Having a small/no audience is actually a good thing

Aug '22 (edited) in Other

Ever since creating my YouTube channel, I have developed this habit of finding new channels and scrolling down their videos and seeing when they posted their first video. Sometimes I encounter channels that have only uploaded two weeks ago with tens of thousands of views.

My heart sinks every time. I think "What is my channel missing?" or "What am I doing wrong?". I know I shouldn't compare myself, but I do it anyway. The pull is too strong. The negative thought patterns start to emerge within my mind.

I pulled out my audiobook today and started listening to "Steal Like An Artist" by Austin Kleon. He mentions in one chapter that obscurity is actually a good thing. You don't want to necessarily blow up until you have good material. Having no audience allows you to freely create and experiment without the pressure of a large audience. No one is anticipating the sequel from you.

I feel like this is so true. I have seen lots of musical artists that blow up too early and quickly in their careers, and they can't deliver on a good sequel because they haven't properly developed their skills. In other words, You want to blow up when you ACTUALLY have good material.

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