Did you know that over 90% of creators on YouTube never break a thousand subscribers? Yet, every day, millions of people still hit ‘upload,’ chasing dreams they’ve only seen through the highlight reels of their favourite creators.
But behind the scenes of every viral video and milestone celebration, there’s a side of creation few talk about. The late nights, the self-doubt, the relentless grind. It’s a journey that many are not ready for, a journey that can often feel… lonely.
There are so many out there, who have a dream, to be like their favourite creator, to reach millions of people, to make content that’s loved and shared. They see the success, the fame, the money. But what they don’t see is the mountain of hard work and sacrifice it took to get there.
The creators you admire didn’t get here overnight. For every video that racks up views, there were dozens that barely got noticed. For every skill they seem to ‘effortlessly’ master, there were countless hours of trial and error. The road to success isn’t paved with glamour; it can be a grind.
One of the hardest parts of this journey? Is the solitary nature. Many creators start alone. We become our own director, editor, writer, promoter. For all the collaboration we see, the initial steps are often lonely, filled with long nights and quiet battles against self-doubt.
If you do experience that, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
There were times I wanted to give up. Times when I thought, ‘Who’s even watching this? Why am I spending all these hours for 20 views?’ But the thing is, every step, every failed video, every ignored upload, taught me something. You don’t get to the top without climbing.
I enjoy what I’m doing and I enjoy creating the video that you see on my channel. I’ve always said to myself, that if a video helps one person, then it was worth making.
It’s easy to forget that creators we admire were once where we are. The likes, the views, the subscribers, they’re not the starting point; they’re the result of countless struggles, a testament to resilience.
Moments like these make it worth it. It’s easy to fixate on the destination, the ‘want to be there’ attitude. But the real story, the part that makes it all matter and worth it, is the journey itself.
Every piece of content created, every skill learned, every view and every subscriber or follower gained, it’s all part of the journey and the climb to wherever it is you’re going to get to.
Remember, success doesn’t happen in a day, a week, or even a year. The creators you admire most didn’t skip the hard parts; they embraced them. They pushed through the loneliness, the endless grind, the ups and downs, and that’s what made them the creators they are today.
So, if you’re on this path, remember: you’re not alone in feeling alone. Every creator you admire once sat exactly where you are now. Keep climbing, keep creating, and most importantly, keep creating.
If you want to see the video version of this article, check out that YouTube video below: