Hi Guys! My name is Lydia K.M. and in July this year, I started my YouTube channel which is aimed at communicating wisdom and inspirational content. In this post, I will take you through the journey which got me here and share my visions on my YouTube channel and beyond.
The inspiration
I was inspired to start my channel by the 21-year-old me. The 21-year-old who had it together but no clue what she was doing. The girl who thought making a plan at least 5 years in advance was the only way to live. The girl whose comfort blanket was ensuring everyone around her thought she had it together. The girl who had no clue that she was a creative. The girl who didn’t know who she was for most of her life.
Who cares how many degrees you have when you honestly aren’t connected to anything real?
The inspiration was to communicate messages I would’ve wanted to hear at 21. I wanted to share the words of wisdom that maybe would’ve made a difference to my way of thinking. This was never the ‘GO GO GO’ motivational speaking (that’s never moved me) but compassionate and empathetic communication. I wasn’t inspired because my story is unique, the opposite in fact. The conflict between who we are and who we were happens to a lot of people so the point is to put out content that could inspire someone to feel better, stronger and a little more equipped to live life on their own terms.
2. The Obstacles
2.1 The Fear of creative expression
Coming from someone who never identified as a creative, I was petrified to share the content. Maybe I wasn’t capable, maybe it wouldn’t translate as it was in my head, maybe, maybe. I went through all of those insecurities we go through before stepping outside of the comfort zone. It took a lot of life, a lot of courage to decide that this urge to share is not accidental. I am usually surrounded by corporate and business people but just before I put out my first video, I met a few creatives who changed my perspective. They fully understood how I felt and helped me to understand that this was a natural process of creation. So I guess I didn’t overcome this obstacle, I still feel nervous before I put out a video but in the words of Susan Jeffers, I learned to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’.
2.2 The ‘Me’ issue
As many creatives have also admitted, there is an initial obsession with how you will be perceived. Will people like me? Will they think I’m great? What if ‘I’ only get 1 like or 1 view? It was all about me but creating isn’t about me at all. The problem is that way of thinking drives you away from your purpose. I mean it’s 2017; there are a million other ways to be liked. I overcame this problem by asking myself, would I still share if I did actually get 1 view? And the answer was yes. The focus wasn’t to accumulate a mass following; it was to impact someone’s life. So who am I to believe that the opportunity to make an impact on even 1 person is too small? This is a gift, I am here to share. That’s it. Creating from an honest place requires you to remove yourself from the picture. So I did and I am excited to just be here, sharing. Picasso says, ‘the meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
2.3 Comparisons
Before I got more centered on the direction I was going with my craft, my eyes were everywhere. I would binge-watch how other people would do things and fill my mind with clutter. Totally misunderstanding that they are communicating their vision the way they see it. They are honing in on their dream and I would be robbing myself of authenticity if I tried to make my vision look like theirs. I overcame this by finding a middle ground. I now use my role models or other YouTubers as teachers. The lighting, set props, the way they communicate, how they stay consistent, what draws an audience, etc – the things that do not require me to be like anyone else. If I find myself wanting to be someone else in anyway, that’s my catch. That’s when I know I am no longer learning from them but trying to be them. It’s all about remaining centered to your ‘why’. Your vision. “We won’t be distracted by comparison if we are captivated with purpose.” – Bob Goff
YouTube and Beyond!
For now, I am sharing ‘Thoughts by Lydia K.M’ which are 2-4 minute videos of some life lessons I have learned. I will be rolling out ‘Vlogs by Lydia K.M.’ videos which will showcase some more personal content in order to communicate who I am. I believe it’s important to share the backstory behind my thoughts. I will also have ‘Conversations with Lydia K.M.’ these will be one on one conversations with some of the people who inspire me most, especially people from Africa. So by the end of 2018, I will have three solid playlists with those titles. The vision beyond YouTube is to be an international ambassador for communicating wisdom. YouTube is one platform to connect with people as I grow in that journey. I’ll be bold and say that as a point of illustration, I aspire to be Africa’s Oprah!
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