Red king studios You know, he's actually said that he was encouraged by his family around him to be creative a lot when he was younger, but that he recognises that that is the exception rather than the rule in our culture.
It's a paraphrased Ira Glass quote, where he is talks about how to succeed in creative work. www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/ira-glass-success-daniel-sax/
Same. When he said "people might want to keep you down" reminded me when I was starting a campaign as the DM and I had a player tell me how great their last DM was...
When documentaries are made about this generation of DnD, Matt Colville will be one of the names mentiond of the giants that helped the hobby rise to its peak.
"We develop taste long before we develop skill." Wise words Matt. I have watched your videos since I discovered them about a year ago. I like them because alot of your ideas are applicable not just to D&D and game mastering. But also to writing in general. :) I'd like to say I appreciate the work you put forth and the experience you bring to the topics you cover. :D
Matt: "There's a lot of reasons why you--yes, I'm talking to YOU--aren't running D&D right now." Me, having just finished running a five-hour D&D session four hours ago: ...................................................YEAH I SHOULD BE RUNNING D&D RIGHT NOW!!
Hollow Cat :( I don't know if roll20 is a good place to find a dnd group but you should give it a try. Also I think there are some subreddits that can help you find a group.
i've had multiple multi-year games, even with some of the same people. DM'd for ~20 years over ~6 different TTRPG editions. i hand-write all my stuff, world and campaigns both.... I still feel like i suck, often. We are always our biggest critics. If your friends keep coming back to the table, it's because they are enjoying themselves and you're doing something right (My best friend and longest gaming partner is the one who said this).
In a community of others trying to express their own ideas, it can be much more difficult to be heard. Sadly mcdms community can do that to you. You're better off seeking validation and feedback from people YOU care about than random DND playing strangers
@@nolangibson3673 I appreciate the offer, but I have only within the last month or so gotten to the point where I will share the world I've spent 20+ years making with my wife and three closest friends. Maybe someday I'll be brave enough to share it more publicly.
One thing I've always felt: ego can be a very powerful tool when it comes to creativity. Constantly believing you're the best at something isn't healthy, but believing you're one of the best just for a little while? Just while you're working? That gets things done. As far as DMing goes, it took me 5 attempts before I finally actually started running a good game. First time was a jokey crapshoot game. Second was another system that blew up in my face cause I had no idea how to run it. Third was my first time in Starfinder that I overprepared for, only for it to fall apart due to scheduling. Fourth was a small game with just two players, but gradually it was no longer taken seriously. Fifth was running a module, and it actually was the first time I successfully ran and completed a game. Now I'm DMing an original game of my own and it's going really well. It's fairly sandboxy, and channels like yours have helped me feel a lot more ready when running it.
"It doesn't mean you were wrong and you should stop; it means the opposite. It means you gotta keep doing it." Amen. A winner isn't someone who never lost. A winner is something who never let losing stop them.
"You might think you don't know anyone who wants to play..." I started DMing with the help of this channel. I asked 12 people if they wanted to play thinking I'd convince four. I now run for eight players in two different groups that meet every week. They want to play, they want you to ask, and they'll reward you over and over when they smile and laugh while playing through the story that was just an idea in your head you thought might be cool.
Thanks man. When I was a kid, my dad once told me that I shouldn't live off my art, that I would probably starve. I see now years later that he just wanted his son to live a comfortable life, but at the time that really struck me, and stuck with me. But so what, I didn't become an art major, because I honestly liked something else. And guess what, 2 weeks ago I finally ran MY first one-shot, inspired by your goblin tomb. For 1 veteran (my regular DM), 1 experienced, and 2 new players. And we all had a ton of fun.
I love when Matt just has an Idea randomly and makes it into a video. Just Imagine him sitting in front of his laptop reading through the "bla bla" under his latest Video and some jerk wrote "u sooo ful off yoself!" And him going like: "Hmmmm Hubris... I had a thought about this already.... Hold my Kickstarter money!! I have a script to write!" And smashing the video together within an afternoon. Maybe my favourite video so far btw
@@auail5594 I definitely didn't just include the word "illustrator" for context on why I feel so moved by this video. 👍 Thanks for keeping my ego in line!
