Loneliness Kills Art (and how YouTube saved mine)

[@JayTheDevGuy]

Support the creators you watch ad-free with KZbin Premium, use my link to get a 2 month free trial and support me! kzbin.info?cc=jaythedevguy&

[@NoomStuff]

I have never seen a youtube premium sponsor lol

[@ocarina0001]

actually insane getting a yt premium sponsorship, not only have i never seen one before but that's such a... i don't even know, good freaking job is all i have to say about it :)

[@aloyminimum]

I already have premium but I’ve never seen a sponsor for it lol

[@TrizziEhgan]

I'm starting to think there's gonna be a wave of KZbinrs literally getting sponsored by the platform they're in.

[@crazybird199]

Oh yeah I have YT Premium. It's pretty much the only media subscription service I have.

[@Hakita]

Too early to start posting about your art? No such thing when you don't have a sizable following yet. I posted my first video about ULTRAKILL the same day I started working on it. Nobody saw it, but keeping that steady gradual build and push is what got any eyes on the project in the first place, so when it finally did become what people would generally call "good enough to show", there actually were people to see it!

[@JayTheDevGuy]

Damn that means a lot coming from you man, as someone who played early builds of Ultrakill and has watched it grow into what it is now this is so sick that it was forged with the same mentality

[@Computer-Frog]

HOLY SHIT IT'S HAKITA

[@abod_bios2]

I like how he make a gore game and his profile picture is the most cartony cuty thing

[@theamazinglordmilo9608]

OH MY GOD ITS JOHN ULTRAKILL?!?!?!??!?!?!?

[@Mys-tic]

the fact that i just played ultrakill o.o

[@Shadowpaw67]

I'm putting "library of 8s instead of a head full of 10s" on a giant sticky note and putting it on my monitor because fuck man I don't need that hard of a callout post

[@drugcrab]

But can you even make an 8

[@trevorfranks69]

I'll be happy putting out 4s at this point

[@jazz9260]

@@drugcraba library of 6s is better than a head full of 8s. Even if it’s not an 8. It won’t become one by staying in your head. We learn by doing. Fail faster

[@PlazmaPup1]

Same!

[@RobL2517]

"I'd rather have a catalogue of 8's, than a brain full of 10's." DAMN! How to kill perfectionism in one sentence.

[@ewoklord-726]

Maybe it has something to do with Autism and familiarity, but my idea graveyard is less of a graveyard, and more of a bunch of balloons that I drag behind me, reeling each one in in their own time. But occasionally, I have to sort of evaluate which balloons are worth the effort, and which ones are running out of air, and I need to let go. It’s always sad when they float away…

[@JayTheDevGuy]

I love this analogy

[@night_creatur]

What a beautiful way of seeing it as

[@Gear767]

This really touched me creatively. Mine often continues like one giant project that reflects myself as a person. Age 4 to now. The "dead" projects are just parts of the main one being cut off. I'll try to get tested, but this really sounds like what I've done.

[@ShazySoft]

That skill of intuiting what to keep and what to let go of is one of the hardest things to learn in art.

[@SunnyIsOnline]

Oh no I can already tell this one gonna make me cry

[@ihappydawnz]

fr

[@harmonica_gaming8741]

Too real

[@Scanlaid]

48 seconds and I needed to pause

[@JayTheDevGuy]

I made this specifically to make SunnyIsOffline cry

[@cs1045]

​@@JayTheDevGuy😢

[@Fantalla]

I used to call myself a "bedroom community" - which meant everything stayed inside my room and never went anywhere. I started very small with my 2d art - started selling at local small pop up events and put a sign up that says "the goal is to finish not to be perfect" and suddenly 3 years later I went to VEGAS for a large scale con and out sold each day on a couple pieces that I had to sprint to office max to reprint each time. Made the most money I have ever made that weekend and it was so rough on me but I remember it lovingly regardless. KEEP WORKING AND KEEP FINISHING!!!!

[@PinoPrime]

7:55 THIS!!! The amount of times people have tried to argue for ai saying that you can just make art for yourself is baffling to me. I wish more people thought like this

[@JayTheDevGuy]

+2 the more I understand the process of making art the less I worry about AI slip replacing any art higher than stock photos and clipart

[@frankieloinandgroin]

@@JayTheDevGuy That one video game concept artist who got fired alongside his entire team, just to be replaced by ai still haunts me ngl.

[@K1nla]

0:46 =stares at my folder now with over 100 unfinished works/sketches= ....oh.

[@AdrianAnema-f2n]

I can relate to the whole starting a project, obsessing over it, the project dying, and the cycle repeating over and over again and I'm glad you were able to get out of it

[@MissGenkiArt]

Hoo boy I relate to this one but in an oddly backwards way. I'm 32 now. I've been posting drawings online since 2005 and hoo boy does that fucking hurt my soul to think about, lol. I've got the old deviantart with the cringe pre-teen art. I've got nearly two-decade of progress to look back on on various websites. Heck I even did KZbin for a bit back in the wild west era of the platform. (The cringe is still there too.) And something I realized in the last couple of years is that I'm secretly jealous of myself. I've grown in so many ways and am proud of who I've become as a person but when it comes to art I lost something the old me had. Sure that old stuff online is weird and cringe and sometimes it hurts to not understand what I was even thinking with some of it but hey, at least younger me was posting! I still post art today but it's few and far between.. and I have a huge graveyard of abandoned ideas that haunt me. Hell I've been telling myself I'm gonna make a webcomic one of these days for 10 years at this point. It's definitely easier said than done but I've been trying to talk myself into just doing literally anything despite the quality and posting it. Then it will be real and people will see it and I'll have a reason to truly begin. Thanks for sharing this video. You've inspired me once again!

