"I feel like my life is a 24/7 day job" says Ross Tran, whose YouTube channel, Ross Draws boasts over 8K subscribers and over almost 100K views. "I develop my channel, work on my own projects, freelance and study for school! I feel like I'm on autopilot sometimes, haha."
"This channel came from a dark place. Prior to the channel, I felt like I had no purpose. I was waking up and feeling really unmotivated to do anything. Defeated. Uninspired. Unwilling. My friend told me to do the YouTube channel I've been wanting to do! I hesitated thinking It wasn't my thing." After some convincing, Ross caved and planned what would become an inspiring, fun way to learn to many people across the globe.
His channel features impressive animation and illustrations, all created by the man himself: "My channel is a place to have fun, connect, get an energy boost, learn something and get on with your day! If you're a designer/artist, it's a place where you could learn tips, tricks and process on how I do things!"
Ross always looks forward to taking my stylistic spins on your favourite characters and worlds and thanks to his animation skills, there are explosions and colour dodge in every episode.
"Inspiration breathes from a different source for me everyday," he admits. "One big source of inspiration for now is actually this channel. I just love creating and helping people out. If I could somehow make your day better, I've felt like I've done my job. I'm really excited for where things can go! The future of opportunity is definitely a source of inspiration for me."
Ross Draws has opened up doors and opportunities for the artist, "the channel built a platform for me to just 'create' and to dive into the world," he says, and now Digital Agencies are reaching out to him but he feels it's too early on to leap into anything new. "I'm really enjoying the process right now although it's a lot of hard work!"
With such a successful video channel under his belt, Ross, despite remaining modest, is the go to guy if you are thinking of doing the same - not only can it be a blast, but it can kick start your career or just land you with some sweet sponsors.
Here are Ross's top tips for setting up your own successful channel...
01. Keep it short and sweet!
In today's world, there are so much information, posts, articles, activities happening all around us, and our attention span get shorter. Keep your audience engaged. The first edit of my videos are always around 9-11 minutes, and I always have to cut it down to 5-6 minutes. That seems like a number that works for me. Keep your audience interested!
02. Be YOU
The unique thing about YouTube and Channels is that it's YOURS. Develop it from your taste, your experiences, your stories. That's the best way to gain your loyal subscribers organically. They come back for YOU.
03. Connect with everyone
This is a simple gesture that I swore to do because simply, I love connecting with people. Engage with your audience, listen to what they have to say. Make Friends. Don't be just a channel that produces content and ignores all your subscribers. Your subscribers grow with you!
04. Collaborate
If there's any chance for collaboration, YouTube is the PERFECT outlet to do so. There is nothing but good that comes from collaboration. Your subscribers get to know their subscribers and it's all just one big community!
05. Share
Use any platform you have, because you never know who could stumble upon on it. There are many outlets now to share your content and the world loves creators. Don't hesitate to share!
Words: Alice Pattillo/Ross Tran
Like this? Read these!
- Is your fantasy art too violent?
- Free Photoshop brushes every creative must have
- How to promote your art online
