More than 15 years ago, I started watching YouTube regularly. It quickly changed the kind of entertainment I consumed. YouTube felt different — more authentic, more novel, more real.

I remember stumbling across a guy who called himself Durianrider. He might have been the first YouTuber I ever subscribed to. His videos are funny, direct, and thought-provoking.

Soon after, I discovered other interesting creators talking about fitness, nutrition, making money, crypto, politics, and philosophy. Some of their videos genuinely changed the way I thought about life — and even influenced my behavior. The dynamic was great. YouTube felt like a real connection with someone. Some YouTubers made me change careers, helped me make money, improved my health. One YouTuber even made me pick up a Bible and read it for the first time in my life.

Today, YouTube feels different.

There are still real people, authentic videos, and thought-provoking ideas on the platform. But over time, shaped by corporate decisions and executives like Wojcicki, the algorithm has been adjusted in a way that no longer naturally leads you to creators you might genuinely connect with. Instead, it directs you toward corporate-style content to sell you stuff that you don’t need.

Instead of creators simply showcasing themselves, YouTube now pushes content designed to connect viewers to corporations and products — much like TV did in the ’90s, just on demand.

Whenever I discover a new channel, I like to check the creator’s oldest videos. The truly authentic channels often have early uploads that are completely unrelated to their current videos: Someone talking about crypto today might have posted a video about cooking ramen noodles ten years ago. A fitness channel might include random travel vlogs from Bangkok. Those channels still feel real. They still feel human. They still feel like they’re about the YOU.

But many newer channels seem hyper-focused on a single niche from day one. Not because that’s who the creator is — but because they see YouTube as a branding tool. And brands perform best when positioned in a tightly defined niche.

It’s sad to see what YouTube has become — a platform that once felt like it belonged to all of us. It was an entertainment space built by people, for people. And now, increasingly, it’s just optimized TV for corporations and consumers.

I’ve always wanted to try this. But for the longest time, I hesitated, procrastinated—and eventually forgot.

A simple rule for life is: if you really want something done, you have to start as soon as possible. And you have to start where you are. Of course, there are exceptions to that rule, but most things grow best when you just begin and allow yourself to make mistakes.

Mistakes will be part of my project—maybe even a big part. But with each video I make, I hope to learn and improve.

My goals for this channel:

• Improve my English
• Learn more about video editing
• Build an audience (and hopefully find some readers for my books)
• Have fun talking about my favorite stories

The plan is to release a new video every week, diving into the movies, shows, books, and comics I love. Hopefully, I bring some fresh perspectives to the video essay space—ideas that haven’t already been talked to death.

I’ll try to share my progress openly on this blog, showing what worked and what didn’t. If you’d like to check it out, you can find my channel here:

• StoryLines on YouTube
• StoryLines on Rumble

So far, Rumble has actually brought my video to more viewers than YouTube. I’ve seen this before with my tutorial channel—I suspect YouTube has sandboxed my account. Years ago, I talked about German politics on another channel with the same account, back before that sort of content could get you flagged or (shadow-)banned.

It’s out of my hands now. YouTube does shady stuff that I can’t fix. And I’ve long given up trying to fix it. But the good news is: it led me to explore alternative platforms like Rumble. Maybe there’s an audience out there that I wouldn’t find on YouTube anyway. We’ll see.

Whatever the outcome, I’ll be uploading a new video every Tuesday—until either YouTube dies… or I do. Whichever comes first.

Today I reached a big milestone on YouTube: 10,000 subscribers.
It only took me six years to get here—some makeup influencers manage that in six days. But hey, they say it’s about the journey, not the destination.

If you haven’t checked out my channel yet, it’s all about graphic design, photo and video editing, coding, and a bit of AI. I create tutorials for both Adobe and open-source programs, and I document my personal learning projects—like using AI to make comics or diving into new programming languages.

I remember exactly when I started: January 2019. I wanted to learn something new and maybe build a side income. I saw a few people on YouTube doing Photoshop tutorials and thought, why not? I could improve my Photoshop skills, practice speaking English, and pick up some video editing along the way.

Fast forward six years, my English has improved a lot, my Photoshop skills are bordering on advanced, and I’d say my video editing is at an intermediate level. I’ve also explored the world of AI, which was an unexpected but exciting bonus. And I’ve tried open-source alternatives to Adobe that I probably never would’ve looked at if I hadn’t started the channel.

As for the income stream… let’s just say there’s plenty of room for improvement. The money I make covers the cost of the software I use to make my videos and leaves a bit of spare change for books and vide games I rarely play.

Back when I started, I had high hopes: 1,000 subscribers in six months, 10,000 in a year, 100,000 in three, and eventually a million.

Yeah… not quite. Growth was slow and sometimes painfully so from day one. For a long time, nothing happened at all.

What kept me going was the fun and the drive to keep learning. That’s what’s kept me going for six years, and that’s what will keep me going for another six. I don’t really expect to ever hit a million subscribers—heck, even 100K seems far off—but I’m deeply grateful for everyone who joined the channel. Wherever it goes from here, I’m happy to find out without any expectations of hitting it big.

Thanks to everyone who’s subscribed—and welcome to those just jumping on board. Onwards to a full decade on YouTube.