[Creator Chat #1] I want to punch my past self who thought 'AI makes it easy.' The outcome of a small YouTuber posting daily for 1.5 months while coughing up blood

'I want to become a new me.'

With that high-minded attitude, I took the plunge into the world of YouTube in December 2025.

Let me start with the results: YouTube is incredibly tough.

Today, let me share the story of one person's struggle, filled with tears and laughter, after starting a reckless challenge.

1. Overconfidence in NotebookLM and a total disaster

At first, I was full of myself, thinking, 'It's the age of AI now!' and uploaded videos I churned out using Google's NotebookLM. There was a time when I seriously thought, 'With this, videos will be finished while I sleep, and maybe a Silver Play Button will arrive when I wake up.'

The result was... a lack of growth that was exactly what you'd expect.

View counts were in the single digits. Audience retention was a storm of 'browser back' clicks within three seconds of starting. AI is versatile, but the YouTube algorithm seems to spot 'soulless, lazy work' in a split second.

2. Showing the determination of a 'human'

Finally waking up to the fact that 'I can't end it like this,' I changed my strategy.

I stopped dumping everything on AI, reworked my outlines, and researched thumbnails with bloodshot eyes, asking, 'What colors make people want to click?'

Furthermore, thinking 'Now is the era of short-form video!', I joined the fray with shorts, adopting a style of jumping on trends with everything I've got.

3. The ascetic practice known as daily posting

From there, I began a stubborn 'daily posting' routine for 1.5 months.

I've been living like a monk: waking up to think of ideas, editing during work breaks, and uploading at night with a prayer in my heart.

However, reality is cruel.

Even after 1.5 months, the number of subscribers hasn't crossed the 100-person barrier.

100 people, you know? That's a number that makes me wonder if it's just my relatives, friends, and people who pressed the button by mistake.

For a small channel, it's the default for a video not to even reach 100 views. Checking the settings screen about three times to see, 'Wait, is my video set to private?' has become my routine.

4. Finally, a ray of light...!

One day, while I was wandering through that 'infinite hell,' an incident occurred.

For some reason, perhaps because it caught the eye of the YouTube gods, one of my videos started to grow rapidly.

The number reached a staggering 3,000 views!

To a top YouTuber, that number might be a 'rounding error.' But for me, it was as shocking as seeing the Budokan filled to capacity. Every time a notification popped up, I would double-check my phone, trembling and thinking, 'Wait, is this a bug? Is this a glitch?'

5. Still, the journey continues

While I was basking in the afterglow of those 3,000 views, I looked to the side and saw videos with only '12' views lying there. YouTube is truly a fickle beast.

But once you've tasted that 'thrill of growth,' there's no going back.

The wall of 100 subscribers is still thick, but I think I'll keep running through this darkness for a while longer.

If I have more progress to report, please let me share it here while we laugh it off.

For now, I'm going back to editing today's quota...

(Afterword)

If there is anyone out there thinking, 'Maybe I should start a YouTube channel,' I want to tell you just this one thing.

'Don't think you can get by with just NotebookLM!'

If you'd like to support me, please do check out my YouTube channel!