‘Nothing is original. Originality is just undetected plagiarism”.
1. Tell us about your background and journey.
I was born and brought up in a small city in Tamil Nadu called Vellore, which is where I lived for the first 17 years of my life. After that, I moved to Delhi for college; I did my graduation in Economics Honors from Lady Shri Ram College and then my post graduation in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Xavier Institute of Communications.
I’ve worked in corporate jobs after that (in finance, and then advertising) for almost 4 years, and gave that all up 3 years ago to become a full-time YouTuber. So now I travel and make videos about my life and adventures and get paid to do this!
2. When did you first decide that you wanted to create content and how did you start?
I never really started this with the idea of making it my career. During one of my jobs (this was my third year of working in a corporate job), I was just so bored and needed a hobby, so I started a blog and an Instagram account where I’d post anything and everything, just for fun.
A year after that, I decided to start a YouTube channel, because I’ve always been a more of a visual person so I preferred that to writing blog posts. Except I had ZERO idea about filming and editing videos, So I filmed my first vlog on my iPhone 6S and got a friend of mine to teach me the basics of editing on iMovie.
That’s how I started and over time, I’ve obviously learnt a lot of skills in the filming and editing departments.
3. Is vlogging and YouTube content creation a financially sustainable career?
It most definitely is if you’re smart about it, but at the same time, you can’t expect to start a channel today and have the money rolling in. I think the rewards come in for those who are patient and persistent, and are focused on providing value.
At the moment, I sometimes make more money in just one month than I did in an entire year during my corporate jobs, so it’s more than just financially sustainable.
4. Who is your favorite creator and why?
I have a long list of creators I love, Some of whom I’ve also gotten to become friends with. But lately, I’ve been enjoying a lot of productivity related content and watch a lot of Matt D’avella’s videos.
I even bought his course on Habits, so clearly a fan girl here. :D His style of storytelling coupled with beautiful cinematography makes for a great viewing experience.
I also love Ashley from best dressed for her amazing & aesthetic editing.
5. How and where do you find inspiration to churn out content?
I think when you’re a content creator, everything you consume, whether it’s books, movies, podcasts, videos becomes a source of inspiration. This is not to say that I encourage copying other people’s content but quoting one of my favorite books Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, ‘Nothing is original. Originality is just undetected plagiarism”.
I think the key is to add your own touch to anything you create and always keep an open mind when you’re consuming content. And of course, Pay attention to what your audience asks for; usually my audience give me a lot of ideas of what they want to watch, so that helps too.
6. What does your typical day look like?
I wish I had a straightforward answer to this question but one of the pros (at least it’s a pro in my opinion) is that no two days are similar; there’s always something new happening everyday.
As a content creator, you wear many hats, so my days are usually a mix of filming, traveling to create content, editing, thinking of video ideas, talking to/dealing with brands, managing my finances and paying taxes/GST (yes, that’s part of the job too!) and a lot more.
Although, due to the lack of travel this year, I’ve managed to have some kind of routine everyday, and make sure that I workout, meditate and also spend time with family everyday.
7. Which is your favorite book and why?
This is a tough one because there are way too many books that come to mind but one book I LOVE and recommend reading to all creators is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.
This book is all about creativity, ideas, how inspiration strikes and how to bring your ideas to life. Creating something and putting it out there can be a very scary thing to do and this book guides you through the process of doing that.
Having said that, I don’t think this book is for just artists and people pursuing creative professions, this book is great for everyone and I think we are all creating something at the end of the day, irrespective of our professions.
The book says that we all have treasures that are hidden within us, waiting for us to discover them, and that requires courage, so this book helps you with that.
8. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring creators?
Most people wanting to start ask me questions about what equipment to get and how to make better videos but I think that’s just a way of procrastinating starting. Just start today with whatever you have, your first few videos are going to be bad anyway so just get past that initial awkwardness and learn things along the way.
And always try to focus on providing value to your audience and forming a real connection, not only is that one of the best ways to grow but also makes the whole process of become a content creator more enjoyable and meaningful. :)
Kritika Goel
Interviewed by - Shreya Karnam
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1 Comments
Nice article 👍
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