALL OF IT WAS MEGA RELATABLE, but thank you for making this cause it actually helped me with some mental blocks i been goin thru as well but this video straight up inspired me at the end so Im hyped to be makin stuff I wanna make again

[@juniorjunior5884]

Glad you're feeling better man, love your work.

[@historyianbrazilian4987]

christ jax youre everywhere man

[@kelikl]

"Just do what algorithm tells" is such a joyful answer to hear for people who seek youtube only for easy money with abosutely zero effort just like they've heard about it from others.

[@joaopedrosambatti2474]

I know linking yt videos on comments is suspicious, but this guy has a great video about the algorithm and mediocrity kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4HFo3eLerqbf68

[@pedrosantosribeiro3061]

my yt was on autoplay and i woke up in the middle of night with this introduction and i genuinely thought a disembodied voice (or god) was talking to me fun fact: i am Brazilian and only notice the voice was speaking english when i was already fully awake

[@rusted_ursa]

That is a truly hilarious story.

[@Viva_Reverie]

On the one hand I probably should NOT have started watching this video right as I was planning to head to bed, but on the other hand I'm VERY GLAD I didn't stop halfway through like I was originally planning to, especially considering how uncomfortably relatable many of the described scenarios were to my literal actual experience earlier in the day. Fantastic video!! 💙💙

[@yourbroskijack]

I know your KZbin I enjoyed uout part 4 FORTNITE JOJO ANIMATION

[@emeraldviqueen]

I love the creators like you and Markiplier who look around where they are and are just “I have no clue how i got here.” It’s honest. So much of “making it” on the internet is luck, perseverance and talent is involved obviously but luck is a HUGE factor.

[@NotLordAsshat]

Yeah, honestly Mark is one of the few top KZbinrs that I still respect as a decent person

[@boycemallas8190]

Bo Burnham is the best example of this. He has been in it since the beginning. Bo is so aware of the anxiety, the stress, the audience, the content and how it effects and affects the artist making it. He even tells people to not seek advice from people who were just at the right place at the right time. Success, when starting from nothing, is deeply based on luck.

[@allaround360]

Absolutely! So many people are talented. Probably even more talented than a lot of the people who make it big. But it depends on so many factors that are also influenced by just pure probability or are random. Who you know. Whether your look is marketable, how your personality comes off to people. Are your beliefs compatible with general population? And then whether or not someone who can boost your careers sees all of that. Which is contingent on so many things you have zero control over. Haha. You can't make someone see you as a star. And when you're competing at the highest level...everyone is great. Everyone has talent. So one makes anybody stand out in a pool like that? Are most of the stars we have stars because someone saw that? It could just be because someone made them one. That happens all the time.

[@justinhamilton8647]

jerma too

[@elismart13]

facts

[@GaijinGoombah]

The best piece of advice I was given when it comes to content creation is, "Make something because YOU want it to exist so much that you don't want to imagine a world without it." It sounds dumb, but damn does it work! Holy shit dude... In the last 3rd of the video where you talk about the evolution of becoming a content creator... God... It was so perfectly made... All true.

[@GabbaaGhoul]

so good i’m going to remember this

[@oneofnone7947]

Hi Goomba looking forward to seeing more milo soon

[@Voltan]

@Newcious Newcious is another one of those _"finally its here!1!1"_ spambot accounts. Please Report them when you come across them because some of them can also can have malicious links

[@soulmechanics7946]

That is how we do. 👊

[@letsreadtextbook1687]

Not just video content, I think it's good advice for creating anything in general

[@chaosof99]

It's really a stark contrast here: Influencers tell you to make slop, cheaply mass-produced videos that you have no interest in simply to fill a quota and try to hit on trends. Those videos pull maybe a couple thousand views on a good day. Super Eyepatch Wolf makes well-research videos about topics he deeply cares about, and there is rarely a video (outside the "favorite things" series) that doesn't pull at least a million views. I think the lesson here is self-explanatory. There is of course a lot of luck involved here because some of those people that make slop make it big, and SEW says himself that he got extremely lucky with how things worked out. But I am also sure that SEW is very proud of his videos, while the slop those creators ask you to create will never be of any value to anybody.

[@TheFrederickog357]

And in my opinion, his "Favorite Things" series is some of my favorite content on youtube

[@retexcrafted]

​​@@TheFrederickog357 it's one of my favorite things

[@genericsocks7542]

Lmao I am a proud enjoyer of both high quality, well researched content and completely degenerate, soulless drama slop content 😂.

[@stickpeoplegamedudes]

"Content creator" is such a sickening and sinister phrase. It doesn't describe what people want to do, it describes what the algorithm wants from them. People who genuinely want to create have some specific thing in mind, some idea they wish to bring out into the world. It's not always well-defined, but it's never just "content". "Content" is the algorithm's term, the only word generic enough to describe aspirational art, casual goofing, and procedurally generated Finger Family clones. As long as you're feeding something into it - binding some fraction of your personhood to its engagement metrics - it doesn't have to care about the details.

[@enzoarayamorales7220]

Its like saying "labor worker". Its like a robot describing an overly generalized and shallow description of a career. Like wtf does that even mean?

[@mrgiove97]

Finally someone putting in words something i've Always felt

[@krombopulos_michael]

Yeah it's useful as a sort of catch-all term because technically anyone who makes media (music, art, photography, videos etc) is a "content creator" but it's a terrible description of any one person. It's like "office worker". Sure, a lot of different jobs happen in offices, including desirable ones, but I don't know anyone who would say that as their occupation

[@Orgotheonemancult]

This is the most accurate comment ever.

[@kylemundy8871]

It's a hell of a lot less pretentious than "Influencer"

[@AstraVex]

As someone who completely devoted themselves to Let's Playing for four years non-stop, it was a miserable time. Scheduling my entire life around upload times and trending games, equipment upgrades, juggling social time between family, friends, relationships, doing an audio engineering course AND recording up to 5 videos a day *AND* finding time to sleep (about 3hrs a night), it was an absolute nightmare and I will never return to it again. I only gained 4,000 subscribers in 4 years. That's 1000 subs a year, compared to some channels getting that DAILY! I remember once I let a Lets Play video render overnight and I woke up to a bluescreen saying the video failed to render. The anxiety of that not uploading on time was more emotionally painful than my girlfriend breaking up with me. When the video was finally successfully uploaded, it maxed out at 12 views. And all it cost me was my mental health and my relationship. Eventually I stopped and now I just upload whenever I want, far far far less stressful. 🙂 Chasing numbers is complete misery. Make what brings you joy and share THAT. ⭐

[@melodybaoin1425]

Happy for you Man. Don't let unpredictable view counts take your entire life away. Always, ALWAYS put yourself first.