Au Ail so you thought putting someone down for taking pride in being an artist, in a video about being proud for being an artist, was a good idea? Seriously, dude, fuck off
Being proud of what you do is a good thing. People need to stop guilting others for this. You are an artist! Celebrate! You have the courage to put yourself out there and allow your work to be judged. This means you are brave. So you are talented, proud, and brave. And I'm proud of you!
Don't know why I haven't discovered this video earlier. Your entire channel practically changed my life, and watching all of your video and advice, took me from running my first oneshots on a small town where the blacksmith's daughter was kidnapped, way into me being a full time DM, with my own unique setting and campaigns, and paying my bills by being creative on something that I love. This video is entirely the last two years of my life, being masterfully presented by you, arguably my mentor. Thanks Matt! Cheers to you!
That's awesome. Much respect for pursuing your passion and doing something you love. I am not brave enough to do it, but my life is better, much better, when I allow the stories in my head to take over and share themselves through me.
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a writer. I used to write my own short stories, and I'd take my writing to school and work on that instead of paying attention. I even wrote a book when I was in high school (never published). When I graduated, my father pushed me to get an "real job" to fall back on, because "art rarely pays the bills." Twelve years of college later, I'm an accountant with a Master's in taxation, a bachelor's in accounting, and three associates degrees. . . ALL of them Summa Cum Laude. I've had three internships at different accounting firms, two of which didn't turn into anything. After this past tax season, I fell into a deep, suicidal depression and have been home on unpaid medical leave for the last six months. I don't like my job (but it's better than working in fast food), I don't like my life, and I don't like myself. Until recently, I've been thinking about suicide at least two or three times a week (and I own handguns). I don't know what's recently changed, but I do know I've been DM'ing and playing D&D more often. I've been inventing NPCs, writing up character backgrounds, and expanding the details on the fantasy world I've been crafting since high school. I've also been reading more. Poetry, comics, and classics like Treasure Island. I think I'm rediscovering my love of reading. And maybe I should be writing instead of crunching numbers.
I sort of had the same experience in my youth. I wrote my first novel at age 40. I've got three published now at age 50. You can do this. Give it a go. it's worth it.
I was getting stifled by the “classic medieval fantasy” setting and decided to start doing Spelljammer. That was the fix I needed! Don’t let d&d stifle your creativity! Switch it up if needed!
@@bhatfield1417 i personally have memory deleting gremlins, i can think up genuinely good ideas and dialogues, but when i get placed at that table it all disappears and my creativity hides; i would love to try more in dnd settings but i've relented my creativity to writing, a few times i tried things like keeping notes, but you can't predetermine every question a human will ask and it leaves you feeling like your the worst because the words just dont come when you need them. which is so strange to me because while im fairly introverted i dont feel anxiety from public speaking
Hey, let's do it. My DND game became stagnant because I can't find the will to prep it well and I don't want to prep it bad. "No DND is better than bad DND". So, let's do it :D
@@thunderborn3231 Every novelist has their own style of writing dialogue or narrating a scene. So too with gm'ing. Sometimes I prepare elaborate linear stories with narrations. Other games I just write down 2-3 feelings that I want my players to have during a session along with a couple main NPC's and their motivations. Still other games, I might focus on only tactile elements--maps, setting, rooms, names, enemies, traps, etc. None of us prep everything. I cannot count the number of times my players wanted to know the life story of some random NPC that I made simply as an "extra" on the set. My advice: find a story setting or genre that already exists that you find utterly fascinating. Then, go find a rpg game system that facilitates that (e.g. if super heroes >> Mutants & Masterminds; if action films ala Die Hard >> D20 Modern; if twilight zone >> Chronicles of Darkness). Then, a lot of that stuff will feel more second nature and it won't feel -as- scary living in that world with your players.
