On Feeling Hopeless and Losing Inspiration

Hello. I'm here to talk about meeting deadlines, and losing inspiration.

First of all- I didn't even realize I had 5 followers so woohoo- I'm glad my knowledge is helping others out.

Right now I should probably be editing a video, but I literally just got a ping from someone responding to my comment, and I realized I had another thing to talk about, which is grinding.

I hate the grind sometimes. It feels like unnecessary pressure that I put onto myself, which in turn makes me so goddamn frustrated and tired. It makes me lose interest in what I'm doing, and creates a toxic environment around me. I'm sure many other YouTubers have felt the same way.

Honestly? Video editing is hard. Getting a video out there is hard. If you're not self-deprecating, or very self conscious at first (if you're vlogging), then you have to deal with adding soundtracks, titles. Witty jokes, match cuts, transitions. It's a whole pile of shit that keeps growing the more ambitious as you go.

I've recently gotten into Markiplier and Tommyinnit, and one thing's for sure: I am so jealous of the fact that they have freaking editors to do all their shit for them. Sometimes I wish I could do that, but I know my content literally isn't that, so it's a waste of time.

I'm currently working on a video right now, and I feel like it isn't cool enough. I feel like what I'm doing isn't good enough, and that I should scrap it.

I started this video on Saturday, and gave up on Sunday. I'm revisiting it today, and I rewatched the parts I'd already edited. This actually helped me. I saw what I thought could be cut out, or what was funny (which I originally thought wasn't funny). And it felt great.

So my advice to you, my fellow YouTubers, is when you are feeling like the video you are making is a piece of shit- step away. Give it some breathing space. Go watch some anime; eat something yummy; take a walk; whatever you need to do that will give you peace of mind. Then come back to it.

It might feel like stepping away is like stepping away from your community, but you know what? Your community cares more about your HEALTH than a stupid video. Sure, you have the toxic ones here and there, but you don't need their validation.

All you need is to stay healthy. You can't edit if you aren't in the right frame of mind. You can grind, sure, but make sure to do it right.

Grinding isn't just "work work work until I finish and pull an all nighter."

No, grinding is "work work work. Rest. Work some more. Take a break. Work again."

It's not something that has to be toxic. So this is just my daily reminder to take some time off for yourself, and to remember that if you can, communicate with your community. Let them know you aren't having the best time, or you aren't in the right frame of mind. They should understand.

I did it for the past two weeks. School has been complete and utter bullshit, and I had an algebra test (wish me luck </3) recently, so I just couldn't find the time. Now that I do, I'm finding myself going back and forth.

But the thing is: that's okay.

It's fine. Nobody is going to kill you for not uploading.

Now, should you have a consistent upload schedule? Absolutely. But knowing the difference for when you are feeling ill; unhappy; depressed; tired- all of that is different from "ugh, I just don't want to do this, it's boring." If it's boring, then quit! Clearly you aren't cut out for this.

That's all. Hope it helps- I'm off to more editing (and maybe an anime break).