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At the start of 2024, I told myself I'd create a new video each week. I didn't know exactly what I should make, but I knew it had to be simple enough to remain sustainable long term.

What I initially came up with failed, but it evolved into a format that has massively sparked my creativity - proving that it's better to start badly than to wait to start perfect.

Here's the creative journey in three short parts:

Version 1

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I thought it would be cool to share a short, weekly vlog of what I'm up to in my studio and sneak in a magical effect that would cause a double take.

The problem? There's no hint at all that something magical is going to happen (bad storytelling). Because of this, I found that no one was sticking around to see the magic. Only superfans of my work would be invested enough to watch until the end.

Version 2

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I tried to tighten things up by getting rid of the vlog-style talking and paired voice-over with a simple, visual trick.

Better, because it gets to the magic much quicker. But I'm limiting my reach by framing the storytelling as, "Here's what I'm up to in my studio." If you're not invested in me or my studio, then I'm still testing if you'll stick around to see the magic.

Version 3

(example at top of post)

I liked the immediacy and the potential of the voice-over, but I decided to scrap the involvement of what I'm up to in my studio. Instead, I'm starting each video with, "In this week's magical effect…"

For various reasons:

1. You're immediately told they'll be a magical effect - the promise of a payoff.
2. It suggests that every week, you'll get to see something cool. Great for new viewers.
3. It turns it into a game! I can purposely be vague or misdirecting when I tell you what's about to happen, and then see if I can trick you with my editing skills.
4. I get to be experimental. With it framed as a game where I'm challenging you to anticipate or find the editing, simpler or whackier ideas now work as complete concepts.

Conclusion

When in doubt, just start! It took me two months of exploring what didn't quite work to figure out what did work. I'm so creatively inspired by this new format and I don't think I would have discovered it if I had sat around waiting for it to arrive.