I doubt you will see this in the sea of youtube comments, but you have some really creative, interesting, engaging, unique, and just plan good ideas. I don't say this enough but in light of your video, and trying to be the change I want to see, there it is. Great stuff Matt, keep it up :)
Whenever I see anyone who’s on the fence about DMing, either in person on Facebook or a forum, I link your RU-vid channel. More so than any other RU-vidr out there, you give people the tools and confidence to try. Your videos were integral in shaping how I DM when I picked up dnd after a 15 year hiatus.
I learnt to be an OK DM by watching this series... still watching because it is improving my skills, my players seem to think I am the most OKist DM ... thanks
I put my level 1-20 campaign on hold after 4 years of playing. We're near the end, the players are level 18 and the party has told me they want to complete it. I stopped initially because one of my players had a campaign that he wanted to run and when we started his, I felt inadequate. His world and writing seemed to me to be leagues above mine, his first time DMing and he was, in my opinion, superior to me. When my party told me they wanted to complete it, I figured that they were just saying that, I was self-conscious about the quality of my work. Watching this video has put the spark back into my desire to finish that campaign. I realize now that , of course that campaign seems lower quality to me now, my tastes have changed and my friend presented a new style of play that it turns out I really enjoy. Just because it's different does not mean that it does not have value. All this to say, thank you! I look forward to my party finally finishing my campaign!
Don't start art to make money. Start art to entertain. If you get really good and popular, you might consider making some money from it. If you make art for fun, there's really no cost to doing it.
@@eline8087 you know what, I don't really think that's 100% true. I play music very seriously and I've dabbled in composing (and more recently, I've gotten into DMing), but I've not really bought into the "true heartfelt emotions" stuff. I do it because it's fun. I fully believe you can make art without having any serious message to spread or anything to express through your art. Limiting art to "heartfelt emotions" rejects the idea of picking up your instrument to practice because you just heard an amazing piece of music and you have to learn the solo. In that instance - you're not expressing anything at all. Any emotions are purely manufactured by the listener. When I, personally, get on a stage, I'm not generally expecting to have a profound experience. I want to play the technical runs because they are fast and fun to play, and I want to play the slow parts because they're pretty. And, most importantly, I want to show off what I've spent my time preparing. Not trying to belittle the heavy stuff, but I don't feel like art should be given this stipulation that in order to write a good melody, you have convey the idea of of grief or have some kind of tragic backstory to explain why you're writing it. I think the best piece of music of all time is Gustov Holst's Planets. When you listen to Mars, is Holst attempting to convey a "true and heartfelt message?"
@@natekite7795 I agree with what you say there ^_^ definitely not all music (or art, for that matter) is about conveying very deep and heavy emotions, which is probably why "heartfelt" was a poorly chosen word, in hindsight. I used to play music very seriously too, and I recognise what you're saying. My most amazing moment on stage was when I got a relatively noisy room to get completely silent because of my playing. It's only happened once, when I switched from a technically difficult part to a very fragile part, and the focus that people suddenly gave me was an extraordinary experience - they were truly listening and following the story I was telling them, and to me that felt like a very deep connection - that's what I probably meant with "heartfelt". But music is definitely also about having fun and share your joy with others, and - why not - to show off how skilled you are / how much time you spend perfecting it. It's a performance too. I, like many others, admire and enjoy good skills when I see it. Holst's Planets are indeed considered to be his greatest works (whether he liked that fact or not, lol). Mars, being the planet of war, conveys fear, anger and chaos to me. Maybe that is, in a way, also a heartfelt message - just not the sad or romantic kind. But yeah, music doesn't need to have a very deep emotion behind it to be enjoyable or considered art.
Often times, it can be hard to contribute to a world in which there are so many ideas, so many people who do what you are doing what better. It is this idea of creativeness that I think stands apart: You don't have to create the greatest story or NPC's, or run the longest campaign. As long as you and your table are enjoying what you are doing, you are succeeded, and you are an artist. And, if you decide to share what you have done or your knowledge to a wider audience, I can almost guarantee there will be an audience out there. You just have to work at it, and get used to putting yourself out there (That's the step I am on now)
Thank you. I don't know how but I missed this video when it first came out (sometimes the algorithm provides). This is exactly the sort of pep talk that younger me needed, and heck, older me still needs. Thank you!