[@AstraVex]

@@melodybaoin1425 Thank you 🙂 I'm definitely doing that these days. Now I'm devoting my time to being social again, joined a music group and putting my energy into making my 3rd album AND learning to make my first videogame 🙂 🎮

[@jbmazhar2000]

Yea well you know what?!?!! Subscribed ;)

[@yourbroskijack]

YAAAAYAYYAYAAYAAYAYAYAYYA

[@TheCoffeybeans]

That's fascinating... I'm sorry you experienced that

[@ZeroNeedsCoffee]

I show this video to people who tell me they want to be youtubers. This is one of the best videos on KZbin. I'm nearing the top of 1 million subscriber mountain. Let's see how it goes

[@LordOfElysium]

Your over 1mil, hope it’s been going well!

[@galacticalove]

Dunno when it hit, but congrats on 1M!

[@taxisalad]

Holy shit it's Zero!

[@sebastiangudino9377]

Dude, your videos get 10k hits on average, how do you have 1M subs? Did you buy the channel or something?

[@jessip8654]

@@sebastiangudino9377 Through their youtube shorts, which are, um... not quite content farming but close.

[@vailkor]

As a failed content creator that put 3 years into the content machine but never made it and ultimately just deleted everything just to escape the stress and emotional harm, this video helps me process a lot of that and feel like I wasn't alone.

[@photofreak56]

The amount of times I've deleted and restarted my channel as a way to share what I create is more then I can count. Its hard being a small creator when you have to work a full time job as well and don't have a safety net.

[@parallaxabomination]

as an animator raised on the internet, i've already accepted failure. i've watched children be boosted to dangerous degrees. being exposed to things like SA, burnout, depression, harrassment/d0xxing,,,everything. ive also watched my friends get some cool jobs and create some amazing things. i always wanted to be that "young and talented" animator on youtube/newgrounds. but its terrifying how the internet chews you up and spits you out. it all seems so possible when its all so fake. this is a nice video shedding some light on the dangerous addictive nature of internet fame. thank you for sharing it with us.

[@gray2578]

Not an animator, but I am an artist and I can relate. I’m just old enough that while KZbin was around the majority of my childhood I didn’t start using it consistently until I was at least 10-12, which is extremely young but older than a lot of children now who start watching from quite literally pre k age. The internet definitely encouraged me to practice art and I’ve considered getting into it, but more than anything it’s exhausting to consider. When there’s a million Elsa Gate adjacent channels and unthinkable amounts of content created far faster and cheaper than any visual artist can actually keep up with, why even try?

[@parallaxabomination]

@@gray2578 id try for your 12 yr old self honestly. put out the things you want to see for yourself in your own time. artist to artist my guy!

[@nullakjg767]

Animation is a full time job. You have to be rich to be able to do it "just for funsies" on personal projects.

[@oncreativemode5486]

@@nullakjg767 ehh, not really Animating doesn't need to be taken seriously. It's just another art form anyone can express themselves with, much like digital painting. There are some free apps for animation out there (Flipaclip, Opentoonz, etc) and you can look up tons of KZbin videos about how to animate. Not to mention you don't need to pay an enormous amount of money to cleanup artists, storyboard makers, directors, etc. Especially when you're only do it for funsies. if anything the only thing that you're always gonna be spending is your time (and maybe even your sanity if you're not careful.)

[@canonicallykayfabe]

Fandom animation, especially for ongoing fandoms still releasing content just absolutely sucks. It's all gotta be a race to do things first.

[@gbay99]

You really hit the nail on the head with how looking at past analytics pigeonholes you in content. Got sucked down that rabbit hole myself recently and all it did was tank my creativity and love of creating content. It wasn't until I took a hiatus from making stuff to work on other film projects that I was reminded why I got into this in the first place. Everything you say here is 100% right and anyone who wants to make a channel should watch 10x over.

[@coolboy9979]

Good to hear that you are doing well. Really happy that you are finding back the love for video making. Hope new stuff will come from you. Been following you since forever, but really started to dig your stuff once you started going away from the gameplay videos. Hope we get an update on you and your channels soon.

[@KnownSecrets]

Love your vids

[@vincentbatten4686]

Lemme ask because I'm curious. What made you start calling your videos content? Is it because you like the term or because you feel it accurately represents your work? Is it just an unconscious choice from the amount of times you've heard others use it?

[@Kazmord]

It's been two years. This is still the most important KZbin video I've watched. It came out during a personal low point. Videos that I poured a lot of effort into didn't get the numbers I wanted, so I resigned myself to making stuff that was familiar and could reliably pull in views. Before I knew it, I was chasing that numbers high above all else. I was using every "trick" I knew to get one more click. Then I watched this. It made me remember what kind of content I actually wanted to make. It gave me the courage to start experimenting with weird ideas again. Now, with everything I've learned, I have a channel that I'm proud of AND it's more successful than ever. Even those videos from 2 years ago have surged in views because they found my new stuff and wanted more. I'm not a big channel or anything, far from it. I barely have any reach. But I want to thank you because this video made me enjoy creating again.

[@aaronlethbridge5586]

About a month or so ago, I was lucky enough to meet Eyeptach Wolf in person at MCM London. Super chill guy, had a good talk about Manwha, but I remember mentioning how he's one of my inspirations for starting to write blogs, and how I've been struggling with motivation to write due to lack of any meaningful comments or discussions spawning from them. I know it's a dying/dead form of discussion, but my lack of confidence in getting a YT channel up means that it feels like my primary way of expressing my views in fiction (I have friends but they're more into the VS debates side of things. Nothing against them, but it's difficult to grab their attention on thematic dissections, ya know?) He mentioned he was working on this video, and seeing it come to fruition is a little surreal. Still, I also very distinctly remember him mentioning something to the effect of what this video was saying. That part at the end with how the art should be for ourselves really reminded me of what I talked to him about, as well as what I asked Trash Taste at the same con. Fuck the views or responses, if I enjoy making it then who gives a shit? To be honest, I haven't started any writing since then, but I just wanna say thanks for the shot in the arm. I know this comment is probably going to get buried, and it probably reeks of borderline parasocial shlock, but I just want to say, cheers for the message. I'll try and write something soon, be it buried, shit or otherwise.

