For years, I was the person giving advice.
I spent my time at YouTube working with artists, labels and managers, talking about what was worth making, what consistency looked like, and why platforms rewarded patience over time. I believed what I was saying because most of it was true, and I had seen those patterns play out across thousands of channels.
Then I left and started cooking for musicians on camera at Pak Pak Pakao.
I remember for one episode, my help didn’t show up the night before a shoot. The kitchen was a disaster. I stood there for thirty minutes, looked at the mess, decided I’d do everything in the morning, and went to bed.
For over a decade, I had told artists and creators to be consistent. I believed it then, and I still believe it now. What I had never experienced was what consistency feels like when the only person affected by your decision is you.
That’s the gap we don’t talk about. The gap between knowing something and knowing what it takes.
The best thing my time at YouTube gave me was knowing what good looks like.
The most useful thing the last year has given me is understanding how far I still am from it. Both lessons have been genuinely valuable. One simply took much longer to learn.
I’m not saying everyone should quit their job. What I am saying is that if your career involves advising creative people on how to make things, find a way to make something yourself. Even if it’s bad. Maybe especially if it’s bad.
The advice doesn’t change.
You will.