[@JayTheDevGuy]

I feel that man, my younger self had a stubborn naive dedication I sometimes envy.. I'm proud your former self managed to post anything, cringey or not. My former self didn't even have the balls for that. I'm so glad you're starting to feel that itch to throw it out there again, despite imperfection :]

[@Silencer1337]

I get this. The online community I posted my stuff in faded out of existence in obscure ways. Key people meeting the reality of life, popularity declining, etc. I didn't realize how that environment was the thing keeping me going, and even though I still had amazing people to spend my time with, they weren't ones who realistically could be expected to show interest in the unique challenges I was experiencing in my creative processes. A decade of wasted time later, I clenched my butt cheeks and built and released a mediocre game on Steam, and nothing happened, just like this guy experienced, and it was kind of liberating. It made me realize how unnecessary it was to work on it "behind closed doors".

[@blu-phlox]

Damn I could've written this myself. Legit, 31 and posting art online under different names since 2005. Never did make that webcomic. Or that other webcomic. Just this year I was finally motivated to start drawing again after taking a 10 year break to focus on building a regular career. And like coming back now with how much things have changed, I'm like man young me did not appreciate just how special posting art online was. What I found helped me getting back into things was just setting a timer: I have 1 week to make this piece start to finish, no revisions after Friday. Kinda like treating it like a deadline at work, in a way. It's helped me immensely. But the idea of hopping into a new venture like recording my process for KZbin is still a little too intimidating! I'm rooting for you! I really think you can do it with the right framing!

[@MissGenkiArt]

@@blu-phlox Do you post your ary anywhere? I'd love to follow!

[@blu-phlox]

@@MissGenkiArt Thank you! I pretty much just post on Tumblr with the same name as here since it's the only place that still feels familiar. What about you?

[@alsopato]

been sitting on 20+ pages of notes for a video essay i havent started writing for almost 5 months now out of fear of it not being as good as i want it to be, thanks for this

[@QUENROUTE66]

that first 3 minutes punched me in the gut and stole my lunch money to inspire me to make my own food

[@Xstargojo]

This is literally hilarious and relatable

[@ItsChevnotJeff]

I remember I was learning blender when my dad came and saw me, and chewed me out for wasting my time because he thought it was a video games, which aren't allowed in the house When he asked me why I wasn't doing anything productive, I keep telling him that the last time I did, I regretted it big time

[@ConBomb]

Hello! Here to add to the sob stories, I've been working on a game for over a year now, and I remember that rush of motivation I got when I showed it off to my friends for the first time. That was the most work I'd ever gotten done, I added tons of content, fixed tons of bugs, even got it onto steam, (didn't release it). Yet now, it's been over a month since I've opened the project, so I don't know, I set the release as being late december, and I just keep watching that date get closer. I don't want it to fall to the graveyard, and yet as I stress more about it I end up procrastinating even more. So I'll have to figure that out, anyways I'll make sure to put this video into the good Advice I ignore category!

[@JayTheDevGuy]

I'm glad if it can help in even the tiniest way :] thanks for sharing!

[@randuRBLX]

“Good Advice I Ignore” is so relatable i hear advice about something that i needed and then instantly forget it then once i actually do something the advice is needed for i end up learning it myself (either that or i completely forget it exists and dont do it)

[@NOOB-ps8km]

Can you release the game as early access?

[@childlikedialectic7157]

This really hits home. I think loneliness kills all kinds of creativity, not only art. I'm a researcher, and one of the greatest joys of the work is going to conferences, getting feedback that offers you a reality check, testing out something you're working on with populations that you study, or seeing what drove other people to this strange, beautiful niche you've worked your way toward. Great artists lived together or were each other's pen pals for a reason. There's something about sharing with others *why* you love creating that's deeply affirming. There's so much more we can find in the world around us than when we try to refine things in isolation. Also, I love how mixed-media your animation style feels, and the glowing sketches in the first long narrative chunk of the video!

[@JayTheDevGuy]

Exactly! This is such an interesting perspective. I think these primal monkey brain feelings is what keeps us all productive in ANY field, whether it's silly drawings or not

[@0cktopus]

I feel like something that should have been touched on is not to pressure someone into posting on widely accessible social media. I'm a digital artist who used to care about internet number. But since, have moved to a more humble online presence. I never really got a big following but I feel a lot more freedom drawing for myself and only sharing to a couple friends regularly. I do still draw plenty of art for several other friends, and it's always a more organic feeling of satisfaction having them comment on it in the moment and not worry about it hanging around and not getting the internet numbers you think you deserve. I'm a strong advocate for sharing what you make. But I also know that social media can be SERIOUSLY harmful to your mental health if you go in with high expectations and don't get what you think you deserve.

[@nidgithm]

do you have any suggestions on where to go? im not sure where to go to make friends that actually give a damn about what i make, and most social media really stresses me out (+ other reasons why it doesnt work for me). ive tried discord but generic art communities on discord are just way too broad

[@0cktopus]

not 100% sure there's a best place to go to find a good community of friends. What's worked for me was joining online groups for creators and content that I enjoy. Just reach out to the places where there are likely people who share interests with you and you're bound to find friends if not just a group of like minded individuals.

