3 Regrets of a YouTube Creator 🤦🏼‍♀️

Wisdom I wish I knew *much sooner* when starting YouTube over 8 years ago…

1. I regret worrying what others would think💭 about me starting a YouTube channel.

When I started YouTube in January of 2014, I did it partially because I was creatively starving. I was working in corporate, and nothing about my job was super creative even though I had worked hard to get to that “dream,” not to mention I was supposed to be in the middle of my second year of grad school. Instead, I found I could not shake my desire to start a YouTube channel. But, I was nervous about how it would be received: I remember not wanting to tell anyone about my channel because it wasn’t as “stable” as my corporate law job (with health insurance😲). Until I worked through that fear, it stopped me from taking the leap of faith and starting my YouTube channel…which led me to become a YouTube video editor, editing for dream projects and brands, and starting Ellevon Editing! I’m so grateful for the grace life has anyways even amidst those leap-of-faith moments.

2. I regret not having boundaries in business for the first few years (with myself🤦🏼‍♀️).

It hit me late late one night in 2017: I had just gotten back from an all-day shoot in LA (I was shooting video in addition to editing) and sat down around 9:00pm to start an edit that was supposed to send over to a new client that same night. I made some coffee, imported the footage, and I finished the edit in a mentally exhausted blur at around midnight. I sent it over to my new client, and she responded almost immediately with something to the effect of “this is not the vibe that I was looking for.”
And I couldn’t blame her! I watched the video in the morning with fresh eyes, and honestly, it was simply not on par with what I knew I could do. This was a valuable moment for me. I knew this video and client deserved better. What do I regret? At the time I was offering to travel to shoot video AND edit, when I deep down knew I was wayyy better at editing, and more passionate about post-production storytelling and visual effects. What did I learn? Instead of shooting and editing (burning the candle🕯 at both ends), I now focus solely on editing, and I foster and protect my creative energy every day which not only serves my highest good (in the form of inner peace and creativity), but it serves my client’s highest good (in the form of an aesthetic and entertaining edit)!

3. I regret not starting YouTube sooner. ⏳

Are we sensing a theme here? FEAR! I had a lot of it! But fear is a liar. People will always be asking if it’s “too late” to start: it was honestly one of the scary questions holding me back too. But here’s the thing: you can’t ignore that heart’s pull forever! If that’s the only reason you haven’t started, because you fear it’s “too late”, I assure you you’re RIGHT on time! It’s never too late to create. Don’t let perfectionism stop you from creating an entirely new world for yourself from the small grumblings of your passion, trapped inside you, asking to create. Consider it your sign to start anyways, and do it scared.