I follow a selected number of Youtube content creators. I choose them based on the type of content they create and keep those who know what they are doing, and more importantly, know when to stop.

Out of all of them, I liked one lifestyle channel the most. It was not a fancy channel by any means. Just a slice of the real-life of a real person. She used to put up videos of easy and simple recipes, meal plans, vlogs on days in her life, and so on. Sometimes it would even be videos of her doing her daily chores. She would share her thoughts on leading a simple life and a lot of what she spoke resonated well with me. I was happy for her when she got various recognitions for her increasing Youtube subscribers. I diligently liked and commented on her social media profiles and waited for her to publish new content. It was as though I was a part of her journey.

Then, suddenly she stopped putting out content. She said she has taken up a full-time job and it would be difficult for her to put out videos regularly. She said she thought it was time for her to take up something new and challenging and so she was moving on. Though I was happy for her and her achievements, I felt let down. When you invest your time and thoughts in a person, you feel that person is obligated to live up to your expectations. In this case, I thought since I spent my time watching her videos, increasing her views, and thereby helping her increase her revenue, she is obligated to keep churning out videos of my liking.

Well, to cut a long story short, I felt so let down that I unsubscribed from her channel and stopped following her on social media. I tried to find someone else like her, to replace her. But, in vain. Even when I found someone good, I did not feel the same connection. In fact I did not realize that I was actually done with watching vlogs, daily routines, or recipes. I watched her videos out of habit, and otherwise, I was over it.

I would probably have stopped watching her videos myself if she had continued. Does that make her stopping to make videos less of a letdown for me? Or, did she do the right thing by stopping it when she was still loved by people? Thereby, leaving a mark in her subscribers’ minds. She had shared most of her recipes, tips and tricks to do things, her daily routines, and weekend activity suggestions. If she kept doing the same thing, maybe she could get repetitive. I don’t know for sure, it’s just my guess.

When I realized it, I went back to her social media handles and hit the Follow button. I was happy to see that she still posted some reels and videos occasionally. She receives so many messages asking her to get back to making videos. I smile and double-click on her photos (like it), wishing her all the best in all her endeavors.

There is a native proverb that translates as – Stop singing while your notes still land perfectly. Implying it’s better to stop when you can still sing well, rather than waiting for people to stop listening to you. We all know a lot of creative people, actors, singers, sports stars, etc who stopped in the prime of their career to do something different. Their fans stopped following them and their well-wishers continued to support them in their new endeavors. Knowing when to stop is as important as knowing when to start.

When I was doing some research on this topic, I came across an article that spoke about how Bill Watterson ended the much loved Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. This is the letter that his newspaper editors received:

Dear Reader:

I will be stopping Calvin and Hobbes at the end of the year. This was not a recent or an easy decision, and I leave with some sadness. My interests have shifted, however, and I believe I’ve done what I can do within the constraints of daily deadlines and small panels. I am eager to work at a more thoughtful pace, with fewer artistic compromises. I have not yet decided on future projects, but my relationship with Universal Press Syndicate will continue.

That so many newspapers would carry Calvin and Hobbes is an honor I’ll long be proud of, and I’ve greatly appreciated your support and indulgence over the last decade. Drawing this comic strip has been a privilege and a pleasure, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity.

Sincerely,

Bill Watterson

The last strip of Calvin and Hobbes was published on December 31, 1995. He further said, “I did not want Calvin and Hobbes to coast into halfhearted repetition, as so many long-running strips do.”

Source: Wikipedia.

We miss Calvin and Hobbes strips, but we know there is enough content to keep us smiling for a lifetime.

A Life lesson indeed. I definitely intend to – Know when to stop. To stop doing whatever I am doing before I get too repetitive. I know there could be a new audience. However, thanks to the fact that we all work on digital platforms, our content lives forever. They are traceable and readable/watchable by people long after we stop doing what we are doing.

If my favourite Youtuber comes back with new videos , I am sure it will be from a newer perspective. Will I still wait for her videos when she gets back ? Well, I do not know. What I now know for sure is that she did know when to stop.

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

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