I very much agree. Mondays with my Porch Coffee mug, listening to the week past and stream of thoughts from Claire, has become my every Monday morning routine. ♥️
yes I don't watch the channels that operate more as businesses unless I need relevant information from them But this one makes it feel ok to just be me so I check back every week!
@@PossumMedic Me too. I do appreciate the individual need for income but there is now so much choice on RU-vid that long shout-outs to Patreons and too lengthy product promotions (especially if these don't relate to the subject of the video) may make viewers switch off.
You're helping so many autistic people. That's not a failure. Thank you for having your channel. Every weekend, I look forward to Porch Coffee on Monday.
My *psychiatrist* said I didn't need an official diagnosis because I was a "functioning" adult. This was right after we had discussed how I'd had to quit my job due to severe burnout.
My psychiatrist was skeptical that I needed the diagnosis, but also did not feel qualified to make it. You might still ask if he can refer you to anyone that can make the diagnosis. In my case, I was seeing a counselor who was able to point me to a clinic that was doing some unspecified testing for his kid, and it turned out they also did adult diagnoses. It was really interesting doing the evaluation because you could definitely tell the place primarily served kids (toys in the waiting room, etc).
i'm so sorry this happened. i think this is a very common response. i think there is an assumption of, you have made it this far and you're okay - but we are not ok and need the confirmation to help ourselves
I had a similar experience a couple years back, when I first went to a psychologist for evaluation after self-diagnosing. The psychologist said that he wasn't seeing any impairment, and sent me on my way. A couple years later, some things happened to where I wound up in front of a different psychologist who specializes in autism. At the beginning of the session, he said that neurotypical people don't generally self-diagnose themselves with autism. At the end of the session, he diagnosed me with autism. This was just last week. It was very validating to hear that. My IQ is about 130 and I am very high masking, very skilled at emulating neurotypicals, and very skilled at hiding it when I don't understand something that neurotypical people understand. Your self diagnosis is valid. You are a member of the autism community. Go get yourself an autism cake to celebrate, and give yourself the freedom to "act more autistic" (which I have found very liberating in the 4 days since my diagnosis).
That really sucks. I've heard similar lines too. I run my own 'failing' business, 'Why, you might ask?' because I can't hold a job where I have to communicate things with other people. I did once have a job for 5 years, but I was in a back room by myself, not having to communicate with anyone. I've now had my business for 5 years and it keeps me afloat, just. But there's a lot of things that I can't afford, things that I would like. I can't afford a professional diagnosis for one, and I can't afford to continuously see a Psychologist. I should have started this rant with "Don't get me started..."
Maybe think about it this way: You are a calm place to come and relax. A place to enjoy a variety of different crafts. I love your thrift store hauls..
Happy Monday Claire :) If you would choose to do another channel. (and that is a big IF), you could do "Woodshed Theory Autism" and "Woodshed Theory Yarn"..... it would be easier in terms of algorithm. But just know that even though your growth is slower with "just" Woodshed Theory as it is today. The people that then subscribe, will stick with you. You are building a loyal following just being YOU! You are awesome Claire!!!!! Much love. Hugs from Norway!!!!! 😘😘
Hi Claire, I think you answered your own question. Your channel is about you…Autism, yarn, sewing. Keep doing you! You have helped me with your humor and honesty and I just love Porch Coffee!
I appreciate your work Claire. Since I got my diagnosis I seem to be losing friends and I am working hard to find communities where I belong. You have created one here for me and I am sure many people feel that way and this will continue to grow! Also, whenever I see you as a guest on other RU-vidrs' channels it makes me excited to watch as you always bring so much relatability and value. Hope you have a great week
I'm sorry to hear this. I've always found it confusing why RU-vid calls accounts 'channels' when they actually reward creators who create videos more along the lines of a TV show (one main theme and similarly edited videos) so it's frustrating for those of us who want to be a bit more experimental. I learned from my creative channel that even making tutorials along with process videos is way too much for the algorithm to cope with 🤪 - hence why I started a new channel for videos about autism. You deserve way more folks to join your community so I wish you well going forward! 🧡
Happy Monday Claire !!! Your channel is not failing your doing better than me. My channel I’m loosing subscribers by the day 😢 iv lost 12 in 3 days. About creating content create what your passionate about so not let people tell you what to do. I create about what I want to talk about on my channel. People seem to think they can control what people create content on it’s crazy. Love ya sis ❤
I love your channel and your authenticity! I'm glad you keep showing up! This is my daughter's last week of kindercamp. She's had a blast, and I'm so proud! This morning, my son didn't want to get on the van for ESY. It breaks my heart to see him so anxious. Usually, he's pretty excited about going to school, but I think after the weekend, it's hard to switch gears. I'm trying to shake off the tough start and begin anew. Hope you have a good week, Claire and friends! 💞
The algorithm is a fickle boss, never clearly stating what the expectations are and somehow rewarding coworkers for no apparent reason. This job isn't a meritocracy, and the boss has been known to misrepresent the metrics used to analyze job performance. I wonder if the feeling of failure comes from that conflict of interest - the boss demands one thing (play the game by its nebulous rules), but your heart (rightfully so) cries out for beautiful, nonconformist authenticity. The analogy of the algorithm being a narcissistic spouse could also work - the marriage is at times intolerable, but you're raising kids together, and at least the house is big enough where you have space to yourself. I feel for you. It's a tough space to navigate. It makes sense that you feel disappointed, and I hope the response to this video brings your heart peace. 💌💞
It is, I usually don't get shown the non-porch coffee videos without looking. Although that's partially because I'm not interested in that sort of crafting in general. There's thousands of subscribers now and I think this bit of discouragement is a part of why some experts recommend making a video for the public and one for the creator. It may even need to be 2 for the creators for the ND folks since it can be a lot more of a challenge to go through to get the videos out.
