Last night, my roommate Jay and I were sitting on the patio, catching up after a week where we barely saw each other. Work, errands, life. The usual.
In the middle of our conversation, my phone buzzed. It was an email from a dear subscriber:
“Congratulations on hitting 25K subscribers!”
I blinked at the screen, then opened YouTube Studio to double-check.
Sure enough, my channel had just ticked past 25,000 subscribers.
By this morning, it had climbed to 25,027. And counting.
When I started my YouTube channel almost three years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t have a strategy. I didn’t have a roadmap. I was still teaching myself how to edit again.
I didn’t expect anyone to watch. And for the first year, almost nobody did. My subscriber count hovered in the dozens. Every new subscriber felt like a miracle.
But I kept posting, mostly promos for my shop.
Then one day, at the suggestion of a friend, I tried something different and published my very first montage. It was short, simple, and sweet.
At first, nothing happened. Then slowly, over the course of about a month, that video started to find an audience. Views trickled in. New subscribers followed. And for the first time, YouTube’s algorithm seemed to notice that my channel existed.
That montage ended up changing everything for me.
My tiny channel began to grow and eventually qualified for monetization through the YouTube Partner Program.
Somewhere along the way, I realized YouTube wasn’t just another side hustle anymore. So I pivoted, shifting my focus from my shop to my YouTube channel.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing. In fact, my Substack became my primary focus during a “forced vacation” from YouTube.
Anyone who creates on the platform knows it can be a strange place to build a home. The rules change. The algorithm shifts. And the AI moderation and copyright bots are always lurking, ready to issue a strike or restrict a video.
So I’ve learned to be more careful.
Despite the bumps, I still love publishing there. There’s something magical about uploading a video and watching an audience find it.
The most surprising part of this whole creator journey is the community that has grown around the channel.
25,000 subscribers may not sound enormous in the YouTube universe, where channels regularly reach into the millions. But it feels huge and personal, like a stadium full of people cheering me on. And that means more than words can say.
IF YOU’RE ONE OF MY YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBERS, THANK YOU!!!
Thank you for watching, commenting, sharing, and supporting the channel. Whether you found it last week or three years ago, you’re the reason I keep showing up and making new videos.
Last night, I found out about the latest milestone via email, while Jay and I were sitting on the patio. And it reminded me of something important:
Sometimes you start something with no plan, no audience, and no real idea where it might lead. Then one day, you look up and realize 25,000 decided to come along for the ride.
Keep calm and celebrate on!
Clint 🌈✌️
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ICYMI = IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
TUESDAY = Talking The Talk + Walking The Walk
WEDNESDAY = Resistance Is Futile
THURSDAY = On Edward Albee + Jack Kerouac
FRIDAY = Happy (Early) Birthday, Mr. Maupin!
SATURDAY = "Maybe Next Week?"
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
03-15 = Amir Ohana (1976- ) = Israeli lawyer and politician 🌈
03-15 = Gerda Wegener (1886-1940) = Danish illustrator and painter 🌈
03-15 = Kwame Harris (1982- ) = Jamaican-born American football player 🌈
03-15 = Lionel Johnson (1867-1902) = English poet, essayist, and critic 🌈
03-15 = Ruth Simpson (1926-2008) = American activist and author 🌈
03-15 = Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) = American activist and reformer 🌈
MAN CRUSH(ES) OF THE DAY
“Everybody’s a mad scientist, and life is their lab. We’re all trying to experiment to find a way to live, to solve problems, to fend off madness and chaos.”
David Cronenberg
“Travel is one of the best anti-war weapons that there are. I’ve been to Iran, and if you’re there you see little kids, cops, old people, cemeteries. Once you see that, you can’t say, ‘Oh, Iran, let’s bomb them.’”
Viggo Mortensen
Nice work, Clint! I've learned a lot following you here, and I found you on YouTube a while ago. I've said this before, but it's worth saying again... It does my heart and soul good to see images of men embracing and smiling, particularly those brave trailblazers from earlier generations who have paved the way for many of us. Here's to your next 25,000!
Congratulations, Clint! Wishing you success in all your endeavors. Thank you, and please keep up the good work.