what I learned from 300 days of vlogging (so far) - YouTube

Okay. Just under a year ago, I decided that I wanted to start vlogging. And while I am not a daily vlogger, the past 10 months have been consumed with recording my life fairly consistently. The whole experience so far has come with ups and downs and adventures and learning curves. All that to say, it's been loads of trial and error. And we have two more months until my one-year anniversary since uploading my first ever episode of the vlog and when everything really started to change honestly.

好的。大约一年前，我决定开始做视频博客。虽然我不是每天都更新，但过去的10个月里，我一直相当坚持地记录我的生活。这段经历充满了起伏、冒险和学习的曲线。总的来说，就是不断地试错。离我上传第一期视频博客并真正开始改变还有两个月，那时将是我一周年的纪念日。

So whether you are here for the journey or curious about the process, today I want to talk about three lessons that I've learned over the course of the last 10 months or 304 days of vlogging so far because we're not done yet. Done is better than perfect. When I first started making vlogs, I quickly realized the importance of picking up the pace and making things fast. I had to change my mindset and my approach to creating. I think I've suffered from perfectionism in the past and it has prevented me from putting more things out there. But I've learned that done is way better than perfect and done feels better than hanging on to something for way too long. Because trust me, there's always going to be things to add on and to change. And so it's better to just know when a video is done and when to finish something.

所以，无论你是为了这段旅程而来，还是对这个过程感到好奇，今天我想谈谈我在过去10个月或304天的vlogging过程中学到的三个教训，因为我们还没有结束。完成比完美更重要。刚开始做vlog时，我很快意识到加快进度和提高效率的重要性。我不得不改变我的心态和创作方式。过去我可能有完美主义倾向，这阻碍了我发布更多内容。但我学到了，完成比完美好得多，完成的感觉也比长时间拖延要好。相信我，总有东西可以添加和修改，所以最好知道什么时候一个视频算完成了，什么时候该结束创作。

Prior to this, I would spend so long working on a singular project. And by the time that it was out in the world, I was completely over it. And it wouldn't be relevant in my life anymore. So this time around, my mindset was if I was a painter, I would practice on smaller canvases rather than painting something like the Sistine Chapel. That's what we're going for. Different approaches, different final products, different learning priorities. All very necessary. For me, just having a continuous cycle of working on something new and being excited about it and being able to move on faster has sort of been this antidote to perfectionism. And it has really helped me embrace a more looser, creative process.

在此之前，我总是花很长时间在一个单一项目上。等到项目最终面世时，我已经完全对它失去了兴趣，而且它对我的生活再也没有什么意义。因此这次，我的心态是，如果我是个画家，我会选择在较小的画布上练习，而不是去画像西斯廷教堂那样的大作。这就是我们的目标。不同的方法、不同的最终产品、不同的学习重点，都是非常必要的。对我来说，不断循环地进行新项目，并对之保持兴奋感，然后能更快地转向下一个项目，这成了我对抗完美主义的解药。这种方式确实帮助我接受了一种更加自由、随性的创作过程。

There's definitely a time and place for things to be perfected and to be very meticulous. But this is not really one of them. It's more of a learning experience for me. It's also been a way for me to decide what I'm trying to prioritize at the moment. Am I making portfolio pieces or am I just trying to practice? And from this, I just want more of a place to explore versus like, I know everything and I'm trying to make the masterpiece of my life. But that could change depending on where you're at. Different processes for different seasons.

确实，有些时候和场合需要把事情做到完美，需要非常细致。但这并不是其中之一。对于我来说，这更像是一种学习经历。这也是我决定当前优先事项的一种方式。我是在做作品集呢，还是仅仅在练习？从这个角度看，我更希望这是一个探索的过程，而不是表现得我已经知道一切，并试图创作我生命中的代表作。不过，这可能会随着你的处境变化而改变。不同的阶段需要不同的方式。

Experimentation is key. You never really know what will resonate unless you're willing to do something different. I'm always trying to be open to experimenting, whether that's how I film, the topics that I want to talk about, or refining my process behind the scenes. One part of the process that I really enjoy doing and that I've been doing for a while actually even before I start to vlog is make storyboards. Honestly, my storyboards kind of look like I'm the only one who can decipher what's going on in there, but they help a lot. This is something that I cannot go without now. Even if it's just a little squiggle. Without experimenting, we tend to stay at this very comfortable level, but the moment we stop pursuing beyond that is when things start to feel stuck or redundant.

实验是关键。除非你愿意尝试不同的方法，否则你永远不知道什么会引起共鸣。我总是尽量开放地进行实验，无论是拍摄方式、想要讨论的话题，还是在幕后改进我的流程。我非常喜欢并且已经做了一段时间的一部分流程是，在开始拍摄视频日志之前就先制作故事板。老实说，我的故事板看起来像只有我自己能看懂，但它们真的帮了大忙。现在，即便只是一些小涂鸦，我也离不开它们了。不进行实验的话，我们往往会停留在一个非常舒适的水平，但一旦我们停止追求更高层次，就会开始感到停滞不前或乏味。

There's always going to be some level of risk involved when it comes to experimenting. The best is the name of the game. Whether something didn't go the way we expected or we have to scrap something altogether. But even then, it allows us to be more engaged with whatever we're working on. And even if there are field experiments and trust me, there will be a lot. You just successfully figure it out, which doesn't work. Which is equally as valuable. There's been times over the past ten months where I've either random time. Things were not meshing together and I would have to go through the very painful process of scrapping an idea. But it allows me to move on, which is the more important thing. And nothing is ever really, you know, tossed in the bin. I think you could always revisit ideas or make them part of a bigger project later on.