[@anonymous71207]

hell fuckin yeah friend.

[@AzaleaBu]

That sounds awesome, do you have a link to any of your writing? I have a similar situation and don't have many friends who like to go into thematic discussion, so I'd love to read some of your stuff

[@salmonandsoup]

Listen, it's parasocial (non-derogatory). You can't really stop making emotional attachments to people; the whole point of our species is to bond. As long as you don't think he's an Actual Friend Of Yours and Therefore Get Mad At Him For Things And He Doesn't Remember That You Exist, it's fine.

[@jb0258]

Your comment here is not buried at all. Hope you achieve anything/everything you put your mind to (:

[@toastom]

Recently I've been watching more and more of these long-form video essays on youtube from people like SuperEyepatchWolf and BobbyBroccoli. This has also got me thinking about doing something like this on my own, though since I'm no good at videos, maybe also in a blog or traditional written essay form. The videos about The Simpsons and Garfield and finding grander themes in this media has really sparked the creative side of my brain recently I guess, even though I've never really been one super into creative writing in school. I wish you luck on your work!

[@jenniferrannila1414]

"I have 4 wives and 17 husbands none of them even know each other" Ngl that line made me burst into laughter and made my day

[@starmaker75]

Well good for him for embracing his homosexual side more

[@Ramsey276one]

I would watch that ALL SEASONS AND SPECIALS *AND THE MOVIE!* XD

[@flask223]

That would require a lot of careful planning

[@the.april.]

I'm not an KZbinr, but I'm an author. After many years of dreaming about getting my first book published, I've just signed a contract with a small publisher. Though I'm really happy with it, it's weird how much I still feel like there's something missing. We are conditioned to never be satisfied, and to be always comparing ourselves with others. There's always going to be another goal, another milestone to reach. And the same applies to Instagram, Twitter and KZbin. Social media made us addicted to validation.

[@CountDVB]

Honestly, I think it more served as the ultimate outlet/magnet for those seeking validation. It’s a multiplier

[@impermanence4300]

I remember when I first started making music and it was like: 10 streams is my goal! Then 100, then 1000, then 100 followers so on so forth. We absolutely are conditioned to be so goal orientated even though it can be so counter-intuitive to our personal and artistic growth. I found myself releasing a song, seeing it do well then immediately trying to re-create it for similiar growth. All that did was give me huge writers block and imposter syndrome. Now I just try to take things as they come. Best of luck with your writing!

[@drowningin]

I literally just started writing my first book this year after day dreaming about doing it. Starting, and trashing it a few years back. So seeing your post made me smile. I'm not to the publishing part yet, and I honestly haven't even looked.

[@MoshiSquared]

@@drowningin This is gonna sound oddly coincidental and like I'm just clinging on to this thread or something, but I'm actually in the same boat lol. Within the past few months my passion for writing and worldbuilding has finally been rekindled after being suppressed by academia for way too long. Seeing not one but two comments from writers on a video that's resonated with some of my fears about creating and publishing content is genuinely inspiring. I wish both of you the best of luck in all of your writing endeavors.

[@Surllio]

I am soon to be in this very same boat. I am 80k words into a draft of my first big novel, and a lot of smaller presses are very interested in it. However, I know with a smaller press also comes a lot of the leg work, but not nearly as much as self publishing. I still want to submit to larger houses but I have gotten myself resigned in the idea that that's a crap shoot based on whatever selection reader just happens to get my draft. I am lucky I have had a small career in film to prepare me for the ideas of rejection and helping with expevations vs ambitions.

[@doodley3d]

Dude. I'm sure you get a lot of comments like this from other KZbinrs, and you likely don't (and shouldn't) read comments, but... I gotta type this anyways. This video came my way by a completely unrelated coincidence and it literally could not have come at a better time for me right now. Straight up feels cosmic. The way you described the "road to one million" story is spookily accurate to the feeling I had when my channel first started growing, and the fear I had as it continued into this year as I went full-time. It is incredibly validating to hear this portrayed so perfectly from someone else. The numbers, the monetization, "surpassing" once bigger KZbinrs, and how all of that can be rug pulled away from you so easily. You could not have described those feelings more accurately, how they dominate every emotion in your head and make work/life balance impossible sometimes. Over this past year I've been trying to improve that work/life balance and schedule myself better. It's a struggle, partially because I'm just kind of a lazy bastard, but also because it requires a ton of self-discipline that I have for WORK, but not for PACING. I struggle a lot with healthily pacing my work out, and without that discipline, you never feel like you're NOT working, and it's super draining. I had also felt like I was slowly eking away from making videos purely because I wanted to make them, turning it into a job and appealing to an audience or sponsor. It's always a good reminder that art, in its purest form, exists for the joy of it's artist. And people can recognize that when it's genuine! I could not have asked for a better time to remind myself of that principle. Since I've already been trying to improve my pacing, scheduling, and work/life, this video clinches it. I had already uninstalled KZbin Studio from my phone, but I'm also going to block that hellish ranking counter in Studio on desktop. Nobody needs that. That will be the first step for me, among others. This video should practically be required viewing if you want to be a KZbinr. Thank you for it. It's so unbelievably well done.

[@PixelaDay]

It was an honour to appear in one of your videos, even for ten seconds! :) Very seriously, it was so helpful to chat with a big 'tuber and realise that you're struggling with largely the same feelings and insecurities us small channels do. It helped me realise that I was letting myself fall into the "once I hit x number of subs, I'll be happy and satisfied" delusion. We have to find a way to be happy now, or never. Your final words made me cry. Thanks again x

[@nelus101]

Fun fact: that isn't hair dye that he's wearing, making this video just took fifty years out of his life. Appreciate the dedication to your craft, Mr. Eyepatch!

[@brunop.8745]

Damn 70 year old SEW do be looking fine

[@Iamthesuperest]

@@brunop.8745 ikr? Silver Fox is a good look for him.

[@bt_11]

He needs a just for men sponsorship now

[@nelus101]

@Bionick Toa Okay so I see where you're coming from but to me it's a lot funnier to imagine that making this video took fifty years off of his life so I'mma just keep going with that

[@bt_11]

@@nelus101 Yeah, I thought we were all in on the joke

[@DionicioRT]

This video is almost 2 hour long and I still think it won’t be enough to cover the nightmare that is the concept of *INFLUENCERS* and social media but still will be an incredible video on its own right Really happy how this channel has never stuck to one type of subject when it comes to video making as from anime to wrestling to fake martial arts to now this, just great variety all around

[@christopherwiley5859]

Some of us just assume that every video is about some anime we haven't seen, with surprisingly photorealistic visuals.