[@tigerstripepudding]

I’ve been posting my art to the internet ever since I was 11/12/13 (genuinely can’t remember). But eventually, I always ended up disappearing; deactivating, remaking and completely wiping what came before it. My creations never stayed out there very long. People definitely enjoyed them, and so did I, but it just eventually happened. Turbulence in my life definitely had a huge part to play in it, but recently I’ve been reflecting deeper on why this pattern kept happening. I’m in my early 20’s now, and it’s happened yet again. But now it’s gotten to a point where I’ve stopped posting my art all together. Stepping back and reflecting, I didn’t want to post because I felt as though my stuff wasn’t as manicured as my peers’. I didn’t want to post because I felt my stuff wasn’t good enough just yet to release. It always needed more and more tweaking to get it perfect. I felt I needed to improve my craft before my creations were worthy of being seen, let alone shared. I’ve realized now that I have a fear of being seen due to the eventuality of being seen as imperfect; “less than” or not as good as I should be. That someone will see me and/or my art (I am my art) and the flaws that come with it. Subconsciously, I believed that if my art wasn’t up to a certain standard, it didn’t deserve to be seen. And that absolutely decimated my creative output. I’m trying to heal from that now, because that’s no way to live as a creative, as an artist. Nowadays I’m trying not to put pressure on myself anymore to make something “perfect” that “measures up” to the work of my peers. I’m relearning how to make art simply because it’s fun and expressing yourself feels good. Expressing myself to others feels good. My ideas can’t just keep staying trapped in my brain, my iPad, or my sketchbook just because I think they’re “not as good as they should be”. Hell, writing this KZbin comment was something I had to push myself through because my inner monologue was scared that I wouldn’t express my thoughts “perfectly enough”, whatever that means. It doesn’t matter whether or not I’ve communicated my thoughts “perfectly”. What matters is that I did the best I could to my ability, and that the comment is here now. Thank you so much for making this video❤As you can see, it spoke to me. I’m glad it appeared on my recommended and gave me that extra push to keep putting my self-perceived 8/10’s and 6/10’s out there, instead of keeping hypothetical 10/10’s hidden where no one, not even myself, can enjoy them the way they deserve to be.

[@JayTheDevGuy]

Thanks for sharing :]

[@mumblety]

Well that intro hit a little close to home. I also have a huge graveyard of abandoned game dev projects. And other projects... Basically all of which have not seen a single ray of sunlight. Maybe I'll go through them, blow the dust off, and make a compilation video or something.

[@thecupcakehey1608]

Game jams might help

[@Birdteai]

I had a similar mindset. It took me 3 years of learning to animate before posting. What finally got me out of my shell was the realization that what I made didn't have to be perfect before posting. Cuz You can always improve but you can't improve all that much if nobody but you is looking.

[@Eishous]

6:50 Ya got me :( The hardest part of putting stuff out there for other people is accepting flaws. I have fallen too often into the trap of redoing or rerecording stuff because of some small detail you only notice because you have been obsessing over this project for months. Your video really resonates with me. Especially the part about your first video not doing so great but the feeling of actually finishing a month-long project. I have had the exact same experience! The rush of actually finishing something and the encouragement of the few people that saw it is SO REWARDING. Hearing you talk about this struggle so openly is also really nice. Makes me want to continue on my current project. Love your videos and your presentations!

[@Eishous]

I find the thing about accepting small flaws is that you just need to stop yourself from correcting them but then carry that knowledge to the next project, so you don’t waste your time a second time.

[@whyarewestillhere3444]

As an artist, I would honestly argue the opposite. It’s easy to tell someone to post their stuff on the internet, but the reality is that most of the time, unless your work is highly skilled, no one will care and the only attention you get is people saying “this is bad” or “I don’t like this” or a plain old “meh”. It’s fine the first or the second time, but after a while it really wore me down. It made me feel like a crazy person whenever I shared my art on the internet and expected a different result, only to be met with the same response of people commenting “okay..?”. I gave up on posting my art on the internet a few months ago, and I feel so much better now. I still draw all the time, I just don’t share any of it. The lesson I learnt is that what matters the most is the personal enjoyment I get out of art, not what other people have to say about it.

[@mb_kieran]

i've only just started watching, but i already know this video is gonna be exactly what i need. i've been stuck in a job i hate for four years now and i keep watching videos on game development and animation and comics and using youtube as a place to share all that with the world and getting this *pull* in my chest, my heartrate quickens, i'm itching to get started on something, so many ideas running through my head. but that's all they are right now, ideas. i've never formally started a project, much less finished one, and i can barely get past the sketching stage when i'm drawing. but making things is what i want to do. after this, i think 'm gonna hand in my two weeks and do exactly that. for real this time!!

[@JayTheDevGuy]

I did all of this while chained to my desk job! It absolutely sucks, I get it, I'm looking to quit soon too. Be responsible but if you can sustain it safely then good luck!

[@RonaldMcDonald-nf9jj]

try media molecules Dreams

[@JulieeBees]

The scrible vibe is so real. I wish I could pet a scribble cat it would be so fluffy

[@JayTheDevGuy]

*animates the personification of my deepest artistic insecurities* My Patrons: can I pet it like a kitty cat? 🤔

[@EndVertex]

Ouch. I've been thinking the same thing, but I didn't have the same experience as you unfortunately. Was hoping to make more art friends by posting online, but just ended up with friendly acquaintances. Loneliness is still there.

[@JayTheDevGuy]

Joining existing communities when you're smaller is a lot easier than starting one yourself. It'll help you grow and get you bumping shoulders with people in your shoes. There's lots of places online that are great for this :] Not gonna pretend it's all easy though. Just easier than keeping it all to yourself

[@aeoligarlic4024]

The acquaintance thing is real! It's so hard to loosen up and make natural friends, i'm always scared of stepping on a landmine

[@elijahloiacono]

Why can't I explain how I feel this accurately. it just gets jumbled in my brain, it should as easy as the first 2 minutes and 42 seconds of this video, I've legitimately never heard anything that I resonated with so much. I should've been able to say this rather than having to hear it from someone else.

