Why My Art Career FAILED The First Time

Summary

In this video, the creator reflects on their past career attempts and dreams, including an art career and political aspirations, which they abandoned due to various challenges. They discuss their current journey as a YouTuber, highlighting the struggles and growth they've experienced over the past two years. The creator shares their passion for art, the impact of the pandemic on their life choices, and the transformative power of persistence and self-improvement. They encourage viewers to keep pursuing their dreams, no matter the obstacles, as they believe their second attempt at an art career on YouTube will be successful due to the community they've built and their personal growth.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The speaker had a deep passion for art and tried to pursue an art career before YouTube but faced challenges including the 'starving artist' myth and financial constraints.
• 🏛️ They majored in political science in college, driven by a desire to understand and deconstruct their upbringing in a far-right community and to make a positive impact on the world.
• 🖌️ The speaker discovered acrylic pouring and became obsessed with it, creating pieces they still consider their best work and gaining recognition in galleries and coffee shops.
• 📚 Despite their success in political science, with papers accepted to conferences, they faced rejections for internships, which were often unpaid or required resources they couldn't afford.
• 😔 The speaker felt pulled in multiple directions, wanting to pursue both art and politics, but struggled with time management and the pressure to succeed in both fields.
• 😷 The COVID-19 pandemic added to their stress, with the world in collective trauma and their political aspirations seeming increasingly hopeless.
• 🎥 In quarantine, they discovered YouTube as a potential platform for expression and a new way to pursue art, leading to the creation of their channel.
• 📈 The speaker emphasizes the importance of relentless improvement and learning from each video, even if it means starting with many 'bad' videos.
• 💰 They started monetizing their YouTube channel in October 2021, creating digital products and using the platform's monetization features to generate income.
• 🌟 The speaker is now a full-time YouTuber, having made over a hundred videos, and feels they are making a positive impact on the world through their content.

Q & A

What were the two career paths the speaker had before YouTube?

The speaker had considered an art career and a career in politics before YouTube.

Why did the speaker quit their art career?

The speaker quit their art career due to the high costs of materials, the inability to make enough sales to justify full-time commitment, and the lack of time to devote to marketing and growing their art business.

What was the speaker's major in college?

The speaker majored in political science in college.

Why did the speaker become interested in politics?

The speaker became interested in politics due to a desire to understand and deconstruct the far-right, evangelical Christian nationalist community they grew up in, and to make a positive impact on the world.

How did the pandemic influence the speaker's career path?

The pandemic led to the rejection of the speaker's internship applications and forced them to reconsider their career path, which resulted in them focusing on YouTube as a platform to express their creativity.

What was the turning point for the speaker to start their YouTube channel?

The turning point was during the pandemic when the speaker had the time to explore and learn about starting a YouTube channel, which they found fulfilling and a way to express themselves.

What was the speaker's initial experience with YouTube like?

The speaker's initial experience with YouTube was challenging. They were new to filming, talking to the camera, and video editing, and they struggled with the technical aspects of creating content.

How did the speaker's approach to improving their YouTube channel differ from their previous attempts at an art career?

The speaker approached their YouTube channel with a focus on constant improvement and learning, setting small achievable goals for each video, unlike their previous art career where they tried to do too many things at once without a clear focus.

What was the speaker's mindset when they decided to pursue YouTube full-time?

The speaker decided to pursue YouTube full-time with a mindset of relentless improvement, willingness to learn from mistakes, and a commitment to making each video at least one percent better than the last.

How does the speaker feel about their current YouTube career compared to their previous career attempts?

The speaker feels fulfilled and happy with their current YouTube career, as it allows them to express themselves creatively and make a positive impact on the world, unlike their previous career attempts which they found unfulfilling or too challenging to sustain.