It's time for a change

I don't want to make videos anymore so now what? I share what has happened and what will I change.

VIDEO CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
1:26 I'm Not a Youtuber at Heart
2:40 Metal Health
6:57 I'm Tired
8:04 Input ≠ Output
9:06 New Goal
9:36 10 Rules for a Better Youtube Life
10:00 Rule 1
10:27 Rule 2
11:43 Rule 3
12:54 Rule 4
14:08 Rule 5
14:58 Rule 6
16:41 Rule 7
17:12 Rule 8
18:47 Rule 9
19:39 Rule 10

VIDEOS REFERENCED

DISCLAIMERS & AFFILIATIONS
Affiliate Links:
This video was not paid for by outside persons or manufacturers.
No gear was supplied to me for this video.
The content of this video and my opinions were not reviewed or paid for by any outside persons.

[MAKEARTNOWCHANNEL]

Yo! I applaud you for putting family first! and yes to MAKING more things. I think that's one of the biggest draws of your channel is when you make something creative that YOU like... and yeah the lighting is great, and audio is clean, and thumbnail is top notch....I often wonder how much of this is all I our heads, and how much of it is just the good will we've already built up over the years. Its hard to trust that people just want to tune in to see your face and see what's going on from time to time. Personally, with my own struggles, I think I would output more and second guess myself less if I subscribed to that notion, but it's a tough one. Good on you for getting this one off the chest. Can't wait to see what you cook up now.

[aliabdaal]

Amazing video, you’ve put into words a lot of what I’ve been feeling as well, and I’ve only been doing this for 7 years 😂 Looking forward to seeing how things evolve for you + let’s hang if you’re ever in London ❤

[NickHillMakesMusic]

Yep, to all of this.

I think the thing that got me really worked up is the fact that like your channel, and just about all of the other creators you mentioned, the providing of FREE information was at the core and heart of what I fell in love with when I started YouTube. 

It served two purposes, getting ears for my music and more importantly, allowed me to share information that led to my improvement as a music producer and musician that has ultimately led to a lot of therapy and happiness in my life.

When you pour yourself into that idea and are bombarded with algorithms, varying upload frequency suggestions, thumbnails, shorts, rule changes, and worst of all, senseless personal criticism, attacks at times, rude interactions, negativity, ungrateful transactions and unrealistic expectations people think they have of my privacy, time and what they think they should be getting from me.

Getting dehumanized on this platform is probably what all of these creators are running from. We all sort of had a hand in letting it happen but the google machine is very influential.

I stopped really doing anything for a long while and have recently started back up only producing what I want to do for my own selfish reasons os sharing my creativity (music) and wanting to share helpful tips and techniques. I don’t give any more F’s about anything other then that.

I’ve really appreciated what you’ve provided us over the years. Thanks for the sacrifice. Wishing you the best Caleb.

[Iliketomakestuff]

This is the 2nd video I've watched today that has the same ideas, and feels like someone saying outloud, the stuff that I've had in my head for a couple of years. Thanks for articulating this. I hope these changes are good for you, personally and for the business 👍🏼 Good on you, keep it up! -Bob

[ParkerWalbeck]

Sounds like we've all been feeling this for quite some time, glad to see many of us taking steps back to reprioritize. You nailed it with all your points. Last point was the biggest, it's so easy to let our work become our master and feeling enslaved rather than the other way around. Thanks for all the value you've added to the community, we all love and support you in doing what you feel is best for you and your family. Let's connect some time, I think it would be therapeutic for us both to chat :)

[howtodrink]

Huge fan of yours and really happy to hear you're making a shift like this to make the job work for you rather than the other way around. The grind is real and unrelenting! If it matters to you, there's a lot of things in my studio right now that are a direct result of reviews and builds I saw you do. Thanks Caleb!

[navinr]

This year I'm seeing many YouTubers stepping away from content creation for a break. Appreciate all the knowledge you have shared so far. Did learn many things from you.