[@IrrationalMango]

Dude I cannot put into words how much everything you've said here resonated with me. Finding 3D gang and working w so many other creators and everything has completely reshaped what I value in the creative process. Everything you've also said with the pressure/struggle of making a 10/10 and how that held you back is something I find myself still struggling with right now too, and hearing your perspective on that whole experience was rlly eye-opening. Thank you for continuing to be one of the most genuine creators on the platform and I don't think I could thank you enough for dropping this masterpiece

[@JayTheDevGuy]

Brother you're one of the most talented people I know. Between game dev, 3D animation, KZbin, and all the million other disciplines contained within those 3, AND being a boy genius college kid? You're insane, and I can tell no matter where you end up you'll be one of the best at it. You inspire this old millennial. Keep it up ✌️

[@nakaillo]

How dare you call me out like that when I'm 3 years into an art social media hiatus getting "ready" to be "good enough" to relaunch

[@BobbeDev]

I was going "oh hey that person" every half second when you were scrolling through the subscribers

[@slugcatsu]

Same lol

[@ymi8238]

omg same I'm an illustrator/concept artist. Till now I would create accounts on twitter, post art, get tons of likes, but each time I flopped I would delete the account. I repeated that cycle a lot.. I never went over 300 followers. Till 5 weeks ago I decided to stop that cycle, and post anyway, even if I don't think the art is fully polished, even if I missed my shot I wouldn't delete. In 5 weeks I went from being unknowed to having +1100 followers, a number I never reached. Art I thought were flops, later gained engagement because someone would find it and rt it, creating a snowball. I do very long illustration but also somes quick 1-3hours drawings, sharing idea and concepts, which are often more popular than the 20-30h long illustration ahah. So artists, stop sabotaging yourself!!!

[@LucyLavend]

9:37 ahahah that search bar 😆 Absolutely phenomenal video ♥

[@flatterghast]

I saw the title for this video and I immediately thought, "aw man this is gonna hit too close to home for me is it?" and I was absolutely right. I'm 24, and I have (and continue to) struggle with releasing a project. I've been learning game development on and off for the past couple years (godot mostly) and despite the time I spent in and out of the engine, I cannot bring myself to make and complete a game. A few days ago, I started a new project, and since I started it, I decided that I want to learn from past mistakes; I want to try and reach out to others, and post about its progress. This video was a really nice reminder that I'm not the only one who has dealt with this kind of struggle, thank you for making this :)

[@alvin_row]

What you describe here is 100% what has happened to me many many many times. I have no idea how many abandoned GameMaker projects I have. I'm not completely above it, far from it. But at least now I made a Twitter (it's still scary for me to Tweet so I've barely tweeted like 2 times) and I already paid the Steam fee. Let's hope I can actually finish something this time. Thanks for making this video by the way, it feels good to know there's people out there who've gone through the same things I have.

[@yenmink]

from the very first minute you have encapsulated how I have been feeling about my art recently and consistently over the years. my perfectionism is a killer. but there is something so thrilling about removing yourself from the pressure and doing things anyway, and release it to the world, knowing that you could do better each time. but there is so much joy seeing your art grow and see it for what it is and enjoying that process. I understand that joy of finally releasing something that is finished and realizing the catalyst it is that is essential to moving forward, it is quite magical. thank you for the relatability.

[@Mrmanimate]

One of my fav KZbinrs you’ve your stuff man hope your doing well

[@Mrmanimate]

This is what I’m going through a similar thing where I keep giving up on passion projects

[@spygun21]

9/10 video! 2 points because I am in it! 2 points for the art style! 2 More for the second art style! +1 for being relatable for the artists! -1 for the ad, +2 because it's not Raid, +2 because I was there for the creation of the video! Also you can clearly see your art style grow over time and it's great

[@JayTheDevGuy]

Can I get a +1 for reading every comment and showing unethical favoritism towards my Patrons

[@spygun21]

@@JayTheDevGuy Yes. 10/10 KZbin Video 👍

[@Orion_TheProto]

9:47 "i will never forgive any of you for not funding pixelz's plushie" WHY MUST THE UNIVERSE BE SO CRUEL, IT GOT SO CLOSE

[@JayTheDevGuy]

✊😔

[@chatfulness03]

I TRIED DUDE 😭 I wanted it so bad....

[@CD_Rhoms]

Im so glad to feel so seen in this video 😭😭 ive been drawing for myself since i was 17 and now im 27, never really posting much and feeling like an imposter. I really want make things that make others happy but also never feeling happy with what i make. But we are our own worst critic and your story inspires me to actually try and do something for people to see!

[@lopodyr]

The "catalog of 8s is better than a head full of 10s" is really a great idea. I also read someday that "a finished is better than a good" and it has helped me a lot.

[@TheLordZephyrus]

This guy is who inspired me to start KZbin. Been doing it for like 2 months now haha. Thanks, Jay

[@TheLordZephyrus]

Also awesome video it totally encapsulates the feeling of being and artist I forgot to put that in my comment

[@JayTheDevGuy]

Aw thank you 😭

[@s4bishii]

thanks for making this video dude, there are too many talented people out there who are afraid to share and be part of the community because of self imposed limits. I know at least a few and will be sending them this video ❤

[@JayTheDevGuy]

:]

[@Koopa2007]

It really disappoints when a project doesn’t get the views it deserves because I’ve experienced it and its really shatters my confidence and it doesn’t help me focus on my projects, and also it only raises the perfectionism bar higher and higher. I was shattered just yesterday when i was scrolling on youtube and saw one person who had more subs than me on their first video and ngl the quality wasn’t as good as my videos, this isn’t supposed to be hate or anything but it is really energy draining to see it right on front of my eyes. I hope i never quit because this is what i wanted to do for years and when i finally had the chance this is how it goes.

[@honahearts]

NEW JAY VIDEO !!!

