My very first video on YouTube was all about why I wanted to start a channel in the first place, and I’m going to go over them in this blog post. (In case you prefer to watch a video version of this blog post, it's posted up above.)
Now, I tried to look this up for other YouTubers to see why they got started too. Did they do it because they were dared to, or because they had a strong desire to do it? Did they know what they wanted to do, or did they have no clue what they wanted to do? And were they any good? Was it bad? I have no idea, because the thing is, no matter how hard I tried to find it, I didn't find a single video that told me why everybody else got started. All I ever found was, "Why YOU should start a YouTube channel in [insert year here]." If you do manage to find one though, leave a comment below so I can find that video and watch it myself. Either way, I made a video going over the 7 reasons why I started my channel and even showed an outfit of the day speed paint I painted about a year and a half ago before filming my first video. Alright, let's DO this!
1. Share art and life tips and experiences
Now I first see this channel as mainly an art channel but I want to sprinkle in some life tips as well. So it'll mostly be about tutorials, especially for digital art, as well as showing you how I draw or some unboxing videos, etc. I also want to include things like diy gifs you can make for anyone, self-care tips, or even some simple financial tips (because artists deal with finances, just like everyone else).
2. Hardly any channels with Latinx artists exists
Now this is self-explanatory, but I've only come across a handful of art-related Latinx channels. I tried searching for a while and really there was enough to count maybe on both hands but that's about it. And if there are more, they didn't mention that they were Latinx anywhere in their profiles or in their videos. If you know of any, please leave a comment below so I can find those channels. This is important to me because I'm Latinx myself. I'm Afro-Latina, specifically Dominican, and I have not found an art channel with a Dominican artist on YouTube. So, if there aren't any, I'm glad to be the first one.
3. Showcase my personality to future employers
Who hates interviews? Anybody? I'm raising both of my hands, because I'm just not very good at them. I’ve gotten better, but I could use some work. Interviews are especially difficult for someone like me who is an introvert. The main reason for interviews is to showcase your personality anyway, right? So, they can see what you're like and make sure that you’ll work well with their employees. I figured any job that I applied to could see this channel and get a sense of what I'm like before they meet me, because let's face it, it's hard to get to that interview step nowadays. You're pretty much just filling out applications all the time and then getting ghosted in return. At least with my channel existing, I can be more than just a resume or a portfolio; It can help me stand out from all the other applicants.
4. To get more exposure for my art
This kind of relates to the last reason I said, in terms of showcasing myself and everything, but I want to put my art out there as much as I can. Social media has made it a lot easier for me to share my art, especially since back in the day you only really had DeviantArt to do that (anyone remember those days?). YouTube will help me to stand out for the sake of my art. With Instagram for example, any video that you post is usually no more than a minute long (or at least that was the case when I made my first YouTube video) unless you do IG TV (which doesn’t even exist anymore). I want to be able to show a little more of the process of how I make my art and not just the finished product. With YouTube, I can show you a longer format video.
5. To understand more aspects of the entertainment industry
The fifth reason why I started this channel is to understand more aspects of the entertainment industry. Now I didn't mention this before, but my goal is to break into the animation industry as a character designer. * My animation skill is mostly in the design aspect and not so much in any other one. Making YouTube videos gives me a chance to learn about the other aspects, such as filming or editing, lighting, etc. Gaining more knowledge and skills in other parts of it can make me a stronger designer too.
6. Monetization / Side Hustle
The sixth reason for starting this channel is for monetization / as a side hustle. Okay, now I'd be lying if I said that this wasn't a factor. The way things are now, especially since the pandemic, there's really no such thing as job security anymore. You could lose your job for any reason nowadays. Having something like a YouTube channel could be another income revenue stream i.e. another way for me to make some money, so I'm not screwed over if I were to lose my main source of income. I do want to put out this disclaimer though: I'm not really looking to become an influencer. I know it's weird; most people who are on YouTube have an ultimate goal to be an influencer, but that's not really where I'm trying to go. I'm not interested in things like "getting rich quick" or "short cuts" or "free stuff." Although, if you or someone you know wants to give me free stuff, I'm not turning it down, but still. That's not what I'm trying to do with this channel. I really just want to have other ways of making money, especially if they're passive.
7. To see if I’d even like running a YouTube channel
And the seventh reason why I started this channel is to see if I'd even like running a YouTube channel. There's really no way of knowing if I would like it or not without actually trying it, so this video is me trying. I might love it or hate it; I may be indifferent; who knows? Time will tell. But it's something I've been wanting to try for years, and I've been putting it off. Let’s see how it goes.
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Have you ever tried running a channel or are you still running one right now? How did it go? Leave a comment below and tell me all about it---The good, the bad, and the ugly. You made it to the end of the list, yay! Those are all the reasons why I started. If you watched the video and enjoyed it, please give it a like and subscribe to my channel. It’s free, I promise!
~😊 Thankya very mucho! 😊~
* Spoiler alert: My career goal shifted a year after posting this Youtube video, for multiple reasons. If you’d like to know why I decided to no longer pursue a career as a character designer, check out my next blog post to find out.