[adamrafferty]

I Love your honesty and transparency! My channel is nowhere as big as yours, but your message resonates with me. I also had exhaustion, and had to see a therapist to get straight - also I have to make guidelines for myself for what I will & wont do.

[UndecidedMF]

More power to you, Caleb. I’ve been feeling some of this myself and have been making big changes behind the scenes too. Trying to find a healthier work life balance. The YouTube rat race really distorts reality and messes with your mental health. Love the accountability idea/sharing you’re doing here.

[ToolsElectroDIY]

I love your YouTube channel, I'd watch anything you post.

[rodemic]

We're sending love your way, Caleb! You're a really unique creator in this space – you should do whatever it takes to keep it that way 🤍

[mattih]

Join me in a year+ time off haha 😊 I honestly feel so good about it. Glad you are changing things up.

[LRNDIY]

Excellent video, Caleb. I’m on year 13 now and we just decided to cut back on the video release schedule and grow in other areas of the business where we can help even more people more deeply. Great rules as well.

I’m constantly conflicted over whether to scale or not scale so that one will continue to be on my mind.

I’ve been trying to better take advantage of the freedoms of being a full time YouTuber, like mid-day movies with my wife and/or kids, family travel and more downtime to just not work. Here’s to an amazing 2024 for you, brother. All the best. - Nils

[edwardleefilms]

This video felt like a therapy session for me in the most positive way. Thank you so much for taking the time to record this Caleb and for putting it out there for us to watch. Really appreciate you!

[FrenchGuyCooking]

Thank you for sharing 🙏. This resonates with me and - from reading the comments - with many other YouTube creators

[zebrazone]

Congrats and thank you for all the incredible value you have provided us for … 14 years !! Including this extremely valuable video. I’ve always been impressed not only by the quality of the videos themselves but also the sheer amount of time you have actually put as a maker researching and making the tools shown or used in your videos ! Thanks again so much for all your insight and for taking care of our time, your videos serve us, you’re not making us serve your videos. Happy you are not quitting. Good luck for whatever is next, life is short, prioritize what you are most passionate about, continue building, will always be a pleasure to watch !

[KONDORBLUE]

Love this! So much truth. Let's "make" together Caleb!

[Levi_Allen]

I love it when fellow creators post videos like this, thanks for keeping it real Caleb. You owe nobody an explanation, yet taking the time to make something like this is always appreciated, especially by others "in the arena." As someone (me) who is probably the worst YouTuber out there (in regards to playing the game and following best practices), I wholeheartedly endorse being a maker over being a "youtuber." Of course as you touched on it's just a challenge when being a person who uploads also impacts your bottom line. Rule #4 is a personal favourite. I've been fighting that tendency for years. I love the book from Paul Jarvis titled "company of one" it really solidifies my feelings on this. And yes, rule #10 is also so important. What's the point of working so hard to build something if it doesn't serve you? 

I would add an additional rule 11 which you probably already follow, but for me it is so important to have areas outside of "video related goals" to be progressing in and to use as an outlet. It's a habit of mine to make every interest somehow related to the youtube channel, but it feels so good to make something that has nothing to do with video creation. I've been trying to sew more, I've really enjoyed learning how to lift, and also even though I've made running videos in the past, I really try to keep my running and biking time as me only time.

Appreciate you Caleb! Again you don't owe an explanation to anyone, but opening up the curtain like this is always rad, even though it brings in tons of unsolicited feedback from people who don't quite get the spirit of a video like this or haven't tried to walk the path themselves.

[AndreiJikh]

Love this man, thanks for sharing. I can relate. Our industry, and the genres within are cyclical. The waves come and go. If you can survive the drought, and enjoy your creative process while you're doing it - you'll catch the next wave again. Pace yourself, do what you love, and you'll love what you do. Thanks for sharing!

[zollotech]

All great points I think many YouTube creators have had to work through or deal with if you’ve been doing this with any success for over 10 years. As YouTube is an ever moving target it certainly can be difficult and I think many of us have had similar thoughts as well. Thanks for sharing.