the wheels are turning once more

Ian is… brainboxing.

hey guys!! long time no blog. sorry about that.

it’s been a weird year in regards to my creative output, i think we can all agree. the TGI Friday’s video was one of my largest concept videos to date, but beyond that i really haven’t finished many videos this year. it’s not for lack of trying – i keep working on video projects that eventually fall through because i’m not happy with them. behind the scenes i was really feeling like something was gumming up the works, like my creative juices were all dried up. video work became really stressful, and i felt like i was forcing myself to do it rather than just enjoying the process of a creative hobby that i’ve always loved.

i think i’m finally over it. i hope. it sure feels like i am.

here’s what i’ve got in the works right now, and what i think the near-future looks like for the brutalmoose broadcast system:

BRUTALFOODS
a new brutalfoods is in production! it is not a “brutalfoods Adventure” like TGI Fridays or Snackables. i 100% plan on doing more of those kinds of videos, but i’m hoping to do more frequent regular episodes like the Hot Dog Taco video in between the high-concept adventures. the episode i’m currently working on is a taste test/review episode! won’t say what i’m eating, but i think you guys will enjoy it.

after finishing the TGI Friday’s video i was convinced that from here on out i wanted to do high-concept episodes only, but i’ve finally accepted that the pursuit would be stressful, exhausting, and i’d only get to post once every handful of months. that would drive me absolutely nuts – i need to make more things than just 1 or 2 videos a year or i’m going to lose it. so, there will be more regular brutalfoods on the way as i plan and prepare for the next food adventure.

BRUTALMOVIES
i’m working on a new solo movie review! i’m talking about a film that i’ve been wanting to cover for some time now, and i’m very excited about it. i won’t completely spill the beans, but i will say that it’s a family comedy from 2002 of which i owned a VHS copy. i’ve already got a script going that i hope to finish within the next couple of days!

i was pretty disappointed with the way my Johnny Tsunami video performed, and i think i let that discourage me from making more media reviews for a while. that was a dumb thing for me to do, because even though the YT Algorithm might not have liked it, i still think it was a solid video and it was nothing to be discouraged about. i even got to the point where i was telling myself that i didn’t really want to be a “reviewer” anymore, which is like wtf. reviewing and complaining are two of the main pillars of my life, how could i even consider giving those up?

as much as i’d love to get both of these videos out in August, i think it’s going to be one this month and one in September. if i was a betting man (which i am) i’d guess that the food video would come together faster than the movie review, but i’m very excited to work on both of them!

STREAM
my stream schedule might take a hit in the near future, i’ll be honest. i really, really love to stream, but i think part of what has been holding me back from getting invested in the craft of video making is that i’ve been committed to this M/W/F stream schedule.

the weird thing with streaming is that even if i try doing a shorter stream with the intention of working on videos afterwards, it’s very tough to switch gears. it’s pretty much either a “stream day” or a “video day”, and i flip-flop between them so often that it’s really hard to dig-in and get something done on either front, i always feel like im scrambling. on top of that, when i feel “forced” to do a stream instead of work on a video even though im in a video-mood, i’m often more irritable on stream.

lately i’ve been dreaming of taking a full week off from streaming just to focus on video work, which is a real wakeup call because at my core i am a video maker. making the videos should be taking priority. if i want a week off to work on videos, i should absolutely do that without hesitation. i love streaming and i’m never going to stop, but i can’t really justify letting it impede video work to the degree that it has.

that’s all a really wordy way to say that i think i’ve been letting my side-passion of streaming get in the way of making videos, so you might see me miss more streaming dates than usual coming up. i might even take a break from the M/W/F schedule all together and just go live whenever the moment is right. i know some regular viewers won’t love not knowing what days i’ll go live, but the reality is that there’s only so much ian to go around and he needs to be making more videos. also most people watch the VODs anyhow.

to end this section on a positive note, i do plan on working on the next season of Bingo whenever i get my video work back under control!

FEELIN’ GOOD
im actually extremely stoked to be working on this new stuff. for a while i’ve been feeling creatively lost and like i’m being pulled in too many directions at once. it’s taken me way too long to diagnose the issue and focus up, but i feel like i’m there.

i know this was a slow year for me so far in terms of videos, but i really am hoping to finish out the year strong. i’ll try to blog more, too. i get quiet on the blog when i dont have new projects to offer, but i should really get into the habit of blogging things besides just project updates. i’ll work on that.

thank you for reading, i hope this was a satisfactory update!

anybody out there watch the olympics this year? i’ve been really into the rock climbing and break dancing lately. BMX racing was also very good, same with skateboarding, rhythmic gymnastics, and artistic swimming. lots of really good stuff this year, and im sad that it’s over.