Never Retire: My First (Sort of Terrible) YouTube Video — and Why I’m Doing It Anyway
A rough and raw Friki de Bici preview for Never Retire subscribers
As first-ever attempts at using a GoPro and creating a YouTube video go, the video I recorded yesterday was the best and worst of times.
Worst of times because—
I don’t have the proper mounting setup for my camera yet. So, the video was terrible, in that pretty much all you can see is the ground. I ordered what I need to make it better.
As I typed this on Wednesday morning, I had 7 views. I am responsible for at least 3 of those views and—definitely—the only like. YouTube is a slow grind. Sort of like starting out on Medium, but probably harder.
In general, I have a lot to learn. Which probably belongs in the best of times category.
Best of times because—
As much I have a lot to learn, I enjoy—even relish—learning it. Even more, I can see the path forward. I haven’t ever been on YouTube in a meaningful way because I had no reason to be there. I wasn’t about to follow the crowd to the platform without purpose or—worse—ability.
Just as I have a sense for cities and city living—which is at least partially responsible for the easy adjustment I’ve made to life in Spain—I can tell right away how good I can be at something when I start doing it. As I set out on my bike—knowing full well the shot would probably suck (it did!)—I also felt super alive, as in I felt so much potential.
The video wasn’t that bad. It had a certain edgy quality at a decent pace that I can definitely work from.
This is going to be a great way to integrate a bit more here and improve my Spanish. All of it—this entire Friki de Bici project—ties back to the core Never Retire theme: The idea that, as you get older, you need to continue to find big, mind-altering ways to stay engaged. This move—and Friki de Bici being a welcome consequence of it—illustrates this tenet just as I had hoped it would.
Plus, I did it all with a mean cold. Don’t walk home from yoga drenched in sweat—in the cold—especially when your wife tells you that you’re going to get sick. She was right.
Anyhow—
Enjoy this rough and raw test video ahead of the tentative April 15 launch of Friki de Bici. My wife completed part of the logo image yesterday. A new, better computer for video editing is on its way. Soon, I will finish the website, create the merch store and start posting on Substack.
As always, I appreciate your support.
Fun! looks like they have a pretty good system of bike lanes. Sometime I think in the late 80's the mayor of NYC installed bike lanes, on 6th or 8th Avenue, I can't remember. They were the cement dividers. Anyhoo, a bit later, the local news reported that the bikers were avoiding that avenue and traveling on non-bike lanes roads instead. Never mentioning that the reason was