Those with no Niche can still get views!

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 When you start a YouTube channel you do hope for success. You hope that your version of art or entertainment reaches people and you get "seen". You hope that you reach people and somehow make their day better than it was before. Even a few minutes of light entertainment in today's world is a relief that we all need from time to time. 

One of my 40Before40 items is to get monetised on YouTube and in order to achieve this I need my videos to be watched. But the feeling you get when people actually do is kind of .......weird. I feel a sense of pride, embarassment, joy, anxiety and relief. Its a big jumble of emotions. 

When my husband watches the videos, I feel such a big cringe that he is. Its such a strange feeling because he knows my best and worst. I trust him wholly and he is my best friend. So why the cringe? I imagine this is what the top film and tv stars talk about when they say they don't watch their own work back when its finished. 

YouTube requires a channel to have 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours before they will be paid for the videos they make. Around 6% of channels on YouTube are monetised. Thats such a small amount when you consider how big YouTube is and how many people are involved in YouTube. 

According to the YouTube "Experts" I will struggle on the platform because I currently do not have a niche. In case you were not sure, YouTube runs on Niches. The idea that a creator makes a certain type of content which is searchable and specific so that its algorythm knows who to show your content to. I've always struggled with that. I could never and cannot now answer the question "What do you want to do when you grow up?". I have no idea. My mind swirls into an uncertain spiral of job possibilities and I have to answer with "I don't know". I finally think its because I don't want to be tied down in that way. I have never wanted a career in anything. I have passions but I have many passions about many things but not enough about one thing to make it a career. I have things I am good at but nothing I would consider that I excel at. I don't want to be pidgeon holed like that. I easily get bored, I get tired of the same things all the time. I need variety or I feel like I am drowning. 

I cannot name a favourite composer, artist, film, tv show, food, book. I love many for many different reasons. I cannot put myself into a niche. I don't want to. I am too flighty and vague. I want to be free to experience things and feel things when I am ready. YouTube as a platform is not set up for me. But I am doing it anyway because people like me are out there searching for a thing to do that day. It will be harder for me to find an audience, to fit in with the algorithm to the point where I can earn from this. 

But I will be taking my 60 (currently) subscribers and making videos my way. The only way I know how right now. My first video will pass 1000 views this evening and I am so thankful to all of you who watch or read these ramblings.

I will continue to make content because I enjoy making it and making it my way. I hope others will see me, even if it is just one of my videos or one blog post. I hope they will enjoy them, get the information they need, or stick with me and feel lost and found all at once. I hope you will too. 

Until Next Time xx


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