I’m so tired of the hustle culture.
When I first began my content creator journey over ten years ago, I never imagined this is where I’d end up.
Uploading videos to YouTube became routine — and for a time, it genuinely felt like living “the dream.” I was telling stories, filtered through my own perspective, learning how to exist creatively in public.
Back then, I didn’t know there were hundreds of millions of content creators worldwide.
I didn’t know how few would ever make a sustainable living.
I just knew I loved telling stories.
In its infancy, my content was a hobby — an outlet to focus my neurodivergent mind and dive deep into the stories I enjoyed. It helped me hone my craft and gave my creativity somewhere to land.
And for a while, that was enough.
When Creative Cost Outweighed Return
What went wrong wasn’t obvious at first.
My channel focused on inspirational content — Pokémon Go vlogs, coping with dyslexia, sharing parts of my inner world.
On the surface, the channel grew.
Underneath, something felt increasingly performative.
I didn’t understand it then, but creating under constant constraints doesn’t ignite my creativity — it suppresses it. Over time, that suppression showed up as burnout, declining health, and a growing sense of disconnection from myself.
A fair amount of advice I received from professional YouTuber’s encouraged me to niche down. And in my case, I double niched down. This can be a good thing within the “How Two,” or “Beauty” categories on YouTube, but it didn’t work for me with Destiny the game lore. I learned, the hard way, that putting all your eggs and relying solely on trends is a very bad idea.
Instead, think about the user’s search query and what they are looking for.
YouTube Couldn’t Replace My Dream
For much of my YouTube journey, I was either recovering from a bad relationship or navigating poor mental health. It took me years — twenty-six, if I’m honest — to begin understanding the who, why, and what of me.
Losing touch with the dreams of my childhood self led me in trying to become someone I wasn’t. And no amount of uploads fixed that. You see! I am Neurodivergent (a catch’em all term for unique ways of thinking).
Dyslexia, ADHD, and Autism are what make me… well me! It has taken 38 slow years of healing, growth support and therapy to hone my creative craft and write blogs like this one.
Now, I realize the importance of taking my time. For years, “having extra time” was surrounded by shame. Shame to look, sound, behave or dress differently from my peers.
So, yes! Today, proudly, I can stand on my own mountain top and shout from the top of my lungs, that I AM BEAUTIFUL AND MAKE BEAUTIFUL THINGS.
Related: That Creative Life: How I’m Finally Building My Childhood Dream
Algorithms Break Creators
I know — a spicy take.
But talk to enough creators, marketers, or bloggers and the pattern becomes clear: performance pressure, eroded confidence, chasing trends, chasing numbers.
Algorithms don’t just shape content.
They shape behaviour.
They reward output over reflection.
Consistency over honesty.
Speed over discernment.
Everything shifted for me after I wrote Why Quitting YouTube Was a Good Choice for Me. That reflection forced me to slow down and name what I was experiencing instead of pushing through it.
Two realisations followed:
- I wanted to tell my stories, not the stories platforms rewarded
- And I needed a creative model that didn’t fight how my brain works
Choosing a Different Kind of Growth
Through conversations with people like Tiffini Daniel and Meagan Williamson, I began to see what I’d been missing.
Searchable, useful information paired with personal story doesn’t disappear.
It compounds.
Social content rises fast and disappears just as quickly. Blogs don’t.
A well-written blog can live for years, quietly serving someone when they’re ready to receive it.
That distinction mattered to me.
Blogs aren’t about nostalgia. They’re about ownership. They’re not subject to daily algorithmic whiplash or the emotional cost of constant performance. Each post allows space — to think, to rest, to create honestly.
For me, blogging isn’t an escape from creativity.
It’s a way of protecting it.
Keeping The Dream (Without Burning Out)
I’m still taking steps toward the same dream.
That dream looks like building a legacy — leaving behind resources that help, encourage, and edify someone else’s life.
I want my work to bless people, not pressure them.
If you’re feeling worn down by constant creation, metrics, or platforms that don’t respect your nervous system, you’re not broken. You may just be creating in an environment that doesn’t fit you.
One blog at a time is enough.
One honest story is enough.
Sometimes quitting isn’t giving up.
Sometimes it’s choosing something that can actually last.
If you want to explore this further, I’ve written more about SEO for blogs and building sustainable creative systems elsewhere.
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