On (Apparently) Being an Inspiration

So, part of having a YouTube channel (and a half-decent one at that, thank you very much) is that eventually you’ll probably have a few people asking for advice on their own channel, saying that they admire you, asking you to subscribe to them, and so on. Logistically, as this sort of thing ramps up you obviously can’t give everyone your full attention, but I do try my best to at least be diplomatic because these people help to keep my channel moving forward, and I like being a part of the community.

Well, the other day I got a comment on one of my Funko Pop hauls from a user called Funko Boy, and he was basically asking me to check out his channel because I had inspired him to do a channel like mine. Now, one of the hazards of YouTube is that you’ll occasionally get comments like this that are copy-and-paste jobs that the user posts in the comment section of dozens of different videos with the hopes that someone, anyone will actually check them out, but I just had a feeling that this one wasn’t one of those. And if I’m totally honest, even the most cynical part of me was a little bit struck by the word “inspired”. So I decided to check this guy’s channel out.

Aaaaand, I was caught a bit off-guard, because although it really shouldn’t have been an enormous surprise or anything, this brand new YouTuber turned out to be a kid. Now, it’s not that I’m foolish enough to think that kids don’t do YouTube; it’s just that most of the YouTubers I’ve met and become friends with through our channels are adults…in fact, most of them are probably several years older than me. But this new Tuber, the one who said I’d “inspired” him, was very young. I’m terrible at guessing ages, but I’m thinking probably 13, max. And even more surprising? He was totally genuine about the inspiration part. This was no copy-and-paste job, because this kid actually talked about me in his video, said hello, and thanked me for being a YouTuber who responds to comments on their videos.

I was a little gobsmacked, to be perfectly blunt! As a parent, I know that I’m an important role model for my kid, and when I see her copying things I do (funnily enough, usually pretending to film YouTube videos with her toys) it makes sense to me because I’m one of the two most important people in her life, the two people she absorbs everything from. But to have a kid (maybe not a little kid, but definitely still a kid) whose a total stranger tell me that I’m his inspiration, create a YouTube channel, and then mention me several times in his video just to drive the point home…that’s really pretty amazing, and I can’t help but feel a little touched by it. Not to mention, I gave Funko Boy some advice on his first video, and instead of getting defensive or making excuses – which a lot of grown ADULTS tend to do in reaction to advice – he immediately re-shot his video using my tips, and that just kinda made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I feel like I want to track down this kid’s parents and let them know that they’re raising him well. XD He has an excellent attitude and has shown me, at least, tons of respect, and that’s pretty awesome.

So, obviously this young fella has a journey ahead of him because there’s a lot to learn when it comes to becoming a popular YouTuber, but he’s definitely got the right attitude in being willing to ask for and accept advice, and I think it’s super-sweet that he’s using me as inspiration, so I just thought I’d share his video with you guys today. It’s obviously not TOP quality or anything, but he’s just starting out and he’s absolutely willing to learn, and I think that’s awesome, so I hope you guys will give him a few views to cheer him on. Cheers, buddy. 🙂