1 year ago today I uploaded my first video to YouTube. It’s a short analysis of Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) and it’s a total mess. My intonation is monontonous, my music is boring and repetitive, and my writing leaves a lot to be desired. But in the 12 months since, I have come to discover my voice, style, and love for creating video essays. What started as an outlet to work on my writing has transformed into an intensive project involving research, design, artistic expression, learning, growing and changing.
Words cannot describe how grateful and lucky I feel to have found an audience of 17,000 in only one year, when before then I had never touched video editing software. It’s been the best decision of my life and I can’t wait to see what year 2 has in store.
As many of you know, I’ve been doing a teaching program in Hong Kong since August ‘24, but on June 1st I will be flying back to the US. For as long as I can swing it financially, I will be focused on writing, creating, and experimenting. I’m filled with so many ideas that it’s hard to keep my head on straight, but without spoiling specific videos, here’s a sneak preview of what’s coming down the pipe in year 2.
1) Patreon launch: I will be officially launching this in the next video (coming very soon!) but it will involve exclusive videos like Q+A, vlogs, behind the scenes, progress updates, sneak previews, and more. Patrons will also be the first to know about opportunities to appear in videos. Seeing as my employment is still TBD, the income from this will determine how much time I can justify spending on YouTube. It will also allow me the freedom to work on videos that are not algorithm/advertiser friendly. Sign up here: www.patreon.com/TheStoriesWeTell303
2) Green screen, studio, equipment upgrades: I have wanted to make green screen essays for some time, and I am also hoping to upgrade certain aspects of my recording environment. Don’t worry, green screen will be used sparingly and the outdoor filming isn’t going anywhere, but to be real it can be a pain in the ass and I need a more streamlined workflow.
3) Twitch streaming: This was my friend @Majorfixations’s idea. It will be more casual, off the cuff, probably less “serious” content. Us and our friend Timmy will all be in Chicago and we thought it would be fun to play around with the format and see how it goes. Expect an announcement in June.
4) Continued writing on Substack. Tao Te Ching series, political commentary, anything that doesn’t fit in the video essay format. I’ll be writing a more detailed version of this post with some things I’ve learned in my first year on YouTube windblowncuriosities.substack.com/
That’s all for now. If there’s anything you want to see me cover in the coming year, drop a comment.
Otherwise, peace & love, and I’ll see you next time. Ryan
The Stories We Tell
1 year ago today I uploaded my first video to YouTube. It’s a short analysis of Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) and it’s a total mess. My intonation is monontonous, my music is boring and repetitive, and my writing leaves a lot to be desired. But in the 12 months since, I have come to discover my voice, style, and love for creating video essays. What started as an outlet to work on my writing has transformed into an intensive project involving research, design, artistic expression, learning, growing and changing.
Words cannot describe how grateful and lucky I feel to have found an audience of 17,000 in only one year, when before then I had never touched video editing software. It’s been the best decision of my life and I can’t wait to see what year 2 has in store.
As many of you know, I’ve been doing a teaching program in Hong Kong since August ‘24, but on June 1st I will be flying back to the US. For as long as I can swing it financially, I will be focused on writing, creating, and experimenting. I’m filled with so many ideas that it’s hard to keep my head on straight, but without spoiling specific videos, here’s a sneak preview of what’s coming down the pipe in year 2.
1) Patreon launch: I will be officially launching this in the next video (coming very soon!) but it will involve exclusive videos like Q+A, vlogs, behind the scenes, progress updates, sneak previews, and more. Patrons will also be the first to know about opportunities to appear in videos. Seeing as my employment is still TBD, the income from this will determine how much time I can justify spending on YouTube. It will also allow me the freedom to work on videos that are not algorithm/advertiser friendly. Sign up here: www.patreon.com/TheStoriesWeTell303
2) Green screen, studio, equipment upgrades: I have wanted to make green screen essays for some time, and I am also hoping to upgrade certain aspects of my recording environment. Don’t worry, green screen will be used sparingly and the outdoor filming isn’t going anywhere, but to be real it can be a pain in the ass and I need a more streamlined workflow.
3) Twitch streaming: This was my friend @Majorfixations’s idea. It will be more casual, off the cuff, probably less “serious” content. Us and our friend Timmy will all be in Chicago and we thought it would be fun to play around with the format and see how it goes. Expect an announcement in June.
4) Continued writing on Substack. Tao Te Ching series, political commentary, anything that doesn’t fit in the video essay format. I’ll be writing a more detailed version of this post with some things I’ve learned in my first year on YouTube windblowncuriosities.substack.com/
That’s all for now. If there’s anything you want to see me cover in the coming year, drop a comment.
Otherwise, peace & love, and I’ll see you next time.
Ryan
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 46