Buckle up, friends; this one’s a little lengthier (but we’re diving into some pretty big shifts!) I think we're always in this cycle of "figuring it out," as people and as creatives, but I've truly felt so directionless this year. Not stuck, exactly; I do feel like I'm moving. But I don't know the direction. I don't know the destination.
If I could sum up the General Vibe™ of the last several months in a picture, it would be this one.
For a while now I've been noticing a fairly large disconnect between the content that I'm currently making and the content that I actually love making. The truth is, the content that gets a lot of views and the content that truly speaks to the audience I want to reach is not the same.
For the last few years, I've been making content specifically for visual artists, and more specifically, gouache artists. Videos like my Beginner's Guide to Gouache series and various time-lapses explaining my illustration process. These videos appeal to a lot of people, but those people aren't really interested in my art; they're interested in my education. And I don't AT ALL fault them for that! When the videos I create are about HOW I make my art, not WHY I make my art, there's no reason for them to connect with the art itself.
But I needed to ask myself what the goal of my videos is. Is my goal to teach people how to be painters, or is my goal to share my art with the people it actually speaks to? Because those forms of content look fundamentally different.
If you're part of my YouTube community, you might have noticed a few changes in the last few videos.
-They're more "cozy conversation with a friend" and less "classroom lecture"
-They're more geared toward creatives in ALL fields rather than specifically visual artists
-They're getting a LOT LESS views
At first, I looked at that Views metric and felt OVERWHELMINGLY discouraged. To say I was a big ball of anxious energy that went into Full Panic Mode would be an understatement. Clearly, this new path is not the correct one… right? There were so many fewer people these videos were actually reaching, so these videos were clearly unsuccessful.
Or were they?
I started getting a LOT FEWER views, but I also started getting A LOT MORE emails and comments sharing about how deeply people were resonating with these new videos. That they loved the artwork, but more importantly, that the message really spoke to them. That it made some sort of difference in their lives.
And with these comments, I started to reflect on my own thoughts about these new videos. I can say with full honesty I don't think I've ever been more EXCITED about the art and the content that I'm making than I am right now. Over the past few weeks I've been learning so much about video editing, writing so many new topic ideas in my journal, and creating videos that I'm truly proud of. They may be reaching a smaller audience, but I think they're having a deeper impact.
The truth is, I care more about helping creatives find joy in their creative practices (whether that’s painting or baking or knitting, etc.) than I do about teaching them to be technically "good" at it. I care more about helping people see the magic in the mundane moments of life than I do about teaching them how to build an art business. I care more about making art that reminds people to see the good in life than about making curriculums that teach them how to draw the human figure. I care more about creatives as a WHOLE than just about their creative practice.
And I realized that this truth is the heart behind this new shift in my content. My videos may not perform as well for the next few months as it weeds out the many people who don’t align with this new direction (and if that’s you, no hard feelings!) But my hope is that these videos will eventually reach the people they truly resonate with. The wanderers and wonderers who are seeking coziness and creativity in their lives. The ones who love the Cozy Chat Vibe and always feel like they’re walking away a little bit changed for the better. And, of course, the ones who truly love my artwork for its whimsy and coziness, not just for the techniques they learn from watching me make it.
Anyhoo, if you fit this whimsical, wonderful group of creatives, I hope you’ll stick around. I don’t know exactly what the next few months will look like, but I’m so very excited about the new direction and curious to see where it leads…