No Watching YouTube for 31 Days

I’m going to try a personal challenge – no watching YouTube for the next 31 days.

That’s right. For the month of May, I’m going to make the effort to NOT watch YouTube. (This likely means no new YouTube videos on my channel, either. Apologies in advance to my YouTube channel subscribers. I will, however, be doing workshops with the Cartoonist Co-op as part of Nib and Ink Fest, and those workshops will be up on their YouTube channel. I’ll post links to those workshops in the next few days.)

“But WHY?” You might ask. “YouTube is everywhere! How can you possibly do no YouTube for the month of May?!”

So, before I get into the How, let me tell you the Why.

Why #1 – May is a BUSY month for me.

I mentioned the workshops I’m doing with the Cartoonist Co-op as part of Nib and Ink Fest. I will also be packing up and preparing to move to a new apartment before the end of the month.

“You could just put YouTube on in the background – “

No. That’s part of my next Why.

Why #2 – YouTube is More Distraction Than Helpful.

I need to keep my hands busy, usually with making comics and art, or packing my apartment up for the move. I can’t be distracted with shiny visuals. Also, I have caught myself – multiple times – scrolling YouTube to try to find *something* to turn on, but realizing that nothing is catching my interest.

This leads me to…

Why #3 – YouTube isn’t FUN anymore.

collage of my frustrations with YouTube as a platform

I made this collage yesterday to make art out of my frustration with YouTube. Because YouTube used to be fun.

Used to be.

Now, because of its algorithms prioritizing the same content delivered in roughly 1700 different ways (seriously, HOW MANY videos are there talking about “productivity” or “things I do to stop doomscrolling” – on a platform formulated for doomscrolling). There’s also the sponsors who are 99% of the time scams, the ads, and my once-favorite YouTube creators no longer being favorites…

Well, it’s time that I take a break from YouTube.

So, HOW am I not going to watch YouTube?

How #1 – the Unhook extension.

The Unhook extension built for Firefox has commands for when you *do* end up on YouTube. Unhook does things like turning off Shorts, bringing you to your subscription feed instead of the front page, turning off the comments section, and other quality of life fixes.

I’m leaving this extension on in case I have a moment of weakness and end up on YouTube. That way, Unhook makes sure I only see what’s in my subscription feed. Which, right now, is looking slim, since I unsubscribed from a lot of people who stopped being fun for me to watch.

How #2 – audiobooks.

I have a long-ass TBR list of audiobooks on hoopla, an app available from my public library. It’s basically free Audible (so stop paying for Audible. You literally get hoopla and Libby – two audiobook apps – free thanks to your tax dollars). So instead of turning on YouTube, I’ll turn on an audiobook.

OR, I’ll turn on…

How #3 – podcasts.

This one might be trickier for me, as I’m trying to cut down on the number of apps on my phone. Podcast apps are freaking storage hogs. Also, as it turns out, a lot of podcasts I listen to don’t have episodes available on their websites. Their websites are basically place holders to tell people, “Listen to us on Spotify!” Which does nothing to help me.

Still, some podcasts have their episodes on their websites, and those will be super helpful this month. I also have some of my favorite episodes downloaded onto my laptop, which I don’t mind listening to The Dollop talking about the 1904 New York to Paris Car Race for the 17th time.

How #4 – music.

Y’all. My music playlist on my hard drive is entirely too big and I don’t play it enough. I gotta turn on some tunes!

Also, my library offers an app called Freegal, where you can download 5 songs a month – for free – that you can keep forever on your devices. Freegal’s music library is a little tricksy to navigate, and they don’t have everything. Still, I like that they have some of my favorite bands on there.

If Freegal’s not your speed, hoopla also has music. Hoopla has a lot of songs that Freegal does not, like Chapelle Roan.

So here’s something I’d love to hear from you: how do you listen to podcasts? Let me know in the comments, because I really want to listen to more podcasts!

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

LIVE STREAM – Holiday Art-Making Stream

Today at 6 pm, it’s time for a Holiday Art-Making Stream! Let’s draw some comics and art. (Feel free to lurk while I work, either here or on YouTube.)

Be sure to check out the LIVE STREAM BINGO CARDS, which are available for free download.

Join my email newsletter to get the ROXIE Christmas special in your inbox!

💜 Leave a tip on Ko-fi!

🖌️ I’m available for commissions. Check this board for more info.

🎨 Tools Used:

Music: Kevin MacLeod, Louie Zong, and Streamyard

Streaming – Streamyard

Mic – Blue Snowball

Drawing – Clip Studio Paint

👏 THANK YOU TO MY CLUB SUBSCRIBERS! 👏

To get your name added to this list, join one of my clubs on Ko-fi.

  • magicalgirlkyra
  • All Unka
  • Raiden
  • Ella Q
  • Andrew Balch
  • Adam Vazquez
  • Maya Smith
  • Pat Jade
  • JessicaMcIntosh
  • RPZ
  • Bryce Bargar
  • Heidi Allison
  • Saphronia Maple
  • Cakes

And thank YOU for watching!

You. Are. Awesome.

Printer Proofs, Zine Fests, and Shop Updates

I have news about printer proofs, zine fests, and shop updates.

While The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 1 is still going back and forth, volume 2 has been approved for printing! I’m hopeful that this next iteration of volume 1 will be the final draft. Fingers crossed, yo.

