I'm feeling sappy... (Patreon)

I feel so lucky to have you as an audience. I don't know if you know this, but I have been making YouTube content since I was 13. I made videos sitting on my bed and using my webcam, dreaming of what could be. I knew so many content creators, so many people who were just kids messing around.

Since then, I started to work on the community side of YouTube. I created a Facebook community for YouTube creators from across Australia, and because of that I met literally thousands of other YouTube creators. So many of those creators stopped making videos because their channels never picked up traction, or life got in the way. Not me, I kept making things - getting absolutely no views.

That Facebook community led to me attending Vidcon in the US, first as an attendee, then later as an invited guest... then the same in the UK and Australia. These days I've even gone to events like Playlist, in both DC & Florida.

For most of that time, I was still making videos that got no views - nobody cared. That was more or less fine with me... Of COURSE I wanted more people to watch my stuff but I just wanted to keep making videos, even if they were shit. 

All my experience behind the scenes resulted in me ending up working for an Australian YouTuber named Wengie (now known as WRAYA) and there's no way I'd be in the position I am today if it weren't for her. She taught me so much, and helped me understand even more. 

While working for her I kept creating, although admittedly less often, and had grown my channel a little bit. I picked up a short term contract job at the University of New South Wales in Australia, working on a social media project there and I saved up a decent amount of money. When that contract was over, I was going to do YouTube full time.

The contract ended on the 30th of April 2019 - and throughout that entire month my YouTube earnings were $103.60. I started May determined to grow, because I'd given myself breathing room with finances, but I had only a matter of months before I'd have to get a job. With some luck, careful planning, and dedication - it worked out for me.

All this is to say that I am absolutely astounded by the support I've received here on Patreon, and of course on my channel. I want you to understand that a huge part of me still sees myself as that 13 year old sitting on a bed, or the 20 year old feeling lost and out of his depth at Vidcon, and wonders why on Earth anyone watches my videos, let alone supports me over here. 

The fact that we're closing in on 100 patrons completely blows my mind. I spent quite a substantial amount of time talking to both Billie (my editor) and my partner about all of this, expressing to both of them that I was 100% certain that nobody would join. A couple of months later, and there's almost 100 people here... that's almost as many people as the amount of dollars I earned from YouTube the month before I was self employed for the first time.

I'm an extremely sentimental person, so it's almost definite that at some point there'll be another post like this, but please know I am so positively overwhelmed by how you all treat me, and I appreciate everything about every one of you being here.

I love y'all, and I hope you have Happy Holidays, a Merry Christmas, and a fantastic New Year <3