[@ralphwilsin]

What’s wrong with influencers honestly? I love influencing! I wish everyone was an influencer!!!

[@stickynotes2040]

@@ralphwilsin You have been trying so hard to troll in this comment section dude... Give it a rest.

[@kevinczaractual]

I'm late to the SEW party, but... I just want to say how profoundly helpful this has been. Reclaiming the joy of creation from the toxic grindset culture is a struggle, and this advice is real and wholesome. Thank you for it.

[@awkwardways6018]

Literally turned the concept of youtube into cosmic "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream"-esque horror. Amazing video, 10/10

[@JamesDecker7]

There was no “turning into”. Meet a few aspiring/collapsed social media “influencers” or “creators” (especially as a psychiatrist) and the pain is like most other artists but frighteningly immediate and visceral. The Algorithm is a truly eldritch horror. But it gives me tasty entertainment. It’s like eating human soul bacon watching content now.

[@SpaghettyLuvsU]

@@JamesDecker7 Thank you for "human soul bacon", it only gets funnier and more apt the deeper I think on it ❤

[@btf_flotsam478]

KZbin is fucked up, and is probably the best single argument for going back in time and convincing Tim Berners-Lee to hand the Internet to the Swedish government or something (because they're more trustworthy than the alternatives... which, to be honest, may have Boko Haram ahead of private industry).

[@dudenamedzelda3179]

What do you mean? KZbin has basically been AM for years

[@maxz7775]

I was skeptical at first, but despite being a real live talking tiger he had a lot of good points to make

[@arcengal]

Check out John Bois if you're into tiger creators. It's a real niche but it's good to know tigers have representation online.

[@reloadpsi]

Just make sure he doesn't put a red bandana on. Twitter will hijack his entire character.

[@jakubskupinski7630]

My great granfather was a painter and he hasn't sold any of his paitings. My family still has these and i asked myself a question why he kept going. Now i realised that he was and is a true chad because he just did what he loved

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Now that's some awesome stuff.

[@SellswordArts]

This is such a good video. The first part convince me I needed to take more chances. Don't worry about trends, just post the things that I care about. The second part actually got me to delete KZbin Studio on my phone. Hearing from other people who have the same issues. Basically an addiction. Your videos always managed to have a deep heartfelt message in them. I really appreciate your work.

[@fractalsudoku]

the thing is that this feeling of emptiness after becoming "successful" isn't reserved to just being a youtuber or becoming social media famous! that's just the thing with success in general! happiness from success is a fleeting little thing that you can't rely on lasting at all, the credits don't roll after you reach a cool milestone. you have to instead find joy in the process of making things rather than the result sharing it will (potentially) have. the unfortunate thing is that that's a lesson that you have to keep re-learning because it never really sticks, lol

[@AlanRob666]

Goddammit. Thanks for spelling it out so succinctly.

[@Paralellex]

Dissatisfaction is a part of life. You can't live without some of it, and I'm not at all convinced you'd want to.

[@fractalsudoku]

@@Paralellex oh yeah for sure! another thing i keep having to re-learn myself is that you should just let there be room for these kinds of feelings. allow yourself to feel sadness and dissatisfaction and so on rather than beating yourself up for it because you "have it better than others" or, i guess in this case, "are successful so you shouldn't ever feel bad" or whatever

[@thecoolerrats7144]

Reminds me of the end of The Graduate, when they get on the bus, initially exuberant, and then it just slowly slides off their face.

[@cc-dtv]

for the first time in my life, i'm making a professional income, which by many people's definition is what 'success' is. or i was challengers in league of legends and 0.1% in 3 other video games which is a much bigger deal imo the happiness i have felt from being able to provide for my family with my job? it's part of a bigger picture, but is definitely a massive positive contributor to the levels of happiness i am able to feel in life. for the first time I consider myself I happy person, I am 'happy' literally every single day, but what did I do? what's my secret? i won't sell you a course but it is a simple as this. 1. resolve several health issues 2. work for 4 months sending job applications, daily, tech assessments, etc 3. get hired making great money for the area 4. while doing steps 123, repairing every personal relationship in my life. righting the wrongs with others, including other family. every single person i care about, I have treated right. 5. get paid from job, use the money to ensure my mother doeesn't have to work in a warehouse at 60 if she doesn't want to, start paying all the bills, fixing the house, repairing the car, getting health insurance, ... It wasn't easy, and I had to experience a large amount of suffering before I changed as a person from what I was before. I wasn't happy for 15 years, and now am consistently happy every day.

[@finghinmccarthy5021]

One thing that John didn't mention talking about the streaming is that he has a pre established audience. If those techniques didn't work for him they certainly won't for you or me

[@princesseville6889]

Yea its a HUGE mathematical difference between 1,2 million people seeing a "John is Streaming" popup or literally noone because John just fucking started his channel. Having an audience to start with is ALL the diffence. Even giant contenct creators have small streaming audiences, its almost impossible to "crack the code" and get to their level while being the average Joe.

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Yeah, if anything, that only makes his arguments stronger.

[@gorimbaud]

I think that's why it's really important that he gave the numbers from the week before, and ultimately concluded that the numbers don't really say anything.

[@funguy398]

@@gorimbaud well, one thing is fore certain is when you jump platform with established audience, you will get some followers on the new platform at first, but the time goes by the flow of old followers will dry

[@krombopulos_michael]

Yeah I thought the same. His numbers for either week would be hugely impressive for a normal person. Likely, the drop-off was just down to having a spike in the first week from people who were already fans.

[@supernumberuan]

I abandoned my pursuit of becoming a youtuber a long time ago, but this video still made me emotional with how much it resonated with me and all I expect from the KZbinrs I watch. I genuinely would't love this platform as much as I do if it wasn't for the people that do what they enjoy from the bottom of their hearts. I don't want to see my favourite creators fall down a pit only because the numbers are getting low. I just want them to be happy and do what they most sincerely want to. This was a great video and I truly hope it becomes a beacon of hope for those thousands of small creators seeking advice or simply suffering from this wicked platform (and world we live in). Keep doing what you love, no matter if I'm here to see it or not, just stay happy. Thank you.

[@davidnighten5553]

You are *destined* to not make it, by non other than yourself. IM gonna make it!. Simply cause i would rather *die* than not to.