[@RandomCriticalRocket]

8:00 oh my god… I needed to hear something like this. I really want to make things that other people could at least enjoy a little but I always felt like I was SUPPOSED to make things just for me

[@uwu-oz6xn]

This was genuinely one of the best art advice videos I’ve ever watched. Genuine heart to heart real shit. I fell into pretty bad artblock for a few years and nothing would really break me out of it. Then with the help of hyperfixating on a few characters I started drawing for arts sake again. It was nice but still I wasn’t drawing as much as I was pre art block. What you said about art friends and friendly competition is probably the truest thing I’ve learned about art and creativity. I have drive now and we feed off of eachother whether it’s ideas or stealing little bits of each others artstyles lol. Now I’m back to pre art block levels and am drawing for multiple hours almost daily again. This video gave me the same feeling that good art friends does. Genuinely great video dude

[@Vexilo5]

This is so real. Ive had to remind myself a lot recently that every single thing I do is NOT a direct reflection of my own ability. Thank you so much for making this, ive really enjoyed your videos :)

[@Rich_3106]

The one person that is my most beloved, and the most important in my life, he is also a struggling artist. He wants to make infinite/10 art pieces, he always talks about "fixing" his art, because he genuinely thinks so, so low of his own art, and everyone I know have told him that his art is alright! He really is talented, but he keeps beating himself up subtly, not thinking his art is enough, posting it, and blaming the lack of recognition on his own skills, rather than an algorithm that always boosts the big, full time artists, which he isn't... and it always hurts, seeing him always wanting to improve while thinking that he's just not enough, and it's his fault, me seeing him genuinely believe all of that just makes me wish he could see himself through my eyes, or other people's eyes really, I hope this video can help him at least start thinking about this matter, thank you for making a video like this, I think more people should know that... They don't have to discover anything, or be literally perfect in every regard in order to be seen, accepted and valid

[@Stanely_Chompers]

Yay! New video! Edit: the opening was great, and it almost perfectly describes how I used to feel

[@chunkycraftz4594]

I'm happy. Happy that I clicked on this video, and happy that a video understood the very feelings that I was going through too. The graveyard of "bad ideas", the fear of putting your very first project out (hell even future projects), the annoyance sometimes of taking time away from your little project which you want to spend every waking moment dedicating yourself to, and even the crippling expectation of what you feel your videos SHOULD be to you. Im also scared, not because of the chance my videos dont take off, but that on the chance they do, people will see the works which I dedicate myself to and think they are mediocre. But by some strange method of the universe, I would still keep bashing my head against this brick wall. Its an obsessive love, and I would spend every waking moment to sharpen my skills for the next video. Because to me, thats what I love about making videos. The constant struggle, and the boundless limits which i can work towards. A fine balance of that "argh this isnt good enough" and "I love this to my core". To finally SHARE the video you so longingly worked on day and night, despite whatever fear or doubt you have. To just send it out into the endless void of the internet. Laughing with my friends and burying my face in my hands out of embarrassment when they react to it for the first time. Its a strange love hate relationship, but its one that is part of the journey of creating something. This video perfectly encapsulated that process and feeling of creation :)

[@MaliceWicker]

I've only watched the first minute and a half so far but i *gotta* get this off my mind cuz it's an immediate thought of mine, seeing that intro. For those that need to hear it: Just because projects dwindle out at all, doesn't mean you've failed them. Some truly just were not meant to be, or more importantly, you found out you couldn't resonate with them long term. You'll find something. 💗 Additionally, when I posted about some projects of mine on twitter, even if the state it was in doesn't even closely resemble what it is now. Just the 2 replies and handful of likes I got, kept me going for another three whole versions alone. At the end of the day, creating is a hobby, sometimes a job. But it should never prioritize over those you love. And hey! Maybe your friends could be of more help than you think!

[@typicalpixelanimator]

I've also just been digging up and re-working on some projects for the past week! I was also stuck in that lonely cycle till I decided to show and talk about my projects to my friends randomly. It made me realise how much they actually want to listen and learn more about it. Which only blew my mind more, feeling more of that itchy itch. Despite me and my little brother's card game being made when we were kids. I'm still glad and happy to find myself digging up their graves occasionally and trying to find a pulse. Even when I have another project in the works :) Thanks for helping us Jay

[@incrementalsocial]

The start of this video was emotionally devastating to me with its relatability. I've very often struggled with perfectionism and all the problems that come with it, and I'm so happy to hear your journey getting past it.

[@milkthatsbagged]

Damn this video really hits home, I literally put this on for some background noise while working on one of those dream projects and I relate to what you said so hard lol. Glad to hear those thoughts and feelings expressed by others! Thanks for making the video!

[@thunderbear06playsstuff63]

Yeah... I used to share my stuff with friends/family, it never really motivated me to continue working on them though

[@almostlk]

Hey man, I really loved this video. It was exactly what I needed to hear right now. Definitely subscribing, can't wait to see what you make next!

[@cooro1313]

het i remember that first vid and it was a kickstart to a game dev project i'm working on, unfortuantely i knew nothing about code of dame dev at the time and life has kicked me in the hanging bells if you catch my meaning so had to put it on the backburner to deal with life but about a week ago i sat back down and continued my grind to learn and i have to say thank you for that. the first solid step is gonna be like your vid and code in a 2.5-D game where i can get the hang of that flow and spread out from there i love my idea i had where a the 2D characters could get stretched and deformed by other worldly 3D creatures and the weirdness of messing with meshes like that but thats for later down the line. i just wanted to say thanks for sharing, sometimes someone just needs to know someone else has been down the same road you are on to know how to move forward

[@JayTheDevGuy]

Thank you so much! I'm glad that first video helped anyone out!!