hi what great comments - i know you "get it" too. i think it's just that I want to share my real and authentic self, and have people understand and accept me - to celebrate that in myself (and others)
It makes my heart happy to see all of these supportive comments. Also, I wanted to thank you for your consistency with Porch Coffee every Monday! I don't comment often, but I am growing increasingly aware of how important it is for the algorithm so I hope this helps!
Thank you so much, Claire, for all you do with your channel. My Monday mornings have changed so much since I found your channel and then got my Porch Coffee mug at Christmas last year. I start my week with you and coffee every week. I am into fiber arts and am a mixed media faerie doll maker and wire wrap jewelry artist, so I understand how hard self promotion and brand building can be…exhausting, which can bring seeds of doubt when things don’t move or develop as hoped. I have way too much embroidery floss, but it brings me intense joy, so I can get behind the joy of new yarn projects or yarn hauls. I crocheted when I was a child, and never learned to knit…yet, but take great joy when you post a yarn, crochet, hat, or thrift video in addition to your autism content. Thank you for making a space here with your channel. It’s interesting, inspiring and peaceful. It’s really is a lovely space with great content. Also you have a wonderful community. This is a fickle place, RU-vid, and from a business perspective it’s not always the most dependable, all the while being quite demanding. I know that this will improve. Keep going, make changes as needed to achieve what you wish from your channel, but never doubt that you and your content haven’t made a big impact. You have and It has. Right with you on this journey. ♥️
I really appreciate that you keep showing up. What you are doing here is important. I myself have a failing small business that I have been trying to revive for years now but I think that my niche has become over saturated. Gone are the days when you resell clothing online easily. Gone are the days where you could list a few things on eBay and have them sell the first week. Etsy is such a dumpster fire that I had to pivot from handmade to vintage and now I am changing what I am carrying as well. It is my part time autism job, because I also feel like I need to support my family to a certain extent and struggle with feeling like a total failure.
Hi there, I am sorry you are experiencing a struggle as well. Working for yourself is a struggle, it is so hard to make it work even if you are putting the hours in. I hope things turn around for you.
@@WoodshedTheory Thank you! It has been going downhill for years now. I am currently working on getting out of clothing resale. There is no profit in that anymore. It is even difficult to resell vintage clothing online. There are just too many clothes in the world at this point. I feel like the internet is oversaturated in general at this point and it is very difficult to get a foothold anywhere doing anything.
Hi Clare, I love porch coffee. Thank you. I shared your Taylor swift dress video with a family member. Who may watch it. Keep going on your channel and take care❤ ❤❤
Your channel is absolutely not a feailior!. You give validation and support to so many people in the Autistic comunity, just by being you and sheering. Never stop being you Claire, and do what you like just to fit in to the algorithm and mainstream🙂🙏.
