1- I'm so tired of this attitude that you shouldn't be on YouTube for popularity or fame... I've followed that idea all the way until I JUST read you saying it, and as soon as I saw it it made me think... WHY NOT?? Why do we have to shame ourselves and others for wanting fame or popularity or even just a few people who like what they make??? -_- Anyway!
2- Build a twitter following and promote there. Build a facebook following and promote there. I'm sure your friends would love to see what you made! Promote videos more than once. Different people are online at different times, so people might miss the first post. But also don't be overbearing and post if 5 times in a single day. Also do throwback posts. After a month or something, post a video you really like.
I've also found that posting a video link on an unrelated forum can do wonders for attracting new audiences.
As for keeping the motivation alive... I wish I could help you :/ But I get discouraged by that same issue constantly. I'm trying to remind myself that this is something I enjoy, because it really is! I'm going to go to college for it for flip's sake! But it can be hard to feel that motivation when others don't seem interested. Just keep trying and remember it's not for them; it's for you AND them, but you first.