[@Mapachotgun]

@@davidnighten5553 chill out, man Life is not an anime

[@davidnighten5553]

@@Mapachotgun DONT TELL ME TO. CHILL OUT AAAAAHHHHHHHH

[@Mapachotgun]

@@davidnighten5553 man, it seems you didn't even saw the video smh

[@Blueline3691]

@@davidnighten5553 R.I.P.

[@jacobwalbridge123]

I can't think of a better representation of the lie of meritocracy than social media and content creation. The idea that talented, valuable people are rewarded and anyone who doesn't make it is less than those who do. It's not true though, some of the most talented artists will never make it, but if they love what they do, they won't have to.

[@Wyrm3]

But what is art without the consumer? What is a book without a reader? It's nothing, nothing at all.

[@SorowFame]

@@Wyrm3a small creator still has an audience, it’s just not a big audience.

[@carpo719]

Exactly. I've made almost 5k videos over 12 years and I never did it to go viral or get viewers... the only way to stick with something long-term and love it is to do what you love *because* you love it. Just skip fad and do your own thing

[@rillianen4857]

@@Wyrm3 Absolute Bullshit. Art is an expression and has value for that reason alone, it will matter as long as somebody finds meaning in it and in most cases there's certainly atleast 1 person who will find it meaningful, the artist

[@addersnap2885]

@@Wyrm3 this is meaningless since the algorithm determines who sees and doesn't see the art lmao did you watch the video

[@GamerZakh]

I don't think I've ever seen the experience of becoming a KZbinr expressed so accurately. That was amazing.

[@thelastchannelonyoutube]

It’s actually insane how KZbin is designed to make you feel inadequate at all levels of popularity. There were multiple times were I felt great pressure to post weekly-sometimes even daily-only to stop and realize “This isn’t my job. I made no money doing this. No one is actually interested in these videos. Why am I so stressed about wether I upload or not?”

[@MP-fc7qt]

And they still pretend to care about creators despite all evidence to the contrary. As if a visible dislike bar is worse than shoving a video ranking system into people's faces that tells them how disappointed daddy KZbin is that they don't make record views on every new upload.

[@Fearmylogic]

But yet, youtube will disable the dislike button, because it's damaging to the creator.... YT is ran by a bunch of assholes, who do nothing but lie, to even the biggest channels, because the dislike button makes Jimmy Fallon, or some movie trailer look terrible when it has 3x more dislikes than likes.

[@ralphwilsin]

Bro it’s all about the grind! Grrrr! 🐯

[@phancanedoo013]

@@ralphwilsin With a massive S for Sarcasm.... right?

[@rainydot5442]

@@phancanedoo013 i feel like the sarcasm is a given w the Grrr 🐯

[@unauthorizedmonster648]

Super eye patch wolfs "villain speeches" about how hes gonna infiltrate the youtubers courses, get to the top and destroy them from the inside out. Just perfect. 10/10.

[@FrederickGautier]

This is one of my favorite videos I’ve ever watched on KZbin. So poignant, yet oddly cathartic to my own thoughts on creative endeavors. Stumbled upon this from a münecat video and I am glad I watched it. Also seeing Folding Ideas, among other larger creators, as well as the smaller creators being interviewed about KZbin was a great addition. The ending lines you finished with are perfect. Cheers and thank you.

[@scootinand]

There's a part of me that feels bad when i don't watch a video right away when one of my favorite creators uploads it because i know how much that early engagement means for a video. Which is a bit insane, because I know I only have so much time in my day and I might not necessarily be in the mood to watch that particular kind of video, which is why the whole analytics system can be so cruel. You'll never know just by looking at the analytics how much a given person actually enjoyed a video. How much it made someone laugh, how enthralled they were by it, how much it made them cry, how much they learned from it, how it changed their perspective on a subject or even on life as a whole. It really sucks that our brains tend to focus in on the negative responses instead of the positive ones. How one hateful comment sticks out in a pile of "great video!" messages.

[@Lucien135]

My god, this video ending made me cry so much. I spent all my life seeking validation from people who wholeheartedly rejected me and what i enjoyed, but now i understand. I'll even take the advice i got given. Im writing this comment knowing fully well that probably no one will see it, but it doesn't matter. Keep doing what you like, even against all the pushback, cuz ull never achieve in the shadow of expectations and dissatisfaction.

[@Jack1994hoo]

I saw it.

[@GrateGrapes]

Me too

[@BeardedKenyan]

You have been seen.

[@tinawitte420]

As someone who had to deal with rejection from early on: Maybe you want to take a look at the videos of "Einzelgänger" , he has a strong focus on finding value/happiness being an outcast/non-conforming. When our life is over, none of that stuff matters, so make the most of what makes YOU happy 🙂

[@Mopsspoof]

I…feel this. The isolation feeling in specific so much man. You’ve definitely been seen :) thank you for the reassurance

[@AlexWebb101]

Part 2 was a surprisingly difficult and eye opening watch. I feel like I’m constantly checking my analytics at least 40 + times a day just to get a slight sense of validation in my work. It’s mental how much of a grip the creator studio can have on you and it’s refreshing to see someone talking about the ramifications of it

[@Dragonfire1000]

I have fallen into that trap of losing sight of my original goal on KZbin, and that was creating animations that not only myself would enjoy but others as well. As I ascended to 10k, 20k and 30k the feelings of joy and ephoria were intoxicating; that feeling of so many people loving your content more than you expected. When my subs began to purge and my average view count dropped it set me into a state of panic and I started trying to push content out trying to figure out what people liked and when that didn't work I stopped looking at KZbin for days to weeks until finally I stopped looking at the analytics, although I still saw the disheartening view counts it was nowhere near as painful as looking at the data in depth. Now that I've lost 5kish subs and gone now to low numbers it allowed me to refocus back into what my original endeavors were, now I'm back to animating what I enjoy regardless of the reception. It was truly a humbling phase in my KZbin career. I never recommend anyone to do KZbin as a career. It is far too unstable and stressful. KZbin is and will always be my past time hobby with passive income. However I will say the silver lining to KZbin is that I got to connect with many other creators in my niche and become good friends with them and use their talents to create something I never could achieve on my own, and that's huge.

[@invisiblefly2454]

There was a lot in this video that left me nauseous, but that clip of the mom filming her crying son, heartbroken over his dead dog, left me truly sick to my stomach. I have so many other thoughts about this absolutely brilliant video essay, from the editing to the skits to respecting the sheer amount of work this took, but I can mostly summarize it as "I loved this, I somehow feel like a better person after watching it, and I'm looking forward to your next video."