I love Porch Coffee. And I love that you post videos about your special interest. You have an amazing ability to create so much through crochet. It's a shame about the algorithm. It's much like business in general. And it sucks. I love your content, Claire ❤️
Thanks for another awesome porch coffee!!💖 I haven't commented for a couple weeks since it has been freezing cold here (,,,for an Aussi), and I have been overwhelmed with things. I love all the woodshed theory videos, and I don't even do much in the way of crafts. I hope everyone has a great week - sending best wishes!!✨
Good morning! You mentioned changing the thumbnail of the Taylor Swift dress video and it's funny because when I seen it I thought, "Ooooo nice thumbnail! I bet that's getting a ton of hits! Good job Claire!" Sad to hear it isn't getting the views you hoped for, that sounds super frustrating. 😒 I can relate on the not having a niche thing as an AuDHD'er. Photography is my passion/special interest, but I get bored easily with sticking to one genre. I love photographing new places (landscape, urban & abandoned), animals (wildlife, pets & livestock), as well as flowers, mushrooms, insects and old dilapidated objects, you name it. I also having different editing styles, depending on my mood. The most common artist business advice I have received has been to niche down and then niche it down some more. That makes me die inside, because I find beauty in so many different things, which, in turn, brings me immense joy! Sticking to one subject feels like not being true to myself and a death sentence. Do I choose a successful business and a source of income over creativity, joy, and authenticity? Also, the marketing aspect was overwhelming for me, I felt like a marketer that sometimes goes out to take photographs = soul death. It's not easy being green! 💚
Hey, Claire. I can relate to your frustration. I recently started a channel and it's gotten no views which has been very disheartening. I don't want to play the algorithm game. I just want to make content that helps people. As a late diagnosed AuDHD person, your videos have been so supportive and validating. Thank you for all you do for the community!
i get it - it is REALLY hard to get a channel going. I remember in the beginning if I got 300 views on a video that was huge. It really does take time to grow.
I like your channel, Claire. You keep it real, and you seem like a super nice person who is successfully handling your ASD, and setting a positive inspiration for the rest of us. Algorhythms smalgorythms. 😊👍
I enjoy your channel. It encourages me to be an advocate for my autistic adult children. I think you do a wonderful job. I am trying to get my daughter to watch you.
Just been lurking here for a while - but wanted to say I find it very calming to listen to you sharing about your week and passions. I'm still not officially diagnosed (wait lists are 2 years here, I'm almost half way there) and it's been challenging to find autistic people I can relate to but you are one of them. It's been helping me feel more ok about this significant shift in how I see myself
So a few things; your channel will not fail because you are passionate about what you present to us, and we love it! Next, be kind to yourself, you’ve only been here three years, and look at how far you’ve come! Personally, I love diversity in a channel. It shows that you’re human and have many interests that you want to share. I’ve learned a lot from your channel and it’s a combination of sewing, autism awareness, and the passion you have for creating new things! Keep being yourself and more people will show up. I believe in you ❤
I think it's beautiful that you've held onto that freedom to create videos that feel true to you. Algorithm battles are tough, especially since Google doesn't outright tell you the formula, but you went in knowing that and went with your gut regardless. I know two channels would be hard to maintain, but some people have found success making fewer videos but having longer ones when they do drop something. Maybe splitting them up and creating what you're passionate about in the moment, but really going in with a longer video might be the way to go? Maybe creating a backlog for a new yarn channel so if/when you go live, you have content ready to go that shows the algorithm what you have to offer?
You are not failing, while my schedule does not allow for my participation in your live events, your channel helps me get through every day navigating an allistic world. Please keep your channel alive.
Hi Clare! I'm sorry I've been a bit absent lately. I've been going through some bad things myself and trying to hang on to my job. Looks like I've lost my battle but I can at least still support yours. Keep doing you in the knowledge that you are valued by us ❤
The people on this platform whom I appreciate the most are those who show up with vulnerability and authenticity like you do. It's a sad state of affairs when systems like RU-vid and its algorithm hold such power over a creator's reach and growth when they will never be able to select for those qualities. Even if your channel doesn't grow as quickly as it could, I believe you are enabling stronger connections than many by building them on the solid foundation of your *actual* self. I appreciate you, Claire 🙏🏻... And I applaud you for not contorting yourself to play a machine's game.
Yesterday I was thinking "Tomorrow is Monday, so there will be Porch Coffee with Claire🤩". I really love it. But, honey: even if I would really miss it it would be totally okay for me if You need a break or will decide to not do anymore, because it doesn´t make You feel good😘. And I really like EVERYTHING You do. It´s nice to just have fun talking about special interests. By the way, the Taylor Swift-dress-video was really good (and I am not a Swifty), whatever the numbers tell You! Berlin is having another day with 30 °C and I am melting🥵 Let´s do best as we can and have a wonderful week, Claire and Porchies👋
I have to say that I LOVE the fact you have both autism videos and yarny videos. I am super into the fiber world as that has been my special interest for the past several years, and my newest special interest is learning everything I can about autism and ADHD. You bring me both! Thank you so much for sharing YOU with the world! 💖🌸🧶
I really like that you're so authentic. You have this positive vibe that I find calming, and I watched almost all your videos a year ago when I first discovered I'm autistic. You are one of the people who made me feel really good about myself at such a critical time. I don't take your time for granted and I imagine your videos must take enormous energy and effort. So I just want to say I appreciate you, and I imagine you have made so many peoples' lives better. Thank you Claire.