This monologue made me feel good about myself for running a whole homebrew world. I have never been traditionally artsy and tabletop games have given me the chance to fill the void and be creative. Thank you Matt for all your content. You have helped me become a proficient story teller (at least proficient enough to keep 5 players hooked). You are doing a great thing by being a beacon of information and goodness in the community.
Wow, out of all the wisdom you've given us in the Running the Game series over the last 3 years, I think this video and your #83 Roleplaying have provided me the most impact, guidance, and value. Thank you so much for all your efforts and your brilliance!
When i was a wee lad, i convinced a friend to audition at the local musical theatre group with me. His dad was so, so angry. Hadn't thought about this for years, but this video reminded me. Screw that guy! Thanks for the validation, Matt. Gave me the feels.
Damn...i actually needed to hear this. I stayed up doing an outline for my second ever RU-vid video and I was feeling alot of what Matt said here. Thank you. I needed this
I DM'd for the first time (Play by Post) two days ago, my dnd player experience being halfway through Mines of Flapdoodle and a lot of Critical Role. I messed up in a few minor places but overall I think I did a good job. Thanks to this channel and channels like this.
Not all art is music, writing, painting, or sculpting. If you have ever played D&D, to some extent you have been an actor. Maybe not an actor as we typically think about it, with prescribed lines and actions played out impeccably according to a script, but instead with improvised words and actions played out (sometimes sloppily and hilariously) according to what we think our characters, as we have imagined them, would most likely do in that moment. And in doing so, we become a weird combination of collaborative, in-the-moment, actors and directors, driving the story forward with each interaction that we make with the DM's world. And don't get me started if you are a DM.... 😁
My advice? You don't have to have proof on front of you that you're an artist or that you've created something. You just have to say it to yourself and *really* believe it.
As someone who recently found your channel and has watched dozens upon dozens of videos from it, GMing is now one of my creative passions even more than it was before. I am an artist, a worldbuilder, soon a musician, and after that a writer, and the great thing about being a GM is I can incorporate every bit of these into a game that will be special for other people and will bring people joy and make them think. It’s incredible. I’m only 17, but I can easily see this creativity (and other forms of it) being what I do for the rest of my life because it is what has meaning for me and allows me to bring others joy and show different perspectives on things
You've been an inspiration and a standout voice in gaming for me since finding you. I appreciate the video as a DM and just as a creative person in general!
a friend sent me this in the middle of an existential crisis and it changed everything for me. i just want to thank you mat, i really needed to hear this and more than anything i needed it at this moment, the timing is almost unbelievable. thank you.
"If you give it a shot and feel embarrased later [...]" This is a great point. Whenever you look back at your past failings and think it's lacking in style or skill, it means that practice is working. You are either getting a stronger sense of style or more skillfully adept to avoid what making what you don't like. Great topic, Mr. Colville. I will return.
I dont know why, but I feel like I so desperately needed to hear this. I think its because truly wise advice is uniquely u common. Thank you Matt, from one artist to another
There are many reasons why I watch your channel. You spoke into my fears and aspirations Matt. I am a young man terrified that I am chasing a stupid dream. I can't stop chasing the moon across the sky. That star that twinkles upon the shifting sands. I turn and the open sky beckons me onward. It may be folly. But who am I to say what is and is not possible. I have tripped and fallen many times. I will do so again. You have been a river giving me a little more life than I had before. Thanks to you I have started a D&D campaign, and that has given me more than I had hoped for. You have also given me courage in my creative pursuits outside of D&D as well. One day I hope to give back a little of what you have given me, as well as to pass some of that along to others. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Matt.
