Last month, we talked about what was stopping you from making art. This month, we’re going to talk about what is going to happen, once you go for it. As you all have come to know over the last few years, I do a lot of shit in my life, most of which is all related to one thing that is really important to me—being independent. I can’t—for one reason or another—exist in a world where the majority of my life is spent in a prison cell, called work. I love work and I’m not allergic to it at all. But, any time I have a normal job, I get physically and mentally ill. I have to keep moving forward, to continue finding my path—where I can support myself and my family, financially, while being true to what my needs are. So, to that end, I am always doing new shit and evolving my game plan. I think everyone who feels the way I do experiences a set of circumstances that are basically universal for all people like this—a whole bunch of stuff that you thought you could count on goes to shit, and a whole lot of shit that you never planned for happens. So, if you want to be your own person and forge your own way in this world, read on, fellow dreamers and entrepreneurs.
Your immediate family will probably care. And, when I say "immediate," I mean the people in your actual house—not your adult siblings, not your cousins and certainly not your friends. A few people might click the "share" button, but way less often than you expect, especially if you’re starting out for the first time. I don’t know why this is true, but it is, in fact, true. I often think it’s because they assume that their shares and comments and subscriptions don’t matter, because you’re going for millions of followers and a massive amount of exposure. But, if you are one of those people, please know that this isn’t true. Every click, share, like, comment, follow or subscriber matters quite a bit. It takes a lot to get to a point where content can carry itself onto the recommended feed on YouTube, land on the front page of Twitch or start trending on Twitter. That push forward, from your immediate peer group, can be the catalyst you need to get that ball rolling. Unfortunately, the reality is that the people in your peer group aren’t going to do those simple things. You are on a fucking island, until you reach a certain amount of success...then those people will jump on board, maybe because they see some social currency in associating themselves with you, or maybe because our species is a monkey-see, monkey-do species. Just prepare to be ignored by people who used to engage in all of your normal social media posts. They’ll continue to comment and engage in that shit, but they will always ignore your posts where you’re sharing your content. Get used to resenting them for that.
If you work hard and you care about what you make, it will probably be good. It won’t be good the first time, but it has to get better as long as you keep doing it. I challenge you to think of something you have done repetitively and not improved at doing. Even mundane tasks become more interesting, if you apply the idea that you should focus on and accelerate that process of refinement. We have a thing programmed into our brains that makes us want to be validated based on (or, because of) what we like or are fans of. So, if you consider this tick in other people’s brains, then you see that you can’t get fans until you have fans—sort of like needing experience for a job that you need a job to get experience doing. Everyone who makes something new, that is totally their own, understands this roadblock. You need to reach out to people like you, about your same status, who may be willing to share their audience. And, praise whatever God you believe in every time someone clicks that "subscribe" button, because those people will share the fuck out of your shit. Strangers are fans and, therefore, are the soil where your success grows.
Making something good means spending money on a lot of shit you probably didn’t see coming. Take, for example, my recent experience, when I started my own live show on Twitch and re-uploading it to YouTube. First of all, I needed a real computer that could efficiently encode high-def video—that was a thousand bucks. Then, I had to get a camera and a microphone—there went another pile of money. Oh, and then I realized I needed a USB mixer, because I have guests on my show and I want them to have the best audio they can (in person or via Skype). I also had to have good headphones and all the cords, cables and adapters required to wire all that shit up. So, unless you have some serious expendable income, it’s going to take your family believing in what you’re doing to pull it together financially.
I had never even taken a home movie before cell phone cameras were everywhere. I had no idea how to edit a video or how to set up a live broadcast. I didn’t know how to do good audio or have cool background graphics and overlays. I had to learn all that shit from scratch. I’ve picked up some social media tricks and marketing stuff over the years, and I can write well enough to be on a glossy page, but I had a lot to learn about how to make the things I had in my head. You should expect to spend about three months, fully drowning in information about how to do your thing. Oh, and the first month is not going to make any sense, because that’s the period where you are learning what you need to learn (and not the actual bulk of what you will be focused on). Trial-and-error begins at about the third month. The next period will be spent doing and refining your thing, and that takes however long it takes—just don’t stop.
Like I said earlier, you absolutely will improve at what you do, as long as you keep doing it. You will save up or sacrifice to get the tools you need, eventually. You can go from your bedroom to your own studio, eventually, but only if you don’t stop. In my life, some of the biggest regrets I have are only regrets, because I gave up on something. I’m not going to blow smoke up your ass, though—you may not be able to succeed. There may be a time to move on to another idea, but you have to give those ideas a real chance to fly, first. How long that time period lasts is very personal, but keep working on things and you will become wiser (and those decisions will get easier). See what I did there? I tied that whole motherfucker up in a nice bow for you. Keep pushing forward—you will get better at your craft and become wiser. Stop pushing and you stagnate and die.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. If you want to watch me or talk to me, do so on Twitter via @NextGenRetro1, on YouTube via @NextGenRetro or on Twitch via Twitch.TV/NextGenRetroPDX. Or, just email me your spreadsheets to NextGenerationRetro@Gmail.com.
