One of these days, I’m going to learn (and actually remember) these two things:
All platforms are businesses and always look out for their best interests.
Some people on the internet really don’t like seeing others do well.
I’ve been reminded of both realities lately. As a result, my relationship with being a “content creator” is definitely in the “it’s complicated” category at the moment.
Don’t get me wrong: I love the work. I love most of the audience. But there’s a slice of the behind-the-scenes pizza pie I could absolutely do without.
When I started posting my work on YouTube, I was just collecting photos and creating montages. That was it. No strategy. No shop talk about algorithms or optimization. No second-guessing every move.
Now, a big part of my time is just spent trying to keep up. Things, especially on YouTube, are constantly changing.
What worked last month doesn’t work now. And if I don’t adjust, it’s not just my views that take a hit. It’s my livelihood.
Right now, that pressure is coming from YouTube’s push toward Shorts.
My long-form videos, the ones I’ve built everything around, just aren’t getting the same visibility. I understand YouTube is competing with Instagram and TikTok. But still…it’s so confusing and frustrating.
Long-form videos are what I really love making. They’re what pays my bills. They’re what lets me dig deeper and actually connect with people.
And yet:
Shorts get more views.
Shorts bring in more subscribers.
Shorts pay a fraction of what long-form does.
Meanwhile, my long-form videos take more time to produce, reach fewer people, and seem to matter less to the platform by the day.
So I adapt. I have to.
I make longer videos and then recut them into Shorts. Sometimes that process is fun. Sometimes it feels like I’m editing out the best parts just to make something fit.
Because there’s always a trade-off.
What you see in my montages is only a fraction of the work I do. Most of it happens off-screen. The researching. The editing. The experimenting.
But that’s just part of the job.
What’s harder to deal with is all the noise from people who see views and assume it equals money. People who think the work must be easy and feel entitled to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do with my own channel or content. The audacity of their self-importance is quite…impressive. And annoying.
And honestly, the loud, negative voices make me appreciate the quiet, positive voices even more. The people who get it. The ones who understand that if I’m going to keep doing this work, it has to support me too.
Because at the end of the day, this isn’t a hobby. It’s how I make my living.
So yeah, I’ll keep adapting. I’ll keep making both long-form and short-form work.
But I’m not losing sight of why I started.
The longer work still matters to me. The slower work still matters.
Even if the platform and strangers on the internet say otherwise.
Keep calm and don’t feed the animals!
Clint 🌈✌️
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thru 03-25-26
FROM THE ARCHIVES
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
03-19 = Garrett Clayton (1991- ) = American actor and singer 🌈
03-19 = Moms Mabley = (1894-1975) = American comedian and singer 🌈
03-19 = Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) = English soldier, geographer, and diplomat 🌈
03-19 = Ricky Wilson (1953-1985) = American singer-songwriter and musician 🌈
03-19 = Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929) = critic, ballet impresario, and Ballets Russes founder 🌈
MAN CRUSH OF THE DAY
“We all fall in love with someone for the person they are…not because of their race, their hair, or any of the frivolous things that go away in time.”
Garrett Clayton
https://youtu.be/mjT2Mj7Vm5g?si=aCH-qZCGCHxhPtW6
Clint, hopefully you'll appreciate the hard work it took to source, copy and post this Short, 😉😎😝 Cheers, you know who