[@eldamurmorgan3372]

jesus christ this opened my eyes..thank you so much for making this. ive been offline for a long period of time so i can "only draw for myself" because i want to improve constantly and i wanna make shit perfect. i havent shared my art ANYWHERE for that period of time cuz i thought only focusing on my art and not sharing it would make me work on it longer n make it perfect but now i realise how unmotivated that made me. i rather share half assed works with friends than work alone for a perfect piece that no one is going to see and enjoy

[@eggbinary]

This video finally helped me escape art limbo and completely shattered my old way of thinking. Because of this video I've started learning 3d animation and even posting some of my first projects. Not to mention my painting has gotten a shot of improvement too

[@ModernRemade]

I love how you distinguished between knowing and feeling. From my experience, many of us get too caught up in trying to solve or understand something using the mind (logic, reasoning), rather than truly knowing it through our whole bodies and being (direct experience). This video was fantastic and most importantly.. I felt it :)

[@jackdalluge]

Man that intro felt too real i had this hour long video i had been making for the past year and while exporting, my hard drive died and my video along with it it broke a piece of my soul but hearing you talk abt ur game devolpment journey was super therapeutic for me so thank you so much!

[@RushLightInvader]

Relateable for sure XD Great vid my dude!

[@blueonion1025]

Thank you so much for this. I have been struggling with art with the same exact mindset, plus isolating myself and my works from others because, after all, I can't settle with a 6/10 can I? With this mindset I have abandoned nearly every project I started. But being happy with your work matters the most in the end. So thank you. I'll go ahead and put my 8/10s out there when I get the chance to. By the way the way you illustrated isolation and perfectionism is too good! The way the current project is full of life while the abandoned ones are lifeless corpses that remind you of your failures. Please keep up your work!

[@Xstargojo]

This genuinely made me smile, I am so so glad OP put this video out because I have been struggling for months and listening to your comment also helped. It's nice to know people struggle with the same thing out there. I really wish you luck.

[@blueonion1025]

@Xstargojo Oh, the struggle is so real 😭 I'm glad it helped. Good luck to you too

[@Blackpapalink]

I've been having a story going on in my mind for... Yes years... And last year I decided to start putting it down on paper. Putting... yes years of plot beats into a document has been unwieldy, so I've decided to break chunks into separate stories in the same Universe. The result is a mess of half worked on documents that have a little cohesion. I keep saying that I'm gonna learn how to draw, code, make music, etc, and keep burning myself out then restarting from where I left off. The thing is, I really do want to make this story into a game. It just seems that diving deeper into the little aspects of the story might be the best way to start.

[@eclipticsonata1313]

I wrote a story once and then I got half way through a sequel and scrapped it. I then rewrote the first one. Then I made a third one in the same universe and actually thought it was decent. It just sits there printed out in a binder though. Then I did music, made like 40 songs, only 2 are properly finished. I now do drawing and that's a complete disaster. I've also coded, 3D modeled, studied languages, none of this has gone anywhere.

[@TTI-x2v]

Thats the thing with all art advice, you know its good, it's almost blindingly obvious if you stay adjacent to like, any art tutorial or even just friends who make art themselves. But its just so hard to actually listen to it sometimes, especially when you're first starting out. You're searching for some trick or some shortcut to make your magnum opus out of the box like thats ever going to be a viable strategy for anyone I've been drawing for about 3 years now, and been posting them publicly for just about 2 know, and man once I started posting it was awesome. Even though most of my little pixel art drawings don't get much traction, just one person dropping a like or a reblog makes me smile, and when i see someone sift through my whole page or even just my comic, it feels great to know you connected with someone else, even if its superficial

[@CrownePrince]

But seriously if you never finish ANYTHING (and it affects more than art), it might be a symptom of a condition like depression or ADHD. Not *always*, obviously. But sometimes.

[@BoxOFox]

Congratulations, you've managed to bring me to tears in the first 2 minutes and 30 seconds I don't even know what else to say man, I look up to you

[@cocozart9643]

God, oh my god. I am crying irl. I feel like im losing myself in my life, and art was always my emotional outlet in the past few years. Thank you so, SO much for this. I have never been able to finish any of my personal projects for years, and ive always wanted to. Thank you jay, thank you SO, SO MUCH. I thought this was a ME thing, and I thought something was wrong with me. Not being able to finish work. Ive also been alone my entire life and still am, and none of my friends care about my art, and my family doesnt give a fuck. Because of that, my motivation for my dream projects and my projects in general decrease day by day. Its been like this for years. Thank you so much for this video, you have NO IDEA how much it helps.

[@flowerheadmusic]

This is an important video ❤Thanks for making it

[@JayTheDevGuy]

Genuinely wouldn't be half as good without a banger soundtrack, you liked it with Underwater man

[@slugcatsu]

Wait, you made the death by ai soundtrack! Never thought I would see the person who made those bangers randomly here!

[@jessterscastle]

This is definitely one of the strongest intros I've ever experienced. Hit too close to home. Thank you for that and overall: great vid!

[@KikuWaters]

My goodness, you've described exactly how I feel! The loneliness of being so in love with what you're making with no one around to see it.. I've done nothing but work on my original stories for over a decade now and I crave that chance to connect with others through my tales. I'm so happy to have started my youtube channel for a chance to do that! It's been fun learning how to make the videos and I get to talk about my stories (my favorite activity) Thank you for sharing this, I'm definitely going to follow you so I can see your growth continue :>

[@99syl]

this video came at the right time. i've been struggling, arguing with myself to finally stop and share what i've worked on, and the usual advice to "care less about what other people think" and "focus on your own growth" wasn't effective. i didn't know how to reframe my mind for that, but i get it now. i'll finish and share the art for myself to finally feel something other than this stressful debate in my head. thank you!