[@PhippsJonah]

What made me sick was the “I know, but keep looking at the camera.” If you’re distant to the point that saying “I know” is such a habit for you when talking to your own kids, you should take a step back.

[@quemira1207]

@@PhippsJonah does anyone know if shes facing any like, consecuences for this. is anyone checking on her children.

[@Giganfan2k1]

@@quemira1207 Honestly I know people with narcissistic parents... The kid is most likely fine. But this problem is hundreds of thousand parents deep. You are just seeing someone with a hot mic. I hope the kid doesn't see this in ten years. Or if they did, they see it at their therapists visit.

[@quemira1207]

@@Giganfan2k1 yeah i hope the kid is fine later on

[@perfectlyhopeless]

I've recently taken up some responsibilities for my family's small business, specifically with regards to social media and a focus on Instagram. Because the follower count isn't raising, my aunt's terrified that we'll have to close the shop because she's been so convinced by other creators in our industry that social media growth is the only avenue for success. And it's really baffling to see that pressure being put on just average people. Content creation and capitalism are destroying people.

[@JP-1990]

When you're stuck in the rat race, you start acting as paranoid as a rat.

[@bluester7177]

I am a tattoo artist and I feel this so much, I hate social media but I can't escape it and its really hard to see it not do anything.

[@tarasummerville4295]

As a self published author, that last line struck a chord with me as a human that writes books that nobody reads

[@jonathanwright8025]

Well most Oscar winners make movies no one sees.

[@jinchuriki7022]

Whats the books you have?

[@tarasummerville4295]

@@jinchuriki7022 aw thanks for asking! My recent book is called Mercuryville on Amazon (and my two other books are under my author profile) :)

[@FFKonoko]

I tried googling for it, then tried searching amazon directly. I tried mercuryville, and then tried Mercury ville. It took searching for Tara summerville to find the author profile, and thus the books. Amazon is absolutely awful. 😔 That said your books have some very mysterious summaries and I think the hunt was worthwhile. But just so anyone else following after knows, author name and profile is going to be the best way to find them.

[@tarasummerville4295]

@@FFKonoko thanks so much!:) that’s incredibly frustrating about Amazon. I mean, I don’t expect my little nobody books to be on the front page, but I’d at least hope they’d show up when you’re looking for them!!

[@LadyGoggles]

this video is… honestly just what i needed. i’ve been tempted by these kinds of courses, logically knowing that they were bullshit but still hoping i’d find some secret to success. when really… i just need to create because i have the desire to. fuck the analytics, the number chasing, all of it. i’m tearing up after this but i really needed to hear it. thank you so much.

[@matthewgonzalez2727]

As an artist who joined Instagram and realized the dangers of fame obsession not too long ago, thank you for reaffirming this. Thank you so so much, John.

[@rimondas6729]

Best of luck Matthew ❤️

[@lioedevon4275]

Omg the art community on Instagram is absolutely horrible for your mental health, I remember back in high school there was a point in time where I was just constantly refreshing the “likes” page, hoping somebody else would see my work It took me a super long time to retrain my brain to not do that, and be okay with having a smaller following

[@gergofarkas4008]

This just reinforced my feeling that I started writing my second (and first real) sci-fi horror novel two years ago because I couldn't find one out there that ticked all my boxes. If it doesn't get published or anything, it'll still have been the greatest personal adventure of my entire life, with a bunch of made-up people that I have come to truly love, and that's something I could never have imagined would happen in reality. Thanks for reminding me of that, even though I don't think I've ever started slipping into self doubt, you never know what tomorrow will bring.

[@MrMockRock]

Fantastic video, and I can't imagine many people who've turned KZbin into a job won't be able to relate to basically everything brought up

[@sirsociopath]

Never expected to see you here.

[@0yaSumi6908]

funny seeing mockrock in a video like this...

[@Jeffreyhobbs01]

God that ending, just everything about this video is so raw and personal and inspiring. Thank you for the time and energy you spent putting this video together. Can't appreciate it enough.

[@will8243]

This is exactly what I needed. Last year I gained a small (around 4K) following on my cooking instagram and the pressure to keep up, get more followers and keep delivering content made me question every decision I’ve made on there. I hated what I was putting up, I started to hate my partner for pushing me to upload more of what she thought would go viral, and I started to hate cooking itself. I’m having a hard time putting together words of how this video helped me, but it really did. Thanks, fantastic video. I’m really glad I watched.

[@ShrapnelStars]

I'm really loving this new wave of anti-"content" sentiment. I feel like it's making the internet a lot better. Helping people understand the negative mental loops caused by viewing what they do as mere "content", and how "generating" it instead of carefully crafting something they have legitimate feelings about is affecting them and how they view themselves and what they do. The irony is that something put out based on a checklist and designed to harvest views is often, like you said about the algorithm hack scenario, a bland and empty video that will ultimately get people to ignore you. One thing I noticed about how youtube serves videos, at least for me, is that it sends things to your home dashboard based on what you've already shown interest in, and things it thinks are related to those interests. If you watch a lot of Mario stuff, it will assume you like Sonic and Zelda too, for example, even if you've never watched any Sonic or Zelda videos. If you like a specific youtuber, it will suggest other youtubers "related" to them, usually people who have subscribers in common or who have collaborated together. It becomes even more fine-tuned if you click the three dots on a video on the home screen, and you tell it to stop sending you videos of a certain topic, or by a certain channel owner entirely. If you ever happen to send the algorithm into a dead end and get the card that says "Discover something new?" and you click on it, it will flood your dash with all of those kinds of clickbaity, soulless videos that are trying to farm subs and views by those kinds of checklist methods, and you'll have to retrain your home screen again. So even when these people talk about "gaming the algorithm", I think the algorithm already knows what counts as soulless content. And even if it didn't the "Don't suggest this channel" tool shuts that kind of stuff out completely on a per user level. Checklisting content only works on people who will indiscriminately watch anything that exists to begin with, so it shouldn't be relied on.

[@KinduVborrd]

My dad recently said to me, "These days, with the internet, no one has any excuse not to become a millionaire." He's totally wrong, though.

[@Ramsey276one]

Top excuse: JAIL TIME

[@npc6817]

Just hit him with the ol'reliable "what's stopping you then _DAD?"_

[@neoasura]

@@npc6817 Thats actually a good retort. Unless dad is already a millionaire??

[@trashman1605]

My dad wants me to make "family vlog" style videos because they recently became popular in Egypt and i puked in my mouth a little bit

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

Ask him what his excuse is.

