Look, Mom, I'm on YouTube
A look back on my first two years as a video creator
Throughout college, YouTube was the website to visit for funny memes and to watch people showcase unique talents. After graduation, I began following vloggers on YouTube. I was so interested in tuning in to see people sharing their lives, personal interests, and skills. Without realizing, I found myself binging more YouTube content than traditional T.V.; since then the platform has significantly matured. No longer just social media but a digital space that houses hundreds of tiny production companies. Millions of people across the globe are adding to the media library. YouTube is uplifted by people who developed creative ideas and published content through their own means and manufacturing capabilities.
After years of doubting myself, I decided to walk off the ledge and leap into this virtual experience.
Record, Upload, Publish
Once I moved to St. Louis in 2012, I flirted with the idea of being one of these people. Ultimately, my insecurities and shame would overwhelm me. So, I never jumped into the big unknown of cyberspace. How could I be one of those charismatic people?
After years of doubting myself, I decided to walk off the ledge and leap into this virtual experience. In terms of application, to share a video on the platform is quite simple. Record, Upload, Publish. The complexity is finding and seeing the value in my voice and having the courage to share my thoughts. In August of 2018, I uploaded my first YouTube video. It was a stop motion animation of the ice cream cone from my original illustration series, sad desserts. Countless hours of idea creation, a few more hours to produce props, and about one hour to complete the animation. All that work for a 12-second video and the satisfaction of knowing I did it! I created and uploaded my video on YouTube! For ten years, I only watched content, and in that moment of publishing that 12-second video, I was a content creator on the platform. I felt FANTASTIC.
Of course, I want to be the top dessert blogger in St. Louis, and more recently I’ve started to vlog. It's been an uneasy start, but I suppose all new experiences are painful at the beginning. But I hope to reach the goal of uploading a video once a week. Consistency and frequency are my focus. Developing videos encourages me to produce more work. I'm excited. This outlet will be a great way to document my love of sweets, highlight the best dessert in St. Louis, and share my experiences with others. As of August 2020, there are 19 videos on the #nosaddesserts channel. It is lovely to write this blog and reflect on my growth as a creator.
I'm just a woman in her 30′s trying to eat desserts every day. #nosaddesserts is your friendly reminder to enjoy a dessert today.
