How VidCon Inspired Me... And I Didn't Even Attend...

          Have you ever had your ENTIRE week of blogging planned, but then something comes about and everything just gets SCREWED UP?!  That's what has happened this week.  I had a nice little list of posts all planned out, and now I'm not following the schedule.  I'M FALLING OFF THE RAILS PEOPLE.

          Seriously though, I'm kind of freaking out about going off of my schedule, but I felt so inspired to write this post that I couldn't wait to get it posted.  The weird thing, however, is that this is all about something that I didn't even attend.  Vidcon is a HUGE YouTube convention that is conducted every summer at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.  Content Creators and Fans of YouTube come from all over the world to meet each other and share the love.  It's basically like a big blogger convention, but everyone is vlogging instead of blogging.

          I've always been a big fan of YouTube.  I watch Vloggers like Alfie Deyes, Tyler Oakley, and Hannah Hart on a daily basis.  I've even uploaded a few videos here and there (and there, there, and there).  Of course, I didn't make it big, except for the fact that I got on the You Generation's Highlight Video for the Comedy Competition.  I have my cat to thank for that.

          Even though I uploaded a few every-so-often, I never got totally into it.  However, this year (after watching all of the Vidcon recap videos) I've decided to give it my best go.  I know what you're thinking, "But Lizzy, we're bloggers!  We sit and silently type!  We don't do things extroversive like that!"  Well guess what... THIS blogger is giving it a try.  I've loved joining the blogging community, and now I want to join the vlogging community!  Also, I was on my high school speech team all four years, and I really don't have an issue with talking in front of people.  One great thing about vlogging is that I'm actually just talking to a camera.  Sure, people will watch it once I upload, but until then; it's just me and my camera.  And as you can see in the below video; it's 100% me.

          To be completely honest, this entire thing scares the CRAP out of me.  No one in my actual life really knows I do this.  Sure, I have some select friends who I've shared the news with, and my family KIND of knows about it (I don't really tell them where to find the videos).  Mostly all of my friends are really supportive!  Some of them are even willing to join me in a video for the future.  However, there are some that have begun to see my new 'hobby' as strange.

Am I Really That Strange?

          One thing I hate about myself is that I always take what people think to heart.  In all actuality; I just need to follow my arrow and live the life I want.  However; something completely different than peoples' opinions discouraged me this time:  I uploaded my video on Monday and 24 hours later it had a wopping 11 views.  ELEVEN.  I apparently have 16 subscribers... Shouldn't I at least have 16 views?  To say I was a little disappointed is an understatement.  I actually threw a little pity part where I wanted nothing to do with anyone, and my only thought was watching my email to see if anyone had subscribed.  I starting having thoughts like, "Is this really worth it?" and "Do I have what it takes?"  I even sent a nice long rant email to Samantha even though she probably didn't care (sorry!).

          Then I came to the realization: I can't expect greatness with one simple video.  It's the same concept as in blogging: you're not going to have 100 views and followers after one post.  I actually started laughing at my reaction and thoughts, and I'm still slightly embarrassed.  First off; every single YouTuber out there started with 0 subscribers.  Let's look at my favorite YouTuber's first ever video.  He even posted a reaction video to his earlier videos, so now you have something to compare it to.

          Second; You'd think I learned from blogging that it's not all about the views you get.  I'm still mad at myself for how upset I got.  The views honestly don't matter.  What matters is if I was able to entertain even one person during that time, and I reached that goal after receiving a nice text message from a very supportive friend.

          So take this as a lesson to all aspiring bloggers, vloggers, and go-doers: The views don't matter, and getting worked-up over them will just make you miserable.  I'm not going to say it'll be easy.  As humans we have an innate goal to succeed, and having a small amount of views crumbles that goal.  However, be grateful for the views that you do have and the impact you have made.  It may seem small, but even getting ONE person to smile (even if it's yourself) is an amazing feat.