Hi Claire. I found you through crochet, on a livestream, and decided to check out your channel. I look forward to Porch Coffee every week, and I love all of your other content as well. I am not a member of the autism community, so I don't often comment on your videos, but I have learned so much about autism from you and others you feature on your podcast. You just keep being you, because I think you're terrific.
Thanks for this conversation Claire. I think it really hits on something I’ve been mulling over for years…and that is how do I define success for myself and how do I make that sustainable financially. I feel like this reframe helps to get away from comparison and attachment to metrics of success that just don’t fit (or burn us the eff out). Also separating the financial piece into a separate category from meeting my creative goals has helped to prioritize what I need to focus on and when. From what you have shared, it actually sounds like you are being extremely successful in your goals around creativity and healing. So perhaps it is more about asking yourself what do you need in terms of financial sustainability (rather than just growth for the sake of growth which ends up being a moving target). Sorry if this is a bit of an unsolicited advice comment lol. I am writing this to myself as much as I am to you.
please don't be sorry this is a great comment - i think you are 100% correct - i feel i am reaching so many of those goals but i do need to turn now and look at how to be successful with the other goals, mostly making my financial goals happen. great comment.
@@WoodshedTheory thanks for understanding and not taking my comment the wrong way, by all means like Taylor Swift if you want to and I definitely support you and I’m sure your dress turned out great. I hope you enjoy wearing it
You could do all the things for the algorithm; however, you get to put out what you like and you've got a good community that does like you as you are.
I just subscribed recently and wanted to let you know I appreciate your content. I'm 46 years old and just received my official autism diagnosis a few weeks ago. Your channel is helping me understand myself better and I have had similar struggles with maintaining friendships since I was young. I like many late diagnosed autistics discovered my own autism through a child (I have twin sons with one being on spectrum). I'm starting my journey to be kinder to myself and truly know me.
First off, the vast majority of the things that we "fail" at, are because we give up. What I see is winning. You haven't given up, you're well on your way to 14k subscribers and you look way more comfortable on camera than you were in the beginning. I absolutely hate editing my footage because I can't help but be super aware of how awkward I still seem on camera, but I'm still working at it. Making around 160-180 stops in this swampy ass summer heat as a delivery isn't helping very much in the process, but I intend to build my castle even if I have to carry the stones up the hill on my back, one at a time, to do it. As far as the algorithm I think you should seriously consider spinning up a new channel for the yarn (pun fully intended (I'm sorry lol)), and potentially a separate porch coffee channel. The algorithm really just wants to feed content that is likely to keep the viewer on the platform, so if it see's that some of your videos get significantly fewer views it won't have the "confidence" to simply recommend it. If I had to guess I would say you probably get most of your views from the subs page, which depending on how you look at it is awesome since it means that the people who ARE watching actually really have your back. At time of writing this you've got a 2.5:1 ratio of views to likes, which is FANTASTIC. At the same time, getting most of the views from the subs page means that RU-vid isn't feeding it to new viewers as much. What I've noticed is that most big channels, especially ones with longform content, will have a sort of niche. Not all of their content fits that though, and so they have a secondary channel where they can put it without causing fluctuations in their stats. I think what you may be needing is a bit of strategy. Whatever doesn't fit in the strategy put on the second channel. I can assure you that if you make it, most of us will sub to it. As far as MY week, I've been attempting to stay as cool as I can while also keeping as quick a pace as I can at work. I absolutely LOATH the summer, and the fact that I work almost entirely alone and only interact with other people in short scripted dialogues in which I can basically just become a NPC is probably the whole reason I have yet to actually pin down a job in which I WON'T be melting in a sensory hellscape for about 1/3rd of the year. I'm still working on making content but that of course takes back seat to survival, so it's slow going. Either way Shed Monster Army strong! You got this >:3
Oh my godess, packet delivery in that heat! That sounds very challenging to me. And as You told You are a delivery person, I have to tell that I am always afraid of them coming. So I am using the DHL account (live in Germany) to give the permission to put them in front of my door. Then opening the door of the house after ringing with the automatic opener and waiting behind my flatdoor until the stairways are quiet again to secretly get my package. And feel akward🤦♀. After my big shutdown in april when I wasn´t able to talk for some days I just went on not talking to delivery persons because it felt much less stressful that way just smiling and knoding/bowing at the end. Felt first horrible like betraying and same time unfriendly but then thaught how much I would appreciate it beeing the delivery person. So I liked reading You don´t like to chat with people (or did I get it wrong?).
@@WoodshedTheory I did my best. At least it is technically my "weekend" today and tomorrow so I can reconstitute my melted candle self into something more solid and human.
