Why YouTube feels depressing for creatives (and what I’m doing about it)
My name is Jordan Krumbine, and I’m what you might call a multi-hyphenate creative. I write novels, record and produce audiobooks, I’m a professional in the corporate creative space, and generally just an overall creative wizard. I’ve spent 15 years immersed in writing, design, video production, and (nearly) every imaginable form of creative expression.
Despite all this -- and despite my deep love for the platform itself -- I’ve come to a sobering realization: YouTube is fucking depressing.
The Reality of Creative Burnout
Here’s the irony: I’m already knee-deep in creative projects day in and day out. Yet, no matter how much I create, there’s this underlying fragility. I call it my “house of cards” brain chemistry, rooted in obsessive hyper fixation. It doesn’t take much to disturb it.
Corporate shenanigans? Check.
A lack of recognition for my art? Double check.
A mild gust of wind blowing in the wrong direction? Yeah, sure, why not?
When this mental state collapses, it feels like a creative emergency, and I find myself scrambling to triage. That’s where Emergency Creative comes in—a simple, stripped-down creative outlet meant to stabilize my wobbly house of cards. It’s a theory, an experiment, and maybe even a lifeline.
YouTube’s Depressing Shift
But here’s the rub: YouTube has become a black hole for creatives like me. It’s not just about how corporate and algorithm-driven the platform has become—though that’s certainly part of it. It’s about the deeper, more personal impact.
I’ve been on YouTube for years, and I’ve watched it transform into a pay-to-play, lowest-common-denominator ecosystem. Which came first: the mindless content or the audience craving it?
And yet, I still love YouTube. I’ve been using it in some form or another from the very beginning. Hell, I was making videos for the internet before YouTube even existed, so you can appreciate when I say that it felt like a tool made specifically for me. I love the platform, the process, and the potential for meaningful engagement. But no matter how authentic or personally fulfilling a project might feel at the start, YouTube eventually turns into a vortex that sucks the joy out of creating.
A Creative Experiment
For a creative individual juggling a fragile mindset and the gravitational pull of YouTube’s black hole, the struggle is real. That’s why Emergency Creative exists -- to help me reclaim a sense of purpose and control.
It’s a raw, simple way to channel my creativity and fortify my mental state before everything collapses again. Will it work? Who knows. But that’s the experiment I’m running, and you’re invited to watch it unfold.
Because even in the face of YouTube’s relentless suckage, we creatives have to find a way to keep going.
Buckle up. Let’s get creative.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever felt like YouTube is draining your creative energy, you’re not alone. Join me and subscribe to my new YouTube channel, and let’s get into it. How do you stay inspired and protect your mental health as a creative? Hit the comments in the video above or share your thoughts below.