当涉及到实验时，总会有一定程度的风险。追求最佳效果是关键所在。不论结果是否如我们所愿，或者某个项目是否最终被放弃。这些经历让我们更投入于我们的工作。即使有很多实地实验，相信我，会有很多，你也会成功找到哪些方法是行不通的，这同样很有价值。在过去的十个月中，有很多次，我随机尝试，结果事与愿违，不得不痛苦地放弃一个想法。但这让我能够继续前进，这才是最重要的。而且，实际上，没有什么真的被彻底丢弃。我认为你总可以重新审视这些想法，或者在以后将它们融入更大的项目中。

I've come to learn this is always going to be an evolving process, but that is a good thing because it means that your work is growing too. So far, I'm coming to see what I naturally gravitate towards and finding my style with every vlog that I make. A big part of that happens in the edit, and especially with music. And that is where epidemic sound comes in. And a big thank you to them for sponsoring today's video. Epidemic sound is a music licensing platform with a whole catalog of sound effects and music. This is where I love finding the soundtrack to my videos and I even have a little playlist on there, just in case you are interested. I just search up the kind of mood or specific genre that I have in mind, download, drop it in my timeline, and go from there. And the best part? I don't have to worry about copyright when I use our subscription. Music is where it all comes alive for me. It sets a tone and influences a big part of the final product. If you want to take a chance on yourself and level up your videos, then I highly recommend Epidemic Sound for all your music and sound effect names. And when you use the link in my description, you can get a free seven day trial. So thank you to Epidemic Sound.

我逐渐明白了，这将始终是一个不断发展的过程，但这是一件好事，因为这意味着你的作品也在成长。到目前为止，我开始看到自己自然倾向于什么，并且通过每次制作的视频找到我的风格。很大一部分是通过剪辑实现的，特别是音乐。而这正是Epidemic Sound的用武之地。非常感谢他们赞助今天的视频。Epidemic Sound是一个音乐授权平台，拥有大量的音效和音乐目录。我喜欢在这里为我的视频找到合适的配乐，并且我甚至在上面创建了一个小播放列表，以防你感兴趣。我只需要搜索我想要的情绪或特定类型的音乐，下载它，然后放进时间轴，从那里开始。而最棒的部分？使用我们的订阅时，我不必担心版权问题。对我来说，音乐让一切都变得生动起来。它设定了一种基调，并影响了最终产品的很大一部分。如果你想挑战自己，提升你的视频水平，我强烈推荐用Epidemic Sound来获取所有的音乐和音效资源。而当你使用我描述中的链接时，你可以获得七天的免费试用。所以，再次感谢Epidemic Sound。

Lean into what you like. A personal journey for me in my 20s and into adulthood is rediscovering who I am and the things I like and really leaning into that. For a long time, I felt like I needed to be something else in order to be accepted. And as I grew up, I realized that is completely not true. And similarly, when you start making videos, do you think that you need to make things like everybody else in order to be successful? But actually, the secret sauce is everything that makes you unique. Your style, your interests, the movies you like, the music you listen to, the way you dress, the way you decorate your room, your influences, your worldview. Everything that is an amalgamation of you, that is what you lean into. And ironically, that is the first thing we turn off. And the journey is about getting back there.

追随你喜欢的东西。在我二十多岁到成年后的个人旅程中，我重新发现了自己是谁，以及我喜欢的事物，并真正投入其中。长时间以来，我觉得自己需要变成别的什么才能被接受。但随着我长大，我意识到这完全不是真的。同样的，当你开始制作视频时，你会觉得需要像其他人一样创作才能成功吗？其实，成功的秘诀在于你独一无二的特质。你的风格、兴趣、喜欢的电影、听的音乐、穿衣方式、房间布置、影响你的事物、你的世界观——所有这些汇聚成的你，才是你应当追随的。而讽刺的是，这往往是我们最先忽视的地方。找到自我并重拾这些才是真正的旅程。

I wouldn't say my videos are the traditional definition of logs by any means, but I wanted to see what my version of that could be. I often think of them as this hybrid sort of thing, but I combine it with the writing and the visuals of filmmaking, because that's what I know and what I like. I'm coming to accept that everything feels like a work in progress, but the only way to exponentially improve is if you keep doing it. And if you're not enjoying it, then you might be taking things a little too seriously. Anyways, it has been an incredible year so far, and it is not over yet. Let's finish off strong. And if you liked this video, please consider subscribing. I really can't believe we are like over half a million subscribers. This is literally insane. So thank you for being here. Thank you for being along for the journey. And as always, thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye.

我不会说我的视频是传统意义上的日志，但我想看看自己能做出什么样的版本。我经常把它们看作是一种混合体，我把写作和电影制作的视觉效果结合在一起，因为这是我所熟悉和喜爱的东西。我开始接受一切都感觉像是一个正在进行的过程，但唯有不断坚持下去，才能获得实质性进步。如果你不享受这个过程，那可能是你太过认真了。不管怎样，今年到目前为止真是太棒了，而且还没有结束。让我们继续努力，圆满收官。如果你喜欢这个视频，请考虑订阅。我们现在的订阅数已经超过五十万，这简直令人难以置信。感谢你的支持，感谢你一路同行。像往常一样，非常感谢你观看，我们下一个视频再见。再见。