@@katzenbekloppt_mf I think it really depends on my mood more than anything. If I'm in a good mood I'm generally willing to engage in banter because I know it will be short and generally the worst that could happen is that some random person I don't know thinks I'm weird or gets offended by misinterpreting something I said. I think the only place that trips me up is when they try to make a joke that I wasn't expecting. Otherwise the conversations are very predictable and safe. If, however, I'm stressed or upset, or if the heat index hits 115F (46.1C) and the air has the texture of soup, I'm really just trying to put the package down where it goes so I can get done. I'm extraverted by nature, so I like the occasional conversation, especially with the people who give me `Tism vibes, but more often than not I don't have the time to chat. Amazon expects me to maintain a pace of roughly 20 stops per hour, which gives me 3 minutes to drive to each stop and deliver the package. Sometimes the stops are next to each other, but often the next stop is 3-5 minutes away. Thankfully most people see me walking up quickly, drenched in sweat and breathing hard and decide to keep it brief. Also, I'm not entirely sure I understood, but you said the front door to the house opens automatically for them. Is this a common space or do delivery drivers have access to your actual living space?
@@LunarGlowMedia I live in Berlin like most citizens in german cities in a small rented flat. Normally You have this doorbells there where people ring outside and then You can talk to them pressing a button (or not if You don't want to) and then open the house-entrance-door with another button. It makes a "bzzzz"-sound then for the people waiting for it to open so they know when to push the door. And then there is the doorbell outside of the apartment-door. Mostly they have different (horrible) sounds. Yeah, I know how horrible the conditions for packet delivery are and I would happily pay more to change that. It's a shame! All the years I did not use Amazon but not a year ago I finally gave up, as I don't get certain things elsewhere. But I try to get things directly from the people selling it and books always from small private owned bookshops I live nearby. And for Amazon I always put things on a list until it makes sense for me to order them alltogether and on one deliverydate to make it the easiest I can for me and them. And in this heat I order just what I need urgent, like my weekly grocerys or catfood (have no car). To do work with Your body up to 30 degrees is dangerous I think, more then 40 I simply can't imagine! How do You survive that? Isn't there a border where there are health-caused restrictions for companies to save their workers? I know the US has no good worker-laws, but they don't want people to die I guess. I hope You get at least a lot of water-bottles. My dad was argentinian from the north where it is tropical, there the people are used to it. But if You are not from Texas, New Mexico or Arizona I guess most US-citizens are not. And I start sweating here indoors just doing the washing or cooking at around 30 degrees (today luckily "just" 27. Last night went out to bring away the trash and put a letter in a postbox after midnight to walk in cooler air. Don't know how my cat does it (but she throws away tons of hair now for a while, no matter how often I comb her). I wish You all the best. And think about if the nice silent delivery-men (I just saw one woman) are maybe fellow autistics. Maybe I should get some bottled water to give it to them. But then the grocery-delivery-men have to carry it here, which wouldn't be so clever then in the end🤦🏽♀️
After diagnosis I found several steps of emotion I went through... Culminating in an overall sense of peace with who I am. I have never felt this at peace within myself. that is why and worth the diagnosis!
Hi Claire! I enjoy all your videos no matter the subject. I know sometimes longer videos i have to watch over a couple days sometimes. But I enjoy them! Good week over here. Im getting to have a mostly stay-at-home/no-activities week and it is giving me much needed stress relief.
I hope you don’t feel like a failure. I enjoy your channel, and I know a lot of other people do too. Keep doing your thing. I’m excited to see what you have coming up. So mysterious….😉
i don't think i feel like a failure, maybe sometimes i get discouraged, but i am so proud and happy with the community we have here. i will keep showing up! thanks for always supporting me
air conditioning is really unusual here in switzerland - we just deal with room temperature of around 25°C 😅 but the way our house is built, the downstairs office has 5°C less then the rest of the house so that is where you can find our very furry dog these days 🤣 we had a very cold and rainy summer so far and are actually enjoying the warmer days 😊
Berner Sennenhund - of course! 😂 can‘t live in switzerland and not have one of those 🤭 though I live kinda close to Appenzell and here the Appenzeller Sennenhund is more common, same colors though 😊
@@simoneholenstein6977 Awww🥰 My mother was teacher in Germany and her one "Lehramtsanwärterin" had one Berner Sennenhund I totally fell in love with as a child.
@@katzenbekloppt_mfthey are the best dogs but sadly their life span is really short. our baby is 2 now and we‘ll consider ourselves extremely lucky if she makes it to 10 😅
Well I for one, love your vids (even though I'm sooo jelly over your yarn collection lol. I kid.) I might not be "eyeballs on screen" the whole time because brain no like do same thing long. But know whether I'm helping mom, crocheting, or banging around on my keyboard to whip up some music, love the vids, keep em comin'!
