It’s been a while since I posted anything here. So yes, I’m overdue for some updates, a few musings, and maybe a plot twist or two.
Let’s rip the Band-Aid off: I got laid off from my day job. Yep. July 1st. Microsoft decided to reshuffle the deck, and my team got the Joker. The new focus? All Copilot, all the time. From a business standpoint, it was logical, strategic, and probably made some shareholders do a happy dance. From my standpoint? Well… let’s just say I wasn’t invited to that dance.
Since then, I’ve been on the hunt for a new gig. But the job market around Puget Sound is like trying to find diamonds in a sandbox—lots of sifting, not much sparkle. With tech layoffs stacking up like Jenga blocks, I’m seriously considering a career pivot. What that looks like? TBD. But I’m open to anything that doesn’t involve soul-crushing Zoom calls or explaining DNS to someone’s cousin.
Now for the silver lining… yes, there is one, and no, it’s not made of actual silver. Being in professional limbo has given me more time to pour into the channel. I’ve got seven active Let’s Build series (yes, seven… because apparently I collect them like Pokémon), and I’m working on a side project to unite Let’s Play creators into a glorious alliance. Think Avengers, but with more pixelated castles and fewer capes.
Let’s talk channel philosophy for a sec. When I started, it was all about sharing my in-game creations through a modern Let’s Play lens. After Gryphon Hall got bricked (RIP) and Gryphon Manor failed to migrate to Minecraft 1.20 (double RIP), I retooled everything. I went old-school: if it doesn’t happen on camera, it didn’t happen. Period. Like a reality show, but with fewer dramatic pauses and more redstone.
The response? Glorious. Monetization unlocked. Channel members activated. Happiness achieved. And hey, it even pays for this website and my annual business license. So technically, the channel is now a self-sustaining ecosystem. Like a terrarium, but with more sarcasm.
Growth has been slow and steady… like a tortoise with a content calendar. YouTube’s recent viewership dip stung a bit, but the comments and community vibes keep me going. Still, despite all signs pointing to “this channel is about to blow up,” it hasn’t. And I think I know why.
Let’s Build videos? Growing. Mod Deep Dive videos? Exploding. Like, even the least-viewed mod video outperforms my best Let’s Build episode. These instructional deep dives are the channel’s MVPs. But here’s the rub: I made them to keep the lights on during my Let’s Build retooling phase. They’re not where my creative heart lives. They’re like the broccoli of my content diet—nutritious, but not what I crave.
YouTube gurus would scream, “Double down on mod tutorials!” And sure, that’s the smart business move. But I’ve done my time in tech support. I’ve answered the emails. I’ve debugged the bugs. I’m not trying to be the Mod Whisperer. I want to build stuff, ramble about life, and occasionally have a grandpa moment mid-episode.
The problem? The algorithm sees mod video success and tries to serve my Let’s Build content to the same crowd. But those audiences are apples and oranges. One wants a one-time how-to guide. The other wants a series of cozy fireside chats with a pickaxe-wielding storyteller.
So here’s the big decision: I’m retiring the Mod Deep Dive series. No new episodes. I’ll let the existing ones live on like digital relics, slowly fading into the algorithmic sunset. If I ever go full-time with content creation, I might spin up a second channel just for instructional videos. But for now? Chocolate stays chocolate. Peanut butter stays peanut butter. No Reese’s mashup this time.
Thanks for sticking around. The journey’s been weird, wonderful, and occasionally bricked. But I’m still building… on screen, in life, and hopefully in a way that makes you laugh, think, or at least say, “Huh, that was oddly satisfying.” Cheers!