I haven’t had time to assemble stickers or draw minicomics because of election stress. Also, I came back from Akron Comicon, which was a huge flop for me. (How hard did it flop? Well I sold so little that I had to turn to mutual aid to help me pay for the electric bill coming due soon.) Unfortunately, I will not be returning to that show for the foreseeable future. 

Speaking of events, this week I will be doing a lot with Queer Zest Zine Fest. So digital reward fulfillment is going to wait until next week.

Speaking of Queer Zest Zine Fest, I’m running a workshop tonight at 5 pm EDT, talking about Tabling at Events for Beginners. More info is on the Workshop page of the official site.

Queer Zest Zine Fest is also allowing me to showcase my work on Thursday at 5 pm EDT and Friday at 4 pm EDT. All 3 of these are on Zoom.

In other news, I updated my Ko-fi page to include some new pocket zines! Be sure to check that out – they’re all $1, plus $1 for shipping. I also have a Big Cartel shop where you can get sweaters, mugs, and notebooks. For the Big Cartel, 10% of all sales will go to TransOhio, an organization advocating and fighting for the rights of trans, nonbinary, intersex, and gender non-conforming people in Ohio.

a gray sweatshirt shows a red and orange dragon roaring. Around it are banners in trans pride colors, declaring "Protect Trans Kids!"

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

NOW ON KICKSTARTER – Reprinting The Legend of Jamie Roberts

Jamie Roberts is not a boy or a girl – they are a PIRATE! Jamie and their two best friends, Thomas and Daniel, find an unfinished map during a pirate raid and decide to leave the seas to hunt for treasure!

But the land they have arrived in has many secrets, including the secrets kept by their new employer, Ragun Basho. Who was chasing after him? Why is he talking about dragons? And who are these people Jamie is seeing in their dreams?!

The answers are revealed in the first two volumes of The Legend of Jamie Roberts, capturing the lush, vibrant, Indigenous-inspired world of this swashbuckling adventure.

Fans of my work may be like, “Hold up. You did campaigns for volume 1 and volume 2. What’s going on?”

So here’s the short version: when I made volume 1, I worked with a comics printer that ruined the first run of books. I did manage to get reprints, but let’s just say it was the latest in a long list of issues I’ve had with them in the past. After what happened, I switched to a new printer for volume 2.

However, the second printer raised their prices without warning over the last few months. They also have a minimum order that makes things prohibitive for me, a person doing all of it solo. That left me searching for a new printer, which leads us to this campaign.

This campaign is to help fund a new print run with a NEW printer for The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volumes 1 and 2. 

It means new and improved quality paper! Vibrant colors! Better pricing! All to share the magical genderqueer adventure that is The Legend of Jamie Roberts with as many readers, new and old, as possible.

“But isn’t this a webcomic? That I can read online for free?” Yes!

“So why should I get these books?”

BECAUSE…

  1. Both books have specific pages redrawn and remade from the original web versions.
  2. These books have extra content the webcomic site does not have, like  bonus comics, sneak peeks at the comics-making process, and more!
  3. By purchasing these books, you’re helping to continue The Legend of Jamie Roberts as an ongoing comic project. Seriously, we’re very close to releasing volume 3 next year! I plan on making 5 volumes of The Legend and need support from readers like you to make it happen.

This campaign starts October 1 and ends October 21 at 11:59 pm EDT. There will be a 24-hour “Late Pledge” grace period, but Late Pledges have a late fee. Keep that in mind!

We also have new add-ons and new stretch goals – so even if you backed the previous campaigns, there’s something new for you to check out, including…

minicomics are available as add-ons! Minicomics include The Legend of Azu-mi, The Legend of Norsa, Legendary & Casual, and Ranki in Cosplay
stickers are also available as add-ons for this KickStarter! Stickers include Thomas, Jamie, and Daniel dressed as punks, Basho's twin in a crop top, and Jamie posing with their sword

So if you’re able to support The Legend, go to the campaign and pick the rewards that work best for you!

Broke? Share this campaign far and wide! Be sure to use the link tinyurl.com/tlojr-reprint. Shares help more than you know. 

That’s all for now. Thank you for your time and support!

You. Are. Awesome.

I Have 3 Books Coming Soon

Today, I’m announcing not one, not two, but THREE books coming soon!

Canonwrite Productions announced their newest book, The Universal Flaws of Robotics. Watch the trailer on YouTube now.

Failure to Launch, a book I contributed to, is coming soon (if it’s not already out now)!

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:

⭐ Join my email newsletter to stay up-to-date on these new book releases.

Here is more info on Zero Draft July.

To get zines and stickers and other rewards – join my clubs, yo.

I mentioned last week’s video, which you can watch on YouTube.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

IF YOU LIKED THIS VIDEO…

💜 Leave a tip on Ko-fi!

🖌️ I’m available for commissions! Check out my Commission Trello board.

🎨 TOOLS USED:

Video Editing – Olive Video Editor

Drawing Program – Clip Studio Paint

Microphone – Blue Snowball

👏 THANK YOU TO MY CLUB SUBSCRIBERS! 👏

To get your name added to this list, join one of my clubs.

  • magicalgirlkyra
  • All Unka
  • Raiden
  • Ella Q
  • Andrew Balch
  • Adam Vazquez
  • Maya Smith
  • Pat Jade
  • JessicaMcIntosh
  • RPZ
  • Bryce Bargar
  • Heidi Allison
  • Saphronia Maple
  • GustyBV
  • Cakes
  • Isaiah Broussard Art
  • C McClain
  • Rainer Kannenstine

And thank YOU for watching!

You. Are. Awesome.