Thank you Mr Colville, your people drink from the the river that flows forth from you. As a father of twin boys who are young, intuitive and creative individuals I really needed to hear this. This helps, it helps to cement the feeling I have had regarding them leading a creative life. I want them to do what fulfills them and gives them joy and pride in their achievements, I want for them to be capable men that give to society how ever they see fit, and I hope that that is in some form of creative endeavour. I want them to understand that possessing the ego to put yourself out there in a creative sense is not a negative, and it does not mean that you cannot be humble and gracious. Thank you. By the way, I ran your Delian Tomb adventure for my sons, Noah and Hamish played their twin elvish brother PCs and loved it immensely (so did their friends). You helped get me back behind the screen over two years ago after a 12 year hiatus from my beginnings back in 78' and I owe you big time mate, it has been the best ride. Cheers Matt, you are appreciated more than I think you may realise.
Thank you Matt. I stumbled on one of your videos in 2015, and that's what got me started on this crazy adventure we call being a Dungeon Master. From painting and sculpting miniatures and terrain, to inventing worlds for my friends to explore, I've never done anything that has felt as fulfilling. I've always had creative leanings, but in D&D - I put every one of them to use. Writing, drawing, storytelling, impressions, reading, game mechanics, and leadership skills - everything I found interesting now suddenly intertwines. Thank you Matt. Thank you for continuing to entertain and inspire.
As someone who writes my entire campaign setting, npcs, plots, and everything from scratch (including a nearly 150k word campaign world).... my heart really goes out to hear you say these things Matt. You truly are a genuinely nice person that cares and nurtures our hobby.
...as someone who is just starting their YouTub journey into the TTRPG community I really needed to hear this. Thank you, from a long time GM and Storyteller.
I really needed to hear that right now. I started to cry halfway through the video. Thank you for everything and especially for this. Now, I'm going to go write some stuff.
I think I speak for everyone when I say, thank you Matt. You are a hero... an egotistical, humble, honest, self deprecating, successful at failing and then succeeding and then failing and succeeding yet again, inspiring fellow creative. Thank you, Matt.
As a 17 year old senior who's on the road to graduate and take my first steps in my career, wanting to be a singer, maybe a voice actor, a photographer and an artist, and most importantly a creator in the D&D world so people can enjoy reading my ambitious ideas, I did need to hear this, Matt. Thank you. You will forever be, and always have been, my role model.
Pride & Prejudice makes that distinction. Vanity is concern for how others see you. Pride is concern for how you see yourself. Is Pride a virtue or a fault, Mr. Darcy?
It’s been over a month (and maybe the first comment of the 2020’s) since this video came out, and I still come back to it at least every week. Thank you Ser Colville for this video and the articulation for why I am perusing a career in acting/ voice over. Without this I would never have started
I just recently started running my first table top game in over 20 years. I was first introduced to the wonderful creative outlet that is AD&D way back when I was 9 years old in 1980. There is a rambling backstory covering the almost 2 decades I played and ran games multiple times a week, why I stopped, what I did over the long hiatus, and finally the circumstances how I got back into it. I have been thoroughly enjoying your "Running the Game" series and have found the vast majority of your advice EXTREMELY useful. This video came at just the right time for me as I was having a bit of a struggle tapping into the long dormant "Tabletop DM" creative centers of my mind that I seemed to use so effortlessly 20 years ago to put together interesting and fun stories/adventures for my players to enjoy. I guess the distilled version of this is that I want to say "Thank you" Matt and keep doing what you are doing! P.S. I just backed your current kickstarter and also snagged a digital copy of "Strongholds & Followers" off your website. Least I can do to show my support of your channel!
Sometimes you say things that are exactly what I need to hear, Matt, and it dogs deep to my core and makes me a bit emotional. You're an awesome man, Mr. Colville. Thank you.
A former roommate of mine once once expressed a similar experience when he strove to better himself and become successful while growing-up in an inner city ghetto. His family and neighbors all told him, "You think you're better than us. Why are you trying so hard? Give it up!" He told me, "They hated to see me succeed. They wanted to break me down." Basically, they did not want him to leave the ghetto. He got out. Joined the military. Found God in his life. Started a career in medicine. Now he helps others. Which is far better than the naysayers he left behind in the ghetto.
