As I am writing this, I am preparing to publish the 2,000th episode of my weekday show, The Daily Shed. If you are unaware, I have produced a daily video journal every weekday for the last seven and a half years. As I’ve been approaching this milestone, I’ve given a lot of thought to what it all means to me. I thought about various ways to celebrate my achievement. The only problem being that it doesn’t feel like an achievement to me. At this point, it’s a natural part of my life. As normal as reading, walking, or doing any number of daily habits.
In the beginning, I had a dream for the show. I thought I knew what it was going to become. I set my sights high and went for it. The show it became is miles away from what I thought it was going to be, and I’m okay with that. If it had turned out the way I dreamed, I doubt I would have continued this long. In some strange way, the lack of “success” of the show is the exact reason it persists to this day. No pressure. No schedules. No advertisers to please. I simply turn on my camera, sit at my workbench, and talk about my world.
This show isn’t about the clicks, likes, and view count. It started out that way and I kept trying to reengineer it to fit my perceived audience and the YouTube algorithm. I gave it a good go for six months—and I hated it. There was some adrenaline when a video would get more views, and I chased that, but overall it was exhausting and forced. My world was very different then. I wasn’t a happy guy. I had to pretend to be so on camera. If I had continued chasing success, I would have never made it to where we are today.
In some ways, that is an accomplishment itself. I found my audience—my friends. A handful of people that I can count on every day to reach out and let me know they are still there. A group of people that don’t demand I make more interesting content. They aren’t watching for anything other than genuine interest in, well, me. I’ve dreamed of fame my entire life. I chased it at times and experienced tiny bouts of it in niche communities. I don’t think I’m built for it. I’ve stood in the shadow of fame and it’s overwhelming. I’ll stick to my friends.
Thanks for being my friend.