Starting Over: From YouTube Burnout to Website Freedom

Just under two years ago, I started my YouTube channel Nerdy Investigations—full of optimism and excitement. My first video did really well, so I kept going. That didn't last.  

But here is the thing that I didn’t realise was happening...I was losing my passion for it with every upload. It was hard and it never seemed to pay off. No video has beaten the first and it was just a slippery slope down after that. I would get an idea spend time writing, recording, editing and be really proud that I did it only of YouTube algorithms to do nothing with it. But I kept trying, kept pushing but it was crushing me.   

Every video was harder to make than the last and my desire to make anything at all was just gone. It was just my self-imposed deadlines that kept me making anything. I didn’t want to stop or slow down because I felt like I had put so much into it to get to this point. I am proud of what I have created however I couldn't keep going. Something had to give.   

And it did.   

My second-to-last video broke me and my last was laughable. I knew it was time.   

The video in question was about Zuko and Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender. I was really happy with it. The script was good, the thumbnail and title were all scoring well for discoverability and I had researched the topic to see it was relevant and people would be interested.  

But when I woke up on Saturday after the release date to 4 views, I just had to laugh but I knew once and for all I was over it. I didn’t want to keep beating myself against a brick wall for something that was proving over and over again that it wasn't right for me.   

This was not the first time I wanted to quit, probably not even the tenth but I knew something now that I hadn't before. Writing and being able to share my ideas and thoughts with like-minded people is where my passion lies. I like writing the scripts and putting my ideas into words, but recording was hard for me and editing was so boring that I never wanted to do it. I had found the format that worked for me and how I think but now what?  

How to make this change?  

Where does one go to create a written based following?  

Turns out, it's here on my Blog. So … hi. 👋 

I am so glad to be here and even more excited if you are reading this.  

It also feels so weird to not constantly be thinking about YouTube. I feel lighter in a way but so strange. It's like the whole world has opened up to me again but now I am not sure where to turn or how to start.   

I am excited and hopeful again. I know it will be hard and that this might not be the right thing for long term, but it is the right thing for now and that is enough.   

I might be starting over (not that I am stopping YouTube completely) but it is not at the beginning. It is new and I am starting fresh but that does not mean that I lose everything that I learnt over the past two year.   

If you have made it this far in my rambling, thank you.   

If this resonates with you, if you've ever felt the pressure of algorithms crushing your creativity, I'd love to have you sign up for the newsletter. I'll be I digging into the details you missed in your favorite stories, the character moments, the themes that make us think and so much more. Basically, all the nerdy analysis I love, without the pressure of video editing. And I promise: no clickbait, no algorithm games, just honest nerdy analysis and creative exploration. 

And as always thank you for reading and let's see what other secrets we can uncover next time on Nerdy Investigations.