[@Blobby90]

The ending made me realise something. I love writing and sharing silly fanfic ideas on Ao3 but I also like to write stories I have no intention of sharing. Those are for me and I don't regret a single one.

[@n.a.g.7383]

it's nice to know that it wasn't just me thinking about ao3 when watching this

[@peachfang]

yep. watching the end made me think of fanfic, fanart and mods specifically. some things to share, some things to keep close to the chest, and none of it made in hopes of virality.

[@RubberRoss]

37:52 Wasn't expecting to see something of mine while watching this. Great video btw!

[@snowset675]

Hi ross! Didn’t expect to see you here

[@De_La_Evo]

lit ross appearance

[@mobibobobobobobobvobobo]

Just going to throw out there one of my favorite failed KZbin Channels, The Pilot Is Dead. It was a channel about covering tv pilots, the history behind them, and why they didn’t work, as well as a healthy dose of cheesy humor. The dude was pumping out well edited and crafted content that he clearly made with love and spent hours and hours on, only to never really get traction. He never officially shut it down, it just stopped one day after a livestream of one of those shitty cool cat films (which is a bold move considering how litigious the cool cat people are, but it was just me and a few others in the livestream anyway). I dearly miss that guy, but I hope whatever he’s doing now has brought him some happiness and success.

[@pitchlag1502]

Whenever I think about my lack of social media participation, I remember the anxieties all the creators I follow talk about and the ever great quote from Bo Burnham: "If you can live your life without an audience you should do it"

[@vertsang5424]

that's a really great quote indeed! thanks ;)

[@ifcyanwasgrey]

Dude, you literally changed how I view the channels i love to watch and changed my view on content creation. Ive been wanting to give it a try and i hope the excitement i got from this video lasts me till i finish my first project. Thanks Super Eyepatch Wolf, youre the best👍

[@Foolery_Tom]

I originally wanted to make weird, short films. This around the rise of streaming. They did so bad I decided to try and become a variety streamer. It was miserable. This made me realize I need to stop trying to play the game. I'm going to just make the stuff I want to make.

[@Joshuaraymalan]

Well said.

[@InfernalMonsoon]

That's what I do when I stream, I never once went into it expecting to make it big so it's just a fun little hangout for me and my friends. Honestly, I kinda like it like that.

[@TheClickbaiterA]

If you just keep doing it, you might get it.. heck, just going outside everyday for a month might happen a 1 in a million chance event, tho success is prob atleast 500 million

[@TheClickbaiterA]

Actually no, perhaps 100 million

[@BurningBlackScarlet]

I hope you go back to making weird, short films. I would love to watch those

[@PinkSkunkSleepy]

I feel like a lot of people don't consider the amount of harassment that comes with online content creation when trying to get into it. When creators with young audiences who don't necessarily have the experience to conceptualize that harassment try to market becoming a famous content creator, I always worry about what that will end up producing down the line. So it was good to see someone talk about it with this kind of topic.

[@transsexual_computer_faery]

Lindsay Ellis

[@paranormeow]

Any animation meme homies who might be watching probably will think of Birdie when reading this.

[@MrMarinus18]

I think the truth is that internet content creation is outgrown the niche status that previously shielded it. It is not a significant part of the economy and society and so that means also all the evils that come with that.

[@nightscape856]

"Passion is only as valuable as the opportunity it's paired with." My god... this hit me like a truck. It's so true, and it's such a brilliant and utterly sobering statement. For me, what I love the most about your videos is that they're grounded in reality, and speak about things that a lot of people would otherwise not give a second thought to.

[@offroaddiaries]

Even though this video is made over a year ago it completely made my entire day. Watching it from beginning to end after just feeling overwhelmed change my entire perspective in a positive way. Thank you for spending all the time to make this video because I think it's something that needed to be said and done for all of us small channels that want to understand how yo overcome our own mental struggles. The end was amazing and inspirational.

[@Fearine_]

Thanks for having me on! It was an amazing experience! EDIT: After watching this video multiple times and processing it, I’m so thankful I could be apart of this project. This was just…incredible. Thank you so much John, I needed this badly

[@zeo4481]

👏👏 that was a great segment. Thank you for your contribution to this great video that has actually unveiled exactly what social media ,, sucsess courses " are all about.

[@Fearine_]

@@zeo4481 Thanks man it was a really cool experience being apart of this amazing video

[@PLPCPLAPD]

The part about the kids blaming themselves when it doesn't work out should not be underestimated; having been diagnosed with autism at age 5 and having undiagnosed ADHD, pretty much everyone has always expected me to be able to do the things that most people can do in order to live a "normal" life, but I simply can't, and until I realized I had ADHD at age 33 I kept blaming myself, actually believing that I was just a lazy good-for-nothing loser, despite my ability to dominate in academic settings... "I can do it, and therefore YOU can do it!" is a powerful and extremely misguided gaslighting that does no one any good whatsoever, except for people like Jake Paul who cash in on it of course...

[@thisrandomdude_]

Thank you for writing this.

[@zacharypayne4080]

ADHD isn't real..I was diagnosed with it in the 90's.. it's a scam. nothing is wrong with you...get rid of the slave, victim mentality and escape the matrix..then you will be truly free! If I did anyone can..

[@PLPCPLAPD]

@@zacharypayne4080 Well, it is real, but it is not what most people think it is...

[@cranberryrosebud]

It's interesting you used something like ADHD as a comparison, because I was recently thinking about how people with mental/developmental/learning disorders are always being put down for not having the same skills as neurotypical or chemically-balanced people, and being told they're 'weak' and whatnot. Looking at a pattern of human behaviour or action and deciding on a standard, then holding tightly onto that standard and refusing to accept any other metric is reallly unhealthy, and we do it all the time - you should be working x hours a day, or a week, you should have x amount of contact with others, you should react to x like this, and to y like that, because Jake Paul does it that way, and Ninja does it that way, and your parents did it that way. And this line of thinking rarely accounts for differences between people. This could affect you as a content creator to a great extent; not so good at speaking? It'll be really hard to feel confident in your recorded voice, and you'll have to work harder than others to come up with your final draft for a video. Camera-shy? You'll have to work harder than others to appear confident enough to 'prove' that you believe in what you're saying in your video. Socially anxious and people-pleasing? You may focus so much on one or two hate comments that you'll get discouraged from making videos altogether. And if you're young, and you look up to, say, Jake Paul, it may not occur to you to not think about numbers, because he boasts his all the time - it may not occur to you to make audio-only videos with footage of something else in the background, because he's always showing his face - it may not occur to you that it's normal not be confident while speaking, because he sounds so sure of everything he says. A lot of us are comparing ourselves to people we just can't be like, and social media encourages this in countless ways.

