Reps Really Do Make A Difference
I wish I’d have saved the link, or at least the image. I was at work, demoing a website to a client via video conference. I was showing how easy it is to embed a video in one of the websites we build. I usually go right to my own channel, not so much to push it, as most clients could care less that I build plastic toys, but rather for convenience. I know what my stuff is, and don’t have to worry about what will be happening on the video as I demo the process. (Which is literally copy URL and paste in page… and people still don’t get it. 🤦♂️)
So I’m demoing along, and then I see on the sidebar that YouTube had suggested a video. All I saw was the thumbnail. It showed a model of an F4U Corsair. The left half was a recently built model. The right half of the photo was one built quite a while back. The photo was a split view, comparing them. And while I don’t recall the title or the channel, it conveyed the notion “Here’s the same model after many reps.” And the difference was stark.
And though this is a theme I speak of quite often, I think it bears repeating. Whatever level of modeling you are trying to achieve, nothing, and I mean nothing, will get you there without reps. Products can do “stuff”, but knowing how to apply a product and knowing how to achieve what you see in your head only comes through reps. The former is easy… the latter takes time.
I recently saw another video that claimed to show how to add rust to your models. I love adding rust to my own stuff, but I am always looking for new methods or takes on the subject. So I watched it. It ended up the creator basically used Dirty Down Rust.
Now, it made it rusty. Yet that’s not showing how to make something rusty. It’s showing how to use a product to make something rusty. It’s not showing HOW… really how… to make something look rusty. Yes, it’s quick. Yes, it looks pretty good. But… add any water product over it, and it goes awry if you don’t seal it in. And when you do seal it in, it changes the look.
There’s nothing wrong with shortcuts – I use them often. But if you really are seeking to grow in the hobby, however you define it, then doing things over and over and over is the “secret”. And it is one of those “secrets that is not a secret.” Unfortunately more and more times a hobby is treated like a drive through. I want it now, and I want it without effort. The value of sitting at a hobby desk, patiently working, seems to be slipping away.
To get back to the rust example… I love adding rust to models. But where the real fun has been was in experimenting and discovering and realizing if I have red and yellow paint… and maybe a touch of green… I can make anything look rusty. No need for gimmick products, or expensive paint or washes or mediums. Craft paint can work. And if you get that, and build on it over and over, adding in more nuanced products and application methods, combined with real world observation, you can really be confident you can add rust.
Your brain is your most valuable modeling tool. Trust me… if I can do this stuff, anyone can. I’m not smart. I’m not artistic. I’m just stubbornly willing to pursue it because a great deal of fun is in the chase. And your brain gets better at solving problems the more you force it to think about the problem.
Well, It Seemed Like A Good Idea
Sometime back I let the tens of people who follow me know that I was going to start doing videos out of order so that I could focus on multiple projects, and try to avoid the “1st episode is the only one that gets watched” syndrome.
However, I have since found out that my love of starting projects has become more of a problem than the problem I was trying to “cure”. Which, it seems in retrospect, was not actually a problem.
Somewhere along the way I realized a “talk about the kit and build it” episode is easy. The time that takes is on the low end of the number of hours a video takes. I keep track of the finished videos in a spreadsheet, and set a publication date. If I got close to a date with no video… start a new kit! 🤦♂️
Of course, after some time I realized I had far more kits started and very few kits getting close to finished. I’d forget where a kit was, what I’d filmed for it, what my plans were, and I even forgot where I’d written notes down – if I wrote them at all.
My intentions were good, but they did not merge well with my actual workflow and abilities. Or lack thereof.
So I’m going back to the way it was before. One model at a time for video. Part 1, Part 2… on up through Part Whatever.
Once I get through this backlog of partially started kits, of course. 🤣
Thanks For The Ideas
Several folks have given me ideas for some Deep Thoughts and others type videos. One I am working up a rough outline for is to simply talk about what is available on the channel.
I’ve been surprised at the number of comments (almost all kind and friendly) who indicate something to the effect of “great video – I hope you do more!” And a few of those folks, when I respond with links to playlists, etc., are floored to find I currently have over 430 videos published.
So at some point in the near future look for a “video about my videos.”
A few other conversations and suggestions will likely show up later in the year as some form of “Deep Thoughts” format. And please – if you have suggestions, let me know!
Ads On Videos – A Response To “That Guy”
(Sergeant Bius wrote this part. I claim no responsibility for that guy…)
I get more than a few comments/messages about having ads on the YouTube videos I publish, so I thought I’d address those in detail. While I doubt anyone who reads this newsletter is in the same group as the person(s) this is intended for, at least I’ll have a URL to copy and paste in the future.
This is one comment, but I receive others like them every week:
“Thanks for the effort making the video but the advertising makes it unwatchable, I won’t be subscribing or liking any videos while these settings are in play. Ridiculously bad experience trying to follow it.”
Now, I get that ads are annoying. I hate them myself. And while YouTube gives some control over when they can be placed, they can also override that and do what they want. Basically – ads have little to do with me and much to do with YouTube.
I don’t do Patreon anymore. I don’t have sponsors. I don’t have enough subs or traffic to be able to turn off certain ads and still make a little money. For me, YouTube is *free* hosting and a bit of income.
And while this channel is not a main source of revenue for me, it does cost money to buy kits, buy paint, all that stuff. Plus, it’s a lot of time. That ~1 hour video takes at least 5-10 hours of work. I know it won’t pay much. But it’s nice to get a few bucks for “gas in the tank”.
The only other option I have is to just turn ads off. And trust me, I have considered that. I really have.
But I’m not. Unapologetically not.
I get about $60-$70 from ads in a good month. YouTube only pays when you exceed $100 of revenue. So every other month I get $120-$140. A good month might be $150. To be totally transparent, I will get a payment in late February for the December-January time frame for $156.86. That’s the very high end for me.
If it’s too much trouble to watch my channel and the ads that pop up – which I have little control over ultimately – then find other channels. There are plenty. I don’t want you to suffer through the ridiculously bad experience that my videos are. Sit down with someone who cares deeply for you and point to them on a toy pony where the ads hurt you.
I need more coffee…. 😄
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