Sibernethy
Questin' for a Jestin'
From the early days of my channel, I've always said that Youtube is not for everyone. It's a really tough thing to get into and even harder to get out of once you actually do start getting noticed.
Youtube is not for me, either, so listen carefully if you're having trouble dealing with the many stresses of being a Youtuber or deciding if this is really what you want to do. These are my parting words from the Youtube gaming community as a whole and I hope they help you uncover some answers as to where you stand on this:
1: Before even starting a channel, ask yourself as honestly as you can:
"Is this really what I want to do?"
Now you may get an immediate yes or no, or not. It took me 2 years to find out for myself. At first, it seemed like a great idea. I had a really strong reason for making gaming videos and at first, it was great! I really enjoyed myself and the viewers I had at the time (which weren't many) had fun, too.
But today, I barely have any desire to go back to it, if any. I feel sick a couple days ago and I was lucky not to have been hospitalized. I was super stressed out and worried over a lot of things and Youtube didn't help with that. There was an article I read recently about treating a Youtube channel (if you are seriously going to do it) as a business. It's okay to have it just for fun or even to use it as a video sharing platform (which Youtube was originally meant to be). But if you're planning on making a living out of it or a career, understand it's a very tough business and people are very fickle and vocal as to how they feel about you once you start getting some real attention.
2: Your health comes first (Don't take this for granted!!).
I had a really scary reminder as to the importance of good health and peace of mind. These two things should come before any other thing, Youtube channel included. If you don't have your health, you don't have anything else. Trust me on this, I'm only 24 and I'm learning things a 50 year old wished I knew before their age. Same with stress. If Youtube is killing your motivation, your mind, your heart, or even your body, that's a good time to reassess your priorities in life.
3: Youtube isn't the only road to success and fulfillment as a person.
There are many other ways to succeed in life that don't necessarily require Youtube as the source of success. Pewdiepie himself has stated that the things his mom told him he should do as a kid, he's now wanting to do, like read a book, go for a walk, things like that. Even for me, Youtube itself was a means to an end for me, I wanted to get into animated cartoons and storytelling, so my plan was using Youtube as a means to build an audience which would lead to said field. Sadly, things didn't go according to plan, but I'm still able to pick up some of the pieces and carry on.
4: It's okay to change!
Not everyone finishes the same way they started out in the beginning. Scott Cawthorn had a number of gaming videos before he started making FNAF, a common pattern I've noticed with many game developers. And by the way, if you feel you need to change, it doesn't even necessarily mean quit Youtube or start a new channel. It could just mean exploring a different style of content, such as moving from gaming videos to podcasts. Change is a necessary and unending part of living and there could be a time coming when you may need to switch things up, or move on to something else completely.
5: Fame can kill you faster than strychnine.
This was my #2 reason for stopping gaming content. I don't want to deal with celebrity press scandals and what some schmuck in a basement reading Tweets about me thinks about it. Nothing is more infuriating than someone slandering you online and then everyone and their sister dances around it and ramps it up into something that isn't even true. I've been through that, it's not fun at all, and most of it is ridiculous. What people say about you CAN hurt you, I don't care who tells you otherwise. If some person comes up to you and hits you in the face because a girl at school says you were caught seeing his girlfriend, that's case and point right there. This is why certain pressure groups are always attacking either the president, the attorney general, or anyone in a position of power they don't like, it's called the Alinsky Method. They understand that words and mass opinions can cause massive changes in the balance of power in the world (often for unscrupulous reasons). If none of us fell for this nonsense, it wouldn't work, but the fact is some of us do, and that's why Youtubers often find themselves at the mercy of a PR crisis, whether they had anything to do with it or not (examples: PewDiePie, Tobuscus, Fine Bros).
Being a Youtube celebrity and being sane at the same time requires a lot of strength, discipline, and an iron will with a stomach to match and should not be taken lightly.
6: Don't take Youtube itself for granted.
Youtube is still a company and is not too big to fail. It could die off within the next 5 years for all I know. It's no secret that Youtube is costing Google a lot of money and profits just to run the site. Instead of complaining why it's not giving Youtubers more opportunities for growth and ad revenue, why not show appreciation and a bit of gratitude for the fact Google hasn't decided to kill it off in favor of increased profits!
You won't know what you had until it's gone or taken away.
7: Take everything you hear, especially advice, with a grain of salt.
Don't believe everything you're told, whether it's about Youtube, money, or even this post you're reading. Weigh it carefully and see how well it holds up first. People can and have been wrong about many things. We will never know all there is to know in life. We're just not there as a species yet, nor I suspect we will be while we're living today. Have some space in your mind for the natural doubts you have about certain things in life.
8: And lastly, if you do find your rhythm, your calling in life, your own road to success, once you reach it, share it with others and help them find their path.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to people who chose to share their wisdom with the world. For every man who's found his calling there are a hundred who are struggling to find even a reason for living. They need someone to look up to, someone confident in himself, someone who's a good role model and a great teacher, willing to share his life lessons throughout the years to anyone open-minded and hungry enough to learn. If you're one such person, you could do no greater service to mankind than to share what you know before you pass on and the knowledge you had is lost forever.
And on that note, I shall be moving on to the next stage of my life's journey, which involves animation and cartoons! I hope this helped you in some way, and always remember, your first duty is to yourself. Make sure your health, your life, and your welfare are in order before committing to something like Youtube. Trust me, you will need it.