[@PLPCPLAPD]

@@cranberryrosebud Indeed...

[@myarea51]

Just found you. Never considered being a KZbinr, but on this journey I went through all the emotions with you. But finished film school with debilitating panic attacks, hating everything I made after my initial attempts. Tried to get everything right and failed miserably. A blank page gives me anxiety now. And that’s WITHOUT the analytics. I’d just perish if I had to obey the algorithm. This last bit you said about making art for ME… thank you for that, really.

[@zacharypayne4080]

Just do what you like..it's the jurney not the distanation.. and I have a hot girl friend..so I know what I'm talking about..why have anxiety? Just choose not to have it..yes it's that easy if you put in the mental work..hard work..why live life like that?

[@JeffreyBenzodiazepines]

@@zacharypayne4080 Exactly, just decide to be successful, it's that easy!

[@veagle1379]

​@@zacharypayne4080it seems fascinating that people like you, who can barely tie their shoelaces, can use social media to radiate your low-iq presence

[@eeeriebrilliance]

FanTAStic video. Totally genuine and humble but also really informative and clearly well researched. We need more creators like you who go through the same trials but manage to keep your integrity intact along the way. Thank you for showing people that you can do this without selling out. Keep up the great work!

[@MaikuBoy1]

I remember thinking that when I finish my physics degree with highest honors then I will be happy and successful. It came and I felt nothing. All this suffering I did was for nothing and nobody clapped. It was just me. This video really reminded me of the lesson I learned. Do something that you enjoy and find fulfilling in itself and not for some external end goal you have seen other people get. Be the person who does cool stuff and the rest will just happen on its own.

[@Auburritos]

I feel you, man. It wasn’t a physics degree with highest honors for me, but the feelings you describe are too real. It’s some fuckin Ozymandias shit.

[@jaretanderson]

As someone who actually left engineering because I just didn't feel personal validation from the work it required me to do, this was super good for me to read after watching this video.

[@oxymoron500]

i've feelt this

[@thecolorgreen9022]

This approach doesn't work at all if your goal is monetary, for example, early retirement. More often than not, people are forced to make compromises. You suck up doing things that you hate, you slave away years after years, so that you can finally enjoy the heaven that is life devoid of stress (yes, I hold the unpopular opinion that with wise use of money, all things can be fixed). Everytime I see videos such as the one above, no matter the verbiage, it always boils down to that green devil. Unsuccessful content creators quit because of lack of money. The dread of your quality of life plummeting is looming over everyone, not only content creators, all because we've created societies that encourage unrealistic, exponential growth. The powerful have learnt to manipulate human nature to the point that the outlook for change seems, in my opinion, grim. The problems in the video above are just a symptom of a much wider, societal problem. People are losing empathy. They depend on each other less and less. Everyone's expected to be an unerring lone wolf. Instant gratification is becoming our true overlord. In other words, capitalism's many boons have long became a curse, which erodes mental health in favour of dopaminergic relief. Either you get lucky and succeed and gain a glimpse of true freedom, or you die shackled and downtrodden.

[@MaikuBoy1]

@@thecolorgreen9022 The one thing I can say to this is test it out somehow before commiting 20 years of life to this approach. You want to retire early right and live atress free. Do it now with your savings for 1 year. Not 1 month, not 6 months, those are vacations, 1 year. Yes, absolutely it will set you back financially but you will learn whether that is the life you truly want. A youtube comment will not change your mind. But from your comment it seemed like you are an extremely hard working person. After 6 months of sleeping, anime watching and ehatever, after that initial honeymoon period, lets see whether it actually makes you happy. And if you do not have funds to take a year off by now (unless you are very young) then I am afraid you will never be able to take 40 years off for retirement.

[@AddGaming.]

A true guide to cracking the youtube algorithm: Step 1: Learn Computer Science Step 2: Specialize in machine learning and AI Step 3: Become LITERALLY one of the most brilliant people in the field Step 4: Get hired by google (probably the easiest step in this list) Step 5: Do something that not even your peers can by cracking the neural network in front of you bigger than anything you could visualize. You see - it's possible. And it just takes 5 steps and probably 10-20 years. And you even get one of these cool prizes like a noble prize or something in the end.

[@Immadeus]

Step 6: Give up because even though you are the best in your field, the KZbin algorithm is beyond your understanding

[@Wherrimy]

By the time you get to Step 5, the algorithm will become sentient and will possess godlike intelligence

[@aidangordon2713]

@@Immadeus Step 7: Use all your skills to create Skynet from the Youtbe algorithm as revenge for your mistreatment, lol.

[@ralphwilsin]

Sounds like a plan 💻

[@LackingSaint]

It's coming up on two years since I was last regularly uploading videos - about to hit 200K subscribers, constantly anxious about whether I was doing the right things, numb to the praise, worrying if I was a success or a failure. This video is..... Yeah. You nailed it.

[@koketsok1513]

Hey jack regular viewer of your stuff,hope you are doing well even if you dont ever get back into content creation or continue doing what was being done in the pas to cause the stop of video production.all the best and hope you are in a better place

[@larsnyman2455]

Whatever you make in the next 5 years, I’ll watch it, I wish you the best of health!

[@anonymous71207]

Take this with a grain of salt, but I really hope you're doing what you enjoy. Fuck the youtube rat race. You made some great videos I really liked, but you also deserve to be happy. If youtube made you unhappy, don't come back.

[@happypants9428]

Yea I was thinking about you when I watching this video. I don’t know if I’ll ever experience a new Jack Saint video, but if I never do, I got to have a blast watching some fantastic video essays. Space Jam: A Revolutionary Tale is one of my favorite pieces of entertainment. I rank it as high as my favorite games, movies, shows, novels etc.

[@krombopulos_michael]

Was just wondering the other day what happened to your videos. Always found them interesting in terms of adding new perspectives.

[@Numberer1]

Man...this hit way too close to home. I wanted for years to make this my job, but the passion started dying when the push for money began. Despite having what should be my dream job, I miss making art for the enjoyment of making it.

[@ellinorsvensson4970]

Heya, just wanted to tell you that your frozen vids have made me laugh til I cried. I don't know what your current state of passion is for the channel, but I liked what you did. Anyway, have a good one!