[@Greatdictator]

Wonderful video my dude. KZbin has been a strange journey for me, as someone who wants to make a small detour from the main content my channel has had for nigh on a decade, videos like this reminding me of how important it is to make the stuff and just post it and be able to finish your own stuff, and not have them take 4-5 years per video till you get ANOTHER video that helps keep you creative, also ive had fan interactions that reminded my why i love creating and knowing theres people out there that truly appreciate the work ive put out into the world. Also getting a partner in crime that helps you out doesnt hurt either, especially with sound.

[@P1nkS1n]

so true!! i got rid of every other subscription i had and instead got premium especially when i realized it supported the people I watch! your video has pushed me to start actually publishing my art more and my projects I want :) def have a new viewer!

[@leonmashedpotatos4854]

It’s crazy I didn’t think I’d find a video that has someone else with the planning brain. I think before burning out my first time, I had a solid plan going, graduating with the bfa in animation, and following all the steps to a career in that direction. Then the past couple years those sort of traditional storyboarding career choices I wanted became less and less viable and I’ve spent the past two or three years trying to come up with a new “better” plan to do art for a living. All this thinking and planning without making any art. It’s inspiring to see someone else just jump into it. To just kinda take the risk even if the product isn’t “good enough” yet, but it’s done and you can just put it out and share it. I think I been feeling like wanting to build a following, wanting to post on KZbin, or wanting to do commissions and to be able to make art for a living was inherently selfish and made me I guess bad in some way. It’s nice to see a video from someone who gets it and to hear that maybe it’s something all artist want- to be recognized and seen

[@Scaredy_balloon]

The bingo thing is so fun 😭 i relate so much to the start of the video, its nice knowing someone else went through all that and is able to create things again The issue with me is that i start banking all my effort on those less than perfect projects once a make one that decent, which creates another cycle of needing the next one to be *THE* perfect one 😭😭 I'm gonna try revist this video whenever i go through a rough period, putting urself out there is hard, but i always look forward to ur videos when they come out, ur paper style with the 3d backgrounds the second i saw it actually blew me away

[@emilyb.8222]

this is like, the first time I've actually "liked, commented, and subscribed". I love your art style. You're goated.

[@ginkgohue]

7:07 That's the same principle as why that friend you keep giving advice to never actually listens and instead goes head first into the problems you could see from a mile away. People dont learn by being told directly what they should or shouldn't do. They learn by realising things for themselves. It's also why a (good) psychologist will never tell you how to fix your life and instead help you figure it out yourself. I super related to this video. Ive always bitten off more than i can chew, and the one time i made something small and just posted it, it felt like a relief. It felt amazing!

[@disillutmusic]

Great advice honestly! I was similar in my music journey for years. My one addition would be to also not let the lack of attention drive you into a hole either. I started releasing stuff as I was learning to Soundcloud, and slowly went from some feedback and engagement to slowly none (mostly because the platform just wasn't what it had been before). I took this as a sign my work wasn't getting "better enough" to hold an audience. I would slave away at these ideas what would always feel "not good enough," then just let them rot on my hard drive. I always told myself "I make music I like," which is a good mentality, but it also crept in the idea that ONLY I would like it, so I stopped uploading. It was about 4 or 5 years that I spent, not uploading, and eventually, not even writing. Then I started a Twitch channel. Nothing big of course, but something I could do that didn't feel like it had rules. I gained a very small but very close audience. As the new rules (at the time) for playing music started to kick in, I figured it couldn't hurt to throw my own tracks onto my intros, and if anyone asked, I could play off that it was some no-name artist I had come across in my endless quest for "underground media." A couple weeks in, I realized I needed more than the 3 "acceptable quality" tracks I had been cycling. So I got a DAW, grabbed one of my favorite old Japanese songs to sample from, and got to work. I remember asking one of my friends on Discord if he would give me feedback on the track. I was nervous, as I hadn't made anything in years at that point, and had been even longer since I'd shown ANYONE anything. Along with that, I knew we were good enough friends he wouldn't sugarcoat his opinion. The song ended and we both sat in silence. I'm sure it was only a few seconds, but it felt like days. Then over the mic I just hear "Damn dude. I didn't know you had this in you." That single moment, those words, suddenly reignited something inside me I felt I had lost years ago. Idk where I was going with this now.... Great video and great advice dude!

[@thevoid5863]

yo dude, i think we have the exact same watch history, from acerola to randy to uncle dane to, well, you i guess. also, i really look forward to all of your uploads, i dunno what it is about this, but these videos feel comforting, they are genuine and i don't think there's a single one of these that i haven't watched all the way through. take some advice from the best (lazypurple ofc), and don't let yourself get in the way of yourself.

[@keffen281]

... thanks. Just, thanks.

[@01-s]

Awesomeness!!! Thank you for this vid. R.I.P to all of our unfinished projects, yet we can always start over with better ideas, more patience & passion, and hopefully less perfectionism. You don’t wanna be in your eighties, thinking of what you could’ve done but didn’t because of the voice in your head telling you that you’re not enough. Who’s there to judge anyways? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, perfection is subjective. Let’s create, everybody.

[@myika]

I needed this. I'm gonna make a sticker with "i rather have a catelog of 8s than a headfull of 10" I need a constant reminder

[@Dibujante_genérico]

The truth is that I have always been a very shy person to present my ideas to the world, but your video has made me realize that, it doesn't matter!! I really want to create content, images, videos, stories, I want to talk about my weird topics:3 I'm going to try... I don't really know anything about editing, but I want to stop being a spectator and I want to create such lively and artistic content. Thanks for updating your video, it really resonated with me

[@parallelplayer]

I cried throughout this video. Thanks for making this video, artists need more discussions like this to help us face the online world a little more bravely. You have a new subscriber!

