Why I’m restarting YouTube
In the beginning
I started Youtube in 2009 and I loved it so much. It was such a great creative outlet for me at a time when I had three kids under 5 and needed a space to be my self. Youtube opened up so many doors for me and even helped me build the confidence to land an acting agent and start making films of my own. Because of YouTube I wrote a book and fostered new friendships. One friendship led to me taking my one woman show called Sweatpants and High Heels to New York!
In 2012 my husband got very sick and couldn’t work. I couldn’t take on a full time job at the time either and decided I was going to make Youtube work. Unfortunately as I threw myself into learning more about the online world it became a bit toxic. In the next few years my family would experience some traumatic events and eventually I couldn’t be as consistent on creating YouTube content. From 2015 until now I’ve been sporadic with uploading and pretty much felt like it was over for me when it came to Youtube.
When things started to change
However, in 2019 God put it on my heart to start creating long form content in the form of a podcast and then he said video. I really didn’t want to do either but because God is God - well - I had to figure this out. At the time I had no idea how to make podcasts and I didn’t care either. When I felt like he was adding video to the mix - I felt overwhelmed to tell you the truth. The past few years I’ve been in a season of intentionally learning. I entered a graduate program for social practice art, I did two intense coaching programs around film, I made two of the toughest films to date. This past summer I was invited to join a dream fellowship program with Sparkland Studios while I was completing my thesis! Not to mention I’m a mom of three and married. I couldn’t imagine adding one more thing to the pile.
But God would NOT let up on me. The urgency has been growing and growing and I only seem to have peace when I work on my podcast or create videos. I spoke with another friend and asked her if she experienced the same thing when she felt like God was telling her to do something. I was glad to hear that I wasn’t the only one who experienced God’s prompting this way.
God provided
Recently, I connected with a friend who has also felt this prompting specifically with restarting her YouTube channel. I feel like this was an absolute God send! We decided to make a little accountability group and…well here we go! Here’s my first video! I don’t think I would have released the video without her accountability.
In order to stay consistent I needed to make some goals for myself that didn’t center around numbers, views, and other thing I can’t control. I believe the creative process is powerful and can be a great tool for growth. So my goals are:
1. Let God lead
2. Be myself
3. Share my journey consistently
4. Develop my own style
I really want to enjoy the process of creating. I believe that the process is just as if not more important than the results. I look forward to where God will take me on this journey as I obey and trust His process.
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