Best of luck,
Sibernethy
Youtube is not for me, either, so listen carefully if you're having trouble dealing with the many stresses of being a Youtuber or deciding if this is really what you want to do. These are my parting words from the Youtube gaming community as a whole and I hope they help you uncover some answers as to where you stand on this:
1: Before even starting a channel, ask yourself as honestly as you can:
"Is this really what I want to do?"
Now you may get an immediate yes or no, or not. It took me 2 years to find out for myself. At first, it seemed like a great idea. I had a really strong reason for making gaming videos and at first, it was great! I really enjoyed myself and the viewers I had at the time (which weren't many) had fun, too.
But today, I barely have any desire to go back to it, if any. I feel sick a couple days ago and I was lucky not to have been hospitalized. I was super stressed out and worried over a lot of things and Youtube didn't help with that. There was an article I read recently about treating a Youtube channel (if you are seriously going to do it) as a business. It's okay to have it just for fun or even to use it as a video sharing platform (which Youtube was originally meant to be). But if you're planning on making a living out of it or a career, understand it's a very tough business and people are very fickle and vocal as to how they feel about you once you start getting some real attention.
2: Your health comes first (Don't take this for granted!!).
I had a really scary reminder as to the importance of good health and peace of mind. These two things should come before any other thing, Youtube channel included. If you don't have your health, you don't have anything else. Trust me on this, I'm only 24 and I'm learning things a 50 year old wished I knew before their age. Same with stress. If Youtube is killing your motivation, your mind, your heart, or even your body, that's a good time to reassess your priorities in life.
3: Youtube isn't the only road to success and fulfillment as a person.
There are many other ways to succeed in life that don't necessarily require Youtube as the source of success. Pewdiepie himself has stated that the things his mom told him he should do as a kid, he's now wanting to do, like read a book, go for a walk, things like that. Even for me, Youtube itself was a means to an end for me, I wanted to get into animated cartoons and storytelling, so my plan was using Youtube as a means to build an audience which would lead to said field. Sadly, things didn't go according to plan, but I'm still able to pick up some of the pieces and carry on.
4: It's okay to change!
Not everyone finishes the same way they started out in the beginning. Scott Cawthorn had a number of gaming videos before he started making FNAF, a common pattern I've noticed with many game developers. And by the way, if you feel you need to change, it doesn't even necessarily mean quit Youtube or start a new channel. It could just mean exploring a different style of content, such as moving from gaming videos to podcasts. Change is a necessary and unending part of living and there could be a time coming when you may need to switch things up, or move on to something else completely.
5: Fame can kill you faster than strychnine.
This was my #2 reason for stopping gaming content. I don't want to deal with celebrity press scandals and what some schmuck in a basement reading Tweets about me thinks about it. Nothing is more infuriating than someone slandering you online and then everyone and their sister dances around it and ramps it up into something that isn't even true. I've been through that, it's not fun at all, and most of it is ridiculous. What people say about you CAN hurt you, I don't care who tells you otherwise. If some person comes up to you and hits you in the face because a girl at school says you were caught seeing his girlfriend, that's case and point right there. This is why certain pressure groups are always attacking either the president, the attorney general, or anyone in a position of power they don't like, it's called the Alinsky Method. They understand that words and mass opinions can cause massive changes in the balance of power in the world (often for unscrupulous reasons). If none of us fell for this nonsense, it wouldn't work, but the fact is some of us do, and that's why Youtubers often find themselves at the mercy of a PR crisis, whether they had anything to do with it or not (examples: PewDiePie, Tobuscus, Fine Bros).
Being a Youtube celebrity and being sane at the same time requires a lot of strength, discipline, and an iron will with a stomach to match and should not be taken lightly.
6: Don't take Youtube itself for granted.
Youtube is still a company and is not too big to fail. It could die off within the next 5 years for all I know. It's no secret that Youtube is costing Google a lot of money and profits just to run the site. Instead of complaining why it's not giving Youtubers more opportunities for growth and ad revenue, why not show appreciation and a bit of gratitude for the fact Google hasn't decided to kill it off in favor of increased profits!
You won't know what you had until it's gone or taken away.
7: Take everything you hear, especially advice, with a grain of salt.
Don't believe everything you're told, whether it's about Youtube, money, or even this post you're reading. Weigh it carefully and see how well it holds up first. People can and have been wrong about many things. We will never know all there is to know in life. We're just not there as a species yet, nor I suspect we will be while we're living today. Have some space in your mind for the natural doubts you have about certain things in life.
8: And lastly, if you do find your rhythm, your calling in life, your own road to success, once you reach it, share it with others and help them find their path.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to people who chose to share their wisdom with the world. For every man who's found his calling there are a hundred who are struggling to find even a reason for living. They need someone to look up to, someone confident in himself, someone who's a good role model and a great teacher, willing to share his life lessons throughout the years to anyone open-minded and hungry enough to learn. If you're one such person, you could do no greater service to mankind than to share what you know before you pass on and the knowledge you had is lost forever.
And on that note, I shall be moving on to the next stage of my life's journey, which involves animation and cartoons! I hope this helped you in some way, and always remember, your first duty is to yourself. Make sure your health, your life, and your welfare are in order before committing to something like Youtube. Trust me, you will need it.
Best of luck,
Sibernethy
supposed to be fun. if it's not fun then don't do it