[@Mochagoosey]

Showing off your subscriptions during the YT Premium section is actually genius! Coming off of the community section and myself already feeling emotional from this video. Just seeing channels that I've enjoyed for years now (inferno plus, camwing, etc) really drove that community feeling for me. Especially after relating so heavily, its really heart-warming to see and just be rids that isolation feeling

[@Tayble.]

I’ve been wrapped up into making a video for the past year, and I keep feeling that idea that it needs to be better or “a certain way” to be presentable, and it’s driven crazy, but this video reminded me of why I should make things in the first place, and it doesn’t it doesn’t really matter how it comes out just, just as long as it’s done in the best way I could’ve, which helps me get rid of my perfectionism. Seriously, thank you for making this video 🙏

[@AvaGr8ce]

I completely relate to this as a new creator who finally got over my fear of sharing this summer!!!! I feel even more fired up after watching this, i love it!

[@chanceh4089]

just stumbled in here as someone who has been artistically isolating myself for the better part of a decade. when i was really young, an overreliance on external motivators (see: other people) really messed with my ability to enjoy my art for myself. this lead to a full swing into the opposite direction of full on abstinence from sharing anything i created. it was good for me given the context for a short moment, but its gone on way too long due to fear of going back to the way things were. but ive had a sense for a while that i cant just keep making art in isolation forever, that im missing out on something critical by doing so. this video feels like a sign to take my first step back out into community soon. thank you for this video and sharing your experience. (also, i really liked the "library of 8s over a mind full of 10s" idea. i want to add that i think a library of ANYTHINGs is better than a head full of 10s. sometimes sharing our 0's and 1's helps us stop taking ourselves so seriously. imperfect but done >>> perfect but stuck as an idea)

[@JuniperDev]

This video is crazy good! This alone gave me so much inspiration for not just game dev but my own YT :) You are a NATURAL speaker, so easy to listen to; can tell the video is very intentionally written but still comes across so casual and friendly. I hope to get there with my own narration!!

[@webkinskid]

I've had my own void to shout into for a year or so now and it's really helped, but I have been thinking about starting a channel to discuss data structures and programming for game development, I'm kind of an optimization nut so I'd discuss ways to minimize memory usage, when to cache, when to recalculate, how to store data smaller and more efficiently, etc, at this point I outright refuse to put something on the heap that could have fit on the stack, fixed-size data is KING just recently, I figured out how to manipulate bits in data directly to make my own representations of information, the notion of using 6 and 7 bit integers was nauseating at first, a defilation of the way things are meant to be, but by the end of it, I was almost shaking with excitement, skipping out on conventional data structures in favor of manipulating bits directly just has so much potential, now I scheme how to fit information into as few bits as possible so I can make full use of every byte, it's so much more efficient than I could have imagined possible and I'm loving it

[@AProbablyBadIdea]

I got to watching this right after watching "Look Back" since it just dropped on streaming today. Thanks for the being my second sign today telling me to draw and post more. :)

[@moveingmountains6643]

This is what I, (And clearly many overs, given this video's view-comment ratio.) needed to hear today, thank you for inspiring many.

[@Qhdhdjeiidjfjririejsjshsj]

Man.......I needed this. Everything you said resonated in my chest. A collection of 8s are better then a headful of tens. I'd love the chance to connect so I could share some of the music I finish after watching this video. I'm 34 years old right now, been making art over half my life. My 10s have gotten me my flowers so to speak but those 10s have years of turmoil inbetween. Today's the day that changes. You've erupted a fire in my chest I quite frankly needed. Thank you Keep it up

[@Vixenish56]

I started making content on KZbin when I was younger and the pressure to be a better animator and the burnout from constant work got to me far too young. Wanting to get back into KZbin after I had recovered, I decided to wait until my exams were finished and start some projects purely for the sake of proving I could complete something in the meantime. I wrote two hundred and fifty thousand words of fan-fiction and posted them online. It took me just under two years. Finishing both projects was a massive milestone and was enough proof that I was ready to continue making something on the platform I wanted to start on. A project doesn’t have to be nuanced or smart in order for the completion of it to feel valuable to you. Completing something I made for fun was an incredible feeling. I’m currently working on renovating my channel to start uploading content again, wish me luck

[@Akumeitakai]

Congratulations on experiencing success. It is random and seldom strikes. I hope you make the most of it.

[@lanewrih]

You have given me that one push I needed to finally just start my project, I've been thinking about my project for 2 years now but I've always felt like I didn't have the skills to do it yet and I have to keep learning before I start it, but now thanks to you I see that I just need to start. Thank you so much.

[@JustGrennan]

W video, the sketchy style expertly showed the feeling on working on something Alone, and the positive vibes you gave about making things are very motivating. Many get stuck in the “KZbinr” mentality that the one guy popularized of just grinding and becoming the best or else, but now that the popular guy has been outed as being an extremely unkind bts, it’s gotten me thinking about how things don’t have to be the best, they can just be silly or something you find fun. This video highlights that feeling of just doing it, and improving later, which I very much respect. Thanks Jay!

[@EstherGromov]

I relate to this so much. Years spent completing projects that I decided weren't 'good enough' so I didn't market or them much... Trying to do better this time around and also trying to figure out how to print and market stuff I made before. Thank you for sharing your story!

[@AfamiliarSwordYT]

As somebody trying to break into that kind of digital independent art sphere to make more original works, this is a good video. Solid 8/10.

[@jackielearnsandteaches]

Thank you for existing, creating, and posting! I found myself thinking that it’s been a long time since I’ve been inspired. I was scrolling through my KZbin recommendations and it was just the same stuff over and over and over… And here you are! Here to inspire me! you speak the truth. Congratulations on all your success! * subscribed * 💜