jackofallspades98

The last video I made was Dominoes vs. Machines: Round IX back in November, and most of the work for that was done in the months before. Machine Multiverse also came out recently, but the clips I built for that were made before even the DvM9 ones. It has now been 4 months since I've even touched my building materials, and that isn't changing soon. For the first time in many years, the motivation to build has completely vanished.

The biggest blow to my motivation was the realization that doing chain reaction art as a full-time job is impossible. That was the dream for over 9 years, and for the majority of those years, it felt like I was making progress toward achieving that goal, however much of a pipe dream it was. This feeling of progress was what kept me motivated. At first, it was the rapid improvement of my building style, and the gradual growth of my YouTube channel. Later, I was building connections and friendships with many of the major players in the community, and I was getting more and more requests to participate in paid projects and events. Finally, it all culminated in the opportunity of a lifetime: to compete on Domino Masters.

Winning Domino Masters was the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. But it also marked the last moment where I felt like I was progressing toward my goal of becoming a full-time Chain Reaction Artist. In the years since, instead of this goal feeling more achievable than before, I've realized just how downright impossible it is. The reality is that, despite my 9+ years of work - and winning a primetime TV show on a major network dedicated to showcasing the art form - my YouTube videos still struggle to crack 3,000 views, I'm still getting zero job inquiries from companies for paid projects, and the community itself feels at best, stagnant, and at worst, less connected and less active than ever.

I wanted nothing more than to be able to say that I turned my passion into my career, and found a way to make it work, despite the odds. When people asked me what I do for a living, I can only imagine the immense pride I would've felt in responding "I'm a full-time chain reaction artist." But I've come to the realization that the art form I love - the art form that I consider the central part of my identity - must instead be relegated to a "side hobby."

Making peace with this new reality has been rough, to say the least. Without the hope of chain reaction art eventually being the entirety of Who I Am and What I Do, I feel a complete lack of anything tangible to work towards with my machines. If my videos were gaining some traction on YouTube, each one getting more attention than the last, causing my channel to accelerate in growth, I'd have no trouble finding motivation. If I were waking up to more paid project inquiries in my inbox, leading to a progressively more steady and reliable income, I'd have no trouble finding motivation. If Domino Masters had caused the chain reaction community itself to experience unprecedented growth, and I felt like my involvement was directly contributing to more and more people discovering this art form, I'd have no trouble finding motivation. But none of these things are happening.

All this said, I want to allay any concerns that I'm quitting for good. To be clear, I still consider myself a Chain Reaction Artist. That title is still the core of my identity. Despite my feelings of aimlessness and demotivation, I can't envision a future where I never build another machine. I even have several ideas for videos that I think I would enjoy making, but my heart just isn't in it for the time being. But if I can find some goal to work towards, some new source of motivation, I'll be back. That may be in a month from now, it may be six months or longer, I don't know yet.

2 years ago (edited) | [YT] | 33

jackofallspades98

ONE WEEK left!! 👀

After waiting for so long, it's genuinely hard to believe that we're this close. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 9th at 9pm on FOX!

And while you're waiting, there's also a sneak peek out now that gives a really good synopsis of the show format, and includes a few shots of me/my team 😊

3 years ago | [YT] | 8

jackofallspades98

I've been sitting on a pretty huge announcement for a very long time, waiting on the all-clear to reveal the big news. Finally, today is the day. I WILL BE COMPETING ON DOMINO MASTERS!!
Along with my teammates Derek & Alex Koops of ‪@DaksDominoes‬, we will be building mind-blowing domino and chain reaction setups in pursuit of the grand title of Domino Masters!
Check out the trailer here (https://youtu.be/QO4X1Ueq9k0), and tune in to the premiere on Wednesday March 9th at 9/8c on FOX! Our team won't appear until Episode 3 (March 23rd), but the first episodes will introduce you to the other teams!

3 years ago | [YT] | 23

jackofallspades98

Finally, Domino World 2021 is out, and I can share the machine that I built for it! I'm extremely proud of this machine, I hope you love it just as much as I do. (You can watch the full Domino World video here: https://youtu.be/Jkq_rMMAmeg)

Want alternate angles, pictures, fail footage, and update vlogs? Consider becoming a supporter on Patreon, and you'll get access to all kinds of behind-the-scenes content, plus you'll get your name on a custom sign revealer that I'll be building for every video!
www.patreon.com/jackofallspades98

4 years ago (edited) | [YT] | 7

jackofallspades98

After nearly two weeks and more technical difficulties than I could count, Making Connections Episode 4 premieres today at 3PM EST! In this episode, ‪@DrComplicated‬ joins me to overanalyze my recent machine, The Key Finder.
t.co/nte37QyoGa

6 years ago | [YT] | 14

jackofallspades98

My 14-minute video on Concept vs. Trick just got posted to the H5DC channel! I talk in detail about a new way of thinking about machines that has really helped me improve my building style recently. I worked very hard on it, please check it out!!

6 years ago | [YT] | 8

jackofallspades98

Episode 3 of Making Connections premieres today! In this episode, ‪@joelsinventions‬ and I take a deep dive into 11 Inventions Part 9. It's the longest episode yet, but it's definitely the best. Tune in at 2 PM EST to watch the premiere LIVE!


(Unless you're in Australia or New Zealand, a copyright claim got it blocked in those countries, so whoops that's my bad. Sorry! Shouldn't be an issue in future episodes though)

6 years ago | [YT] | 6

jackofallspades98

In case you missed it, I am officially part of the Hevesh5 team! I am the H5 Domino Community Manager, meaning I'm in charge of all the behind-the-scenes work involved with the new H5 Domino Community channel. I'll be managing emails, coordinating upload schedules, collecting footage, working with editors, and brainstorming ideas for how to grow the community! Basically I'm taking over a lot of work for Lily so she has time to focus on other things (and there are a LOT of "other things," trust me!)
Also, during Team Week, we filmed a West Wing walk & talk style video to announce my new involvement! I spent a ton of time writing the script and the whole team worked very hard making the whole thing as good as it could be, so if you somehow missed it, PLEASE check it out!
And of course, subscribe to the H5 Domino Community if you're interested in in-depth videos about the process and details of domino art, and getting to know and interact with other domino builders. We have all kinds of exciting things in the works for that channel, and you won't want to miss out!
I'm extremely excited for this opportunity, and I can't wait to help grow the domino community!

6 years ago | [YT] | 8

jackofallspades98

The second episode of Making Connections premieres this Saturday at 12PM EST! In this episode ‪@SpriceMachines‬ and I take a deep dive into Couch Potato Machine. I think this episode is even better than the first, so you don't want to miss it!

6 years ago | [YT] | 8