Creating Online Video: The Mindset

This is Lesson One of Matt Estlea's Video Creation Masterclass.
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I started making videos in my second to last year of study into Furniture Design and Make at University. I was going through a really rough time personally and needed something to distract myself. I had been making stupid YouTube videos with my friends while growing up. And ever since starting the furniture making course, had always wanted to make woodworking videos. But the anticipation of​ embrassessment, failing, and wasted time always held me back. I​ now kick myself about this every day. ​​If I hadn't waited until my 3rd year of woodworking to start filming, firstly my business would be bigger. But I don’t care about that. What bothers me is that I could have had a full documented journey of my entire career ​from the very first time I set foot in a workshop. That’s what bugs me.

If you’re thinking about starting videos now. ​Do it now.​
You’re going to end up kicking yourself that you didn’t start it sooner anyway. So you may as well make it less painful than starting next week... next month... or next year. When’s it going to be?

Take the current climate for example. Just in case you’re reading this in the future, this was written during the ​Coronavirus pandemic​ that swept the entire world. Businesses were shut down seemingly overnight, people are not allowed out of their homes, and everyone has way too much time on their hands. So what are they doing to do? Yep, binge watch YouTube and Netflix. Spend more time r​eading.​​ Listen t​o music. ​Learn to draw or make things. If I had followed the path set out for me after university and got a traditional job in a workshop, business would probably not be good right now.​ I did the opposite ​and as a result my video views are up, sales of my woodworking plans have gone up, and I’m getting far more interaction as a result of everyone being locked up. 

Despite the current success, I’m also realising that prior to these events unfolding I would have believed that it’s far more plausible for the internet to die​ for a few months, than it is for the ​entire world​ to go into lockdown due to a pandemic. So although I’m doing well at the moment, I realise I have been incredibly lucky and am now working on ways to further ​diversity my business ​into physical products and services. Just in case we see the reverse of this situation in the future. So if like myself your business is primarily online, think about this for a minute.

Content creation in the form of videos, blogs, pictures, ebooks etc is ​building for the future.​ Once you create it, it lives on the internet f​orever​ and can be used to generate a supplementary ​passive income​ to your business, or even the main income. It’s important to grasp that as we ascend further i​nto the digital age, there will be more and more demand for this kind of online material. So don’t miss out on the window of opportunity you have and get started ​now! 

Matt Estlea
Matt Estlea is a professional furniture maker
now specialising in online teaching.
​
​You can find more on his website at: mattestlea.com

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Lesson Two: Equipment