I'm glad you haven't given up on your channel. I don't get the algorithm thing but the pressure it puts on y'all is horrible. I will continue to watch and enjoy your videos.
This past week, I have been alternating between doing nothing and doing a lot. I have been preparing for this week's 3 day road trip that ends on the other side of the same timezone, which I sometimes think that it should be a different time zone.
Claire..my only friends are on the internet…and even the is hard. I’m 64, too old to try for diagnosis. Easier to just retreat to my room and ignore all the overwhelming stuff. I don’t have good results with medical professionals. Even just for regular health issues. Your voice is quite soothing..
Hope you feel better soon, you truly have accomplished a lot and seem to be in a lull spot. I'm sure it's going to pick back up soon. I've had a bad couple of weeks so I didn't record anything myself. ❤❤❤
Claire? I missed this until today (Thursday). Busy week. More than usual. I love your special guest appearance in affiliated channels. 😊 I like the rule breaking ‘speakeasy’ nature of your channel. You put out great content. Maybe in need of a tweak but not a failure.
I only have 85 subscribers so your way ahead of me, be proud of what you have, I only wish I could have half of what you have. Now I'm dealing with a family crisis so who knows if I can do videos again, so much is gonna change and I have lots of stuff I gotta figure out.
I think it’s awesome that you are marching to the beat of your own drum here. I’m sorry that it feels like you are failing ,but I’m who’s eyes? Keep staying true to yourself Claire
I love your channel!! It helped me get diagnosed!! I have 500 followers on my RU-vid channel, I have a ton of different types of videos and I've thought about letting my channel go, but I love doing the videos and I feel that if I'm showing up, doing videos then I'm never failing! If I help one person with my channel then it's worth it!! I believe who is supposed to find me, will! I don't edit my videos, I'm just real and raw. I love your videos and how real you are!! Just keep being true to you and know you are helping people!! I love all your different types of videos!! Just the other day I told my daughter to watch your videos on crocheting. She's 20 years old who is autistic not diagnosed. She loves to crochet and I told her she should watch you!!
I had another RU-vid channel before this one that had about 20 followers. I deleted that one when I experienced the brain injuries and started fresh with this one in 2021. Then slowly my followers have increased over the last 3 years.
Hey there Claire, not failing but genuine YT channel. I caught up with porch coffee earlier today but I was exhausted from the really long walk we had done earlier. It was all down hill and then all the away back up again. It's now 9pm and I've only just woken up from an afternoon snooze that was a lot longer than I expected. I'm definitely not as fit as I used to be 😂. It's the last few weeks of school now for the kids and we are all needing the summer hols to start. When we got home earlier today porch coffee was the only thing keeping me awake. I loved your video of the crocket Taylor Swift dress I thought the video and the dress were excellent, so I might just have to give it and extra view. See you next week for coffee. 😊
thank you for always supporting me helen - i try to be genuine - also there is nothing like a late afternoon nap to make you not know what planet you woke up on lol
Perhaps a simple change would be to rename your amazing channel to something like "Claire's Woodshed Theory" as new people are probably wonder what's a woodshed theory and not click or perhaps wonder why there's a lady in the picture (is there anything sinister going on etc). Also it makes it more personal so on brand for your intentions. Maybe it could be "Woolshed Theory" 🤔
Quick excursion into dreaming 😊 wouldn’t it be magical if your craft room and gorgeous materials were in the woolshed. With appropriate conditions of course. Your integrity humor and intelligence are always a pull to watch. You’re so likeable. But all that emerging from the ‘woolshed’, your personal base, would be awesome
@@WoodshedTheory you are most welcome Claire! I'm really surprised that's the first time someone has mentioned one of those specifically. I do seem to have an uncanny knack of deeply understanding people once I get to know them (of which I barely know you). At college I added thought bubbles to a picture of my friends and wrote what I thought they were thinking in that moment and they all laughed and all said that was dead on for each of them. Glad my suggestion may be helpful to you 🥰
I am getting tired of being told what is the point of getting a diagnosis. There are so many benefits. I know this from it taking 26 years for my EDS. I am working now on fighting for answers to struggles including nurospicy diagnsis. Everyone out there doesn't stop advocating for the diagnosis and answer.
I feel that you are trying to do what you like and things like that are long term projects and expecting short term success results for that is a misapplication. Do what you have been, do what is true to you and let the results fall as they come, forcing results rarely works out in my limited experience, no two paths take the same route, good thing too otherwise it gets boring real quick. It is kind of like how i am with things. As an example, i have always loved the farscape theme but recently i encountered a variation of it that takes it to the next level for me in a way i did not expect. Words in music mean very little to me mainly because it seems like people talking crap and i find they do that far too often but the part of the new variation of that theme (new to me since the series is twenty years old) has the phrase "look upward and share in the wonders i have seen". If only, if only.
Claire, I appreciate everything you do - even if the almighty algorithm doesn't. However, I understand that appreciation doesn't pay the bills. It has been possible to build a big channel with an eclectic content mix - at least in the past. Atomic Shrimp has 960k+ subs. He mixes scam-baiting, cooking, foraging, electronics, diy, slow tv and a whole load of other stuff. He is adamant that he will only ever make the video he feels like making. I think he's been at it a long time though. Maybe worth having a trawl around his channel to work out what's in the secret sauce?
Hi Claire...i want to say that i see your channel as a success.😊 i can appreciate editing skills and i did watch your Taylor video. I think you are correct in the algorhythm advice. I too get down by the slow growth of my channel. Mine is just about autism and it doesn't grow fast. It's enough to make me question to keep going or not. But it boils down to how much i have learned about myself and connecting with others as you have experienced❤
So many of my favorite channels are "failed/failing" so your frustrations are familiar to me - it's incredibly difficult to make something that is consistently genuine and also commercially successful. It would be neat if folks didn't have to aim for the latter... but... food and housing seems pretty awesome. I don't have any advice, but i really hope things trend the right way as you continue to refine your work, your channel has been a gem to find as someone who is also late diagnosed and in the first year of just figuring things out. It means so much to have other people who are just putting forward their special interests and experiences. I love so many of the other channels you're associated with who focus exclusively on autism content... but... I 100% understand getting burned out by that and wanting the channel to be YOU in totality and not just a single niche topic. Again, I obviously have absolutely no advice, but I do sincerely hope you can thread the needle and find the right level of growth for the channel while still being able to preserve what makes it enjoyable for you to produce!
Oh, the fickle algorithm! I prefer your authenticity and more natural videos to fake, polished videos that RU-vid's algorithm pushes. I've been watching your videos for a while now, and I see definite growth in you personally and in the quality of your videos. The last couple of days have been hard for me--petty gossip and drama among friends in a social group that I've been working hard to fit into. My autism makes it difficult for me to figure out who my real friends are sometimes, until something dramatic happens. But I'm moving forward and not giving up in my efforts to make friends in a new community because of one bad player. Anyway, Claire, thanks for your honest and refreshing videos. I'm proud to be in the Mug Club!
hi there! i totally have been there with no understanding gossip and what is happening in a friend group. i struggle to understand the nuances of a group a lot and it leaves me feeling insecure - i hope you are able to push forward and navigate through it
I totally feel ya. I like to do the same with my Instagram account (when I actually keep up with it). I should be keeping it focused on one photography subject but like to do what interests me at that time. I get burnt out, too, sticking to one very specific subject. While it is largely all in the same genre of nature, I don’t stick to just plants or just insects or just animals or just landscapes. Plus I occasionally throw in pictures of my cats or something that has caught my attention along the way. I feel like it is more me that way, even if it doesn’t fit what is the more successful playbook.
I’m so sorry that you feel like this. As long as you don’t start feeling you yourself are a failure, because you’re not at all. I’ve heard other Autistic content creators say something similar, and I wonder if there is a limit to how big an Autistic channel can get given that it’s largely a niche sector.
I’m sorry that you’re putting in so much hard work and not getting the results that you would like. The algorithm can be hard but the people that are here we really appreciate the hard work that you put in and how genuine you are in putting yourself out there.
The title worried me, I thought you were going to say you were shutting down the channel 😮 (it's been a stressful couple of weeks so my mind is going to darker places). That aside, I totally get where you're coming from about wanting a tidy home, disorder can make make me anxious as well
No need to apologize, I'm a high stress person in general. I for one love the variety of topics you cover in your videos, thank you for sharing your time with us☺️
Good morning, dear friend. This is exactly where I was at a few years ago in my blogging days. I had followers who wanted a concentration on my faith, others who wanted me to write about autism, some on parenting and personal stories, others to see my art, read my poetry. Even went through a season of recipe sharing followed by failed attempts at incorporating my favorite music and classic film and TV loves. The thing is, these were all me and all aspects of me and all things I wanted to write/share. I could not stand to write from a narrower focus. I had to go where inspiration led. Unfortunately, that was not algorithim friendly. I tried everything from forcing a niche( especially during the dreadful "promote my book" days) to separate blogs but eventually faced a burnout of several years and shut down writing altogether as a result. Sometimes I think of picking it back up. Someday, I hope I will in some fashion. But, in a way that can be me as I am without feeling fear of the growth or lack thereof. I know myself well enough to know I always wind up caring though and any attempts to conform to an algorithim's ideal will leave me in some level of burnout eventually. All that info dump to say, I fully understand. So, so well. But, be encouraged in this: we are small(ish) but we are mighty. You inspire a love and a loyalty that is rare and, to my mind, beautiful. I come here because you are you. You are a noticer, which means the world to little ol' anonymous me. Just want you to know I am here for the long haul. Blessings on your week, Claire. ❤
I have one channel for ministry, one for music I make, one for affirmations, and I'll make an asmr one eventually. And dark documentary type stuff on a different channel or as part of my church one. Then an autism one
Hey Claire, hope you're keeping well. Ive not engaged in any autism channels for a while, as things have been difficult for a few months. Im now trying to re-engage. I have been watching some shorts, your crochet dress was lovely ❤❤
Hi Claire :) Firstly you are very much appreciated :) Second, I don’t think you can chase the algorithm. I don’t believe RU-vid knows anything much about either the users or the content of the videos it hosts. For example it recommends to me; Learning English (I am a native speaker and have never watched content on learning English), Blocked drains (wtf!), Bonsai (no interest never watched), Tractors (same), Fishing (same), weird asian soft porn fake genius girl does x videos (???) etc. You get the picture. Recently it had an obsession with Concrete Screed videos, no idea why. I click on “don’t recommend” and a couple of hours later there is the same video again. Just do what you want to do and maybe you will get lucky and the channel will continue to grow but I don’t believe you can steer the outcome with any sort of certainty no matter what you do. Just my two cents. Stay well and happy Claire. Hugs.
the recommendations are CRAZY sometimes - i have even resorted to watching a video just to get it to leave me alone (it doesn't work it still shows up) it makes me wonder if there is someone out there who get's me recommended all the time with no interest - if that is true i am so sorry for them lol
@@WoodshedTheory Hi Claire :) I think the problem is that RU-vid has built a business on the idea that they can put your advertising in front of exactly the right audience because they know so much about their viewers but in fact they know almost nothing at all because it’s way harder and more expensive than they thought. So they just lie and seemingly no one realizes. Maybe that’s why they won’t say what the algorithm does, because it’s just nonsense? Just keep doing you as long as it’s working for you in some way. We value you and I for one am always delighted to see a video from you drop :)
I wish you a Happy Monday ☕🫖Sorry, but I hope tea is ok? I am not a "hot weather person" (I'm a Fall and Winter person myself) I also feel the same about clutter/=stress for me too! I'm glad that it sounds like somethings helped you to feel a little better 💜💜I thank you for all you share here and talk about! I wish you to have a great week. I do watch and enjoy your video's (I hope that sounds alright right)? I haven't watched your Taylor video, but that's not anything to have to do with you, I am just not a Taylor person 🥺I hope this doesn't make you upset at me? I do like all that you share different video's of anything you like to do/share/or talk about with people you feel comfortable around. That is always a good thing? Can't wait to see your next video! ☺
Hm. If I like creators, want to support them but am not in the mood for watching a video (headache, not interested in that one topic, to much to do, ...) I just let it run on high speed and silent on my phone😉
i'm not even a little upset - never feel pressure to watch a video that doesn't interest you at all - it is impossible to watch all of someones videos - at least that is what i think - also tea is fine and encouraged :) have a great week
@@WoodshedTheory Thank you, it's not that you made me feel pressured. I'm just not never really sure (on a computer) if the word say things the way I mean them (nicely😊 or mean😡) I mean this nicely 😊Thanks again!
@@7peacefrogTo be honest it's not mine😉. A queer vegan german YTer (who is also ADHDer) I love @Aljosha suggested it for videos some (like me) don't want to watch for selfcare-reasons, like videos that show cruelty against animals or really bad things people say (homophobic, racist, ...) to support his work against it. Since then I understood the algorythmthing on YT and that if I want to watch a video on my laptop/bigger screen that has adblock to let it run on silent on my phone parallel. Sometimes I just let shorts or longer videos just run several times on silent to push the algo. It doesn't cost me something but can help to show it to other people.
oh no! i am sorry - please know that *if* i ever made a decision like that i would be straight forward with the information - also i'm not going anywhere
So happy I came across your channel!! So relatable. You are so awesome! I'm very intimidated to try to learn editing. Is there an editing app you recommend? I'm Jo (Specs) and I can't wait to get to know more 🤓🤟
i use basic stuff - the imovie software that comes with the mac, and canva which is VERY user friendly. when I first started i thought i would use something fancier but it proved to be too much for me at the time, maybe in the future i will expand.
