Why It's Fun To Do Unimportant Things

Tuesbetter Newsletter #102

ANNOUNCEMENT! Before getting into the meat of the newsletter I’d like to let you know about a new thing I’m trying for paid newsletter subscribers. At the end of this newsletter, I’m putting up a little paywall. Below that is a place to play this week’s audio newsletter. It’ll be the same topic (probably) but just me talking, NOT simply reading the newsletter. So it’ll be very different. So become a paid subscriber to hear the audio! Yaaaaay! Okay. Now back to your regularly scheduled newsletter.

Okay. Let’s make your Tuesday better. I have the perfect background music and visuals for working or just zoning out. Many of you probably already know about it. But behold! Lofi Girl. I’m listening to it right now as I type.

Also, a new silly WheezyNews video! I harbor dreams of making these videos every weekday. They’re just plain fun. I stopped making them on the main channel years ago because I had been making them (off and on) for over a decade! They were getting old to me and many of you. And YouTube didn’t want that kind of thing anymore.

But is that true?

Maybe I just got tired and the quality slipped. And maybe I should’ve cared more about titling and thumbnailing. I’m better at that now.

But also, when I make these types of videos (by these types of videos I mean rapid-fire news stories and random topics with an enormous amount of jokes) I almost instinctually avoid trends and the most popular news of the day because I find it less funny to talk about. And I know people can get that so many other places. But by avoiding that, fewer people will click!

I dunno. I just know that doing these types of videos is the most fun thing in the world to me. I think there’s a lesson here of some kind. Something about how if you’re a creative person you should seek out the most pure form of your creativity. The most unhinged form of your creativity. Try to abandon any idea of importance or reason. The reason is implicit within the thing. But also find a balance.

By “balance” I mean a few things.

-Work on the thing enough so that you get a good feeling of accomplishment and you feel alive, but not too much so that you get tired.

-Try not to think of your creations as “important” but not too much so that the pointlessness demotivates you.

-Try to find an audience because it feels good to be seen, but not too much so that you feel like you need to pander.

-Try to make money so that you can keep doing the thing, but don’t just follow the money because you’ll lose all feeling of “fun”.

For me, these silly videos help me find this balance. I love sitting down for an hour or 2 writing up these videos, shooting, editing, uploading, and then walking away from them. I didn’t work on it very long so if it “fails” it’s no big deal. Plus, I’m already on to the next one.

And this one is still so fresh in my mind as the audience finds it so we’re on the same level. I’m more excited about comments on a video I can keep completely in my head because I literally just made the whole thing.

And I feel more connected to the world because everything I talk about and then publish is usually very current.

I dunno. Just some thoughts and the rapid, short videos. I hope I can do more. Many many more.

Craig