
The Secret Of My Success = Suck Less
Defying Gravity With Authentic, Human Work
YouTube is, by far, the most popular video platform in the world. Chances are, you āmetā me and my work on it. Without my YouTube channel, far fewer people would know about me or the work I create and curate. And for that, Iām genuinely grateful.
I love YouTube. Mostly. Itās given me a platform to share my creativity, connect with an incredible community, and reach people I never would have otherwise. But while Iām a passionate user of the platform, Iām also a vocal critic.
The truth is as much as YouTube empowers small creators like me, it also censors art and stifles creativity, favoring controversy and drama over authenticity and originality.
To classify our relationship as āitās complicatedā would be an understatement.
THE RISE OF SLOP
In the race for views, subscribers, and that elusive āviralā moment, YouTube has become inundated and overrun with āslop.ā
In case youāre not familiar, āslopā is AI-generated, clickbait-driven, drama-packed, and/or rage-bait content. Itās designed to provoke knee-jerk reactions and keep a certain circle jerk of jerks alive and well.
Itās no secret that most humans are drawn to drama and spectacle. Greeks had their amphitheaters and Romans had the Colosseum. Sensationalism sellsāespecially on networks and platforms that limit anything remotely sexual.
Think ārealityā tv ad wrestling but with even worse acting.
Think ānewsā but with even more misinformation and propaganda.
On YouTube, the algorithms promote and reward those churning out copycat CONtent while creators making meaningful and/or original work often get left behind.
Like most wallpaper, these videos arenāt all ābad,ā but most arenāt very āgoodā either.
Iāll admit itāafter a long day of creating and curating my own work, Iām a sucker for some mindless āslop.ā Whether itās on YouTube or via social media, I consume more āslopā than Iād like to admit. Butā¦I refuse to make it.
For better and/or worse, my creative compass points in a different directionātoward humanity, simplicity, and positivity. My work may never be flashy enough to rack up millions of views in a matter of hours, but in my book, creating something meaningful is worth far more than playing to the lowest common denominator.
While a few have tried to label my work ālow-effort,ā I know how much love and work I put into my videos. And at the end of the day, those folks arenāt my audience.
THE AUDACITY OF āSUCCESSā
You donāt have to look far on YouTube to find the noiseādrama channels breaking down petty feuds, reaction videos more focused on boosting audience numbers than responding to the actual content, and āchallengesā that challenge little more than our collective attention span. This content isnāt inherently bad, but when consumed at such a high volume, it becomes a relentless cacophony.
And hereās the kicker: this noise sells. Itās a cycle where creators, viewers, and the platform itself feed into each other. Creators see that slop gets clicks, viewers consume it out of habit, and YouTube promotes it because it keeps people on the platform longer.
It may look like āsuccess,ā but itās definitely not the kind Iām interested in.
When it comes to creating content, Iād rather defy gravity than lower the bar.
My goal isnāt to produce content that āsucks lessā than the next channel, but to create something that sparks positivity or inspiration. Sure, positive content might not hit the trending page or ignite an army of reactions, and thatās okay. YouTube may want to amplify the popularity contest, but Iām focused on building something that resonatesādeeplyāeven if that depth only reaches a small corner of the internet.
Success, to me, isnāt about the view count. Itās about leaving an impact, even if itās subtle. Itās about encouraging someone, even just one person, to take a breath from the noise, to feel seen and supported.
COUNTER PROGRAMMING THE NOISE
My strategy is simple: Create āquietā counter-programming. You wonāt find my videos diving into the latest YouTube feud or preying on peopleās insecurities. What you will find are moments of authenticity, creativity, and maybe even some sillinessābecause joy deserves a place on every platform, too.
Thereās always was and always will be pressure to create whatās āpopular,ā but I have to remind myself that I graduated from high schoolāand collegeāa long time ago.
In a sea of performative outrage and produced, Iām standing firm on simplicity and positivity. No gimmicks, no shock valueājust honest, simple montages and videos that reflect my own creative tastes and values.
And for those who donāt like it? They are welcome to scroll on. (But they arenāt welcome to spread their negative opinions and problematic politics. Not on my channels and platforms anyway.)
DEFYING GRAVITY
I know Iām swimming upstream, and Iām okay with that.
Choosing positivity over negativity is never the easiest path, but itās the only way I want to use my talent and time. I believe thereās space for creators who care more about lifting others up than tearing them down.
It may not bring instant gratification, but the long-term satisfaction of building a community based on authenticity and kindness is far more rewarding.
While others race to the bottom, Iām going to keep reaching for something better, even if it means defying gravity.
If youāre with me, stick aroundāand tell a friend. Iām doing my best to create content that doesnāt just suck less, but actually feels like successāon my terms.
Thanks for reading and subscribing!
Clint
ON THIS DAY = OCTOBER 9
BIRTHDAYS
1940 = John Lennon = English singer-songwriter
1948 = Jackson Browne = American singer-songwriter
1952 = Sharon Osbourne = English television host
1953 = Tony Shalhoub = American actor
1964 = Guillermo del Toro = Mexican-American filmmaker
1975 = Sean Lennon = American singer-songwriter
1979 = Brandon Routh = American model and actor
EVENTS
1970 = In Minneapolis, FREE (Gay Liberation Of Minnesota) opens the first āRegional Gay Conventionā in the Midwest.
1986 = The Phantom of the Opera, eventually the second longest running musical in London, opens at Her Majesty's Theatre.
2005 = Kansas Equality Coalition is founded, uniting groups in five regions that fought against the passage of the state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
2011 = California Governor Jerry Brown announces the signing of the Gender Nondiscrimination Act (AB 887) and the Vital Statistics Modernization Act (AB 443). AB 887 makes illegal discrimination based on gender identity or expression in employment, education, housing, and other public settings and AB 443 allows transgender people to obtain a court order to protect their gender.
QUOTES OF THE DAY
āI THINK WHEN WE WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, WE CAN CHOOSE BETWEEN FEAR AND LOVE. EVERY MORNING. AND EVERY MORNING, IF YOU CHOOSE ONE, THAT DOESN'T DEFINE YOU UNTIL THE END... THE WAY YOU END YOUR STORY IS IMPORTANT. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CHOOSE LOVE OVER FEAR, BECAUSE LOVE IS THE ANSWER.ā
GUILLERMO DEL TORO
āTHAT'S MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EACH GENERATION DOES, IS TO BREAK A LOT OF RULES AND MAKE UP THEIR OWN WAY OF DOING THINGS.ā
JACKSON BROWNE
āI'M NOT CLAIMING DIVINITY. I'VE NEVER CLAIMED PURITY OF SOUL. I'VE NEVER CLAIMED TO HAVE THE ANSWERS TO LIFE. I ONLY PUT OUT SONGS AND ANSWER QUESTIONS AS HONESTLY AS I CAN... BUT I STILL BELIEVE IN PEACE, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING.ā
JOHN LENNON
FOUND PHOTO OF THE DAY
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Keep sorting the wheat from the chaff. Never mind sorting the sheep from the goats.
Yeah, I started avoiding 'performativity' decades before I learned the word. And a lot of the social media stuff so many people are enthralled with apparently escapes my attention. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the minimal day-to-day life stuff, never mind anything else.
I can tell you that the 'noise' level is increasing with anything involving Russia's invasion of Ukraine. There's soooooo much lying by omission. Unawareness (real or feigned) of antecedents is a popular method.
Fun facts:
Kyiv is almost 700 years older than Moscow.
The word/name 'Rus'/'Russia' specifically referred to Kyiv and NOT Moscow until the mid-1600's or so.