I have been on YouTube and blogging for over 6 months now. This is still truely just the beginning, but I think at this point, I am past the first steps. I have gained 40 subscribers on my YouTube channel over these past months. To me, this makes a lot of sense. I have been making sure to post constantly and consistently every week. However, when I look back and watch old content, I cringe... a lot. I always say looking back simply screws with your neck. Something that makes my content special on YouTube is that I have not deleted any of my content. This video is not going to be about how I have trouble letting go. As an eco-minimalist, I have gotten much better at letting go of things. I hold very little sentimental value to my older videos. I often do not watch that content because it is embarrassing. So why have I not deleted it, you might ask?
The main reason for deleting nothing is because all that I have documented is proof of my growth. Another thing I say is “don’t be afraid to be the worst person in the room because then you only have one place to go: up.” Growth is important and I like to show it. A lot of my videos have empty space that I wasn’t focused enough to cut out while editing. This is still true for more recent videos, but my editing style has improved over time. I have some really horrible videos and I have a lot of blog posts with numerous grammatical errors. It can be really frustrating and embarrassing to look back at, but I believe it is all part of the process. In my birthday video, the audio is completely screwed up for half of it. In my climate change and covid video half of the audio is overlapping each other and everything I say sounds like gibberish. Even in a video last month, I mistakenly included a ten second clip of nothing but some background music and me sitting there reading my script to myself. But just like sustainability, I am imperfect.
Another reason is for the aspiring entrepreneur in the room. I have known for a very long time (probably since seven or eight years old) that people make videos on YouTube for a living. But to figure out the system and make it work has been super challenging for me. I have spent the past half a year studying successful YouTube channels and figuring out the exact strategies they used. This includes how long they have been on YouTube, how often they upload, and how many subscribers they had at certain times (if they mention it in videos). But it has not been easy to collect this data accurately because it seems like no one keeps all of their videos. I do not plan on even privatizing any content because I want my channel to guide others as an example. The best way to save the planet is by getting a lot of people to spread the message. My YouTube channel can represent a guide of exactly how to get that message across. This is just how I am doing it. I am not afraid to show my flaws or imperfections if it will help the Earth.
Lastly, content. The most important reason for not getting rid of any videos is because they still provide my insight and suggestions. I want people to have knowledge from all of my videos. I have already covered many topics and even if I remake videos to further explain topics that I find interesting, I will keep my content on YouTube to get as much information out there. I am not sure if this will be the case forever. I may find in a few years that my content has information that isn’t as accurate. If this is the case, a video or two might get deleted. But I think for right now, my videos are here to stay.
In conclusion, no, it isn’t that I can’t let go of anything… as a minimalist it is quite the opposite. I am keeping my videos available to the public for the time being because I want my journey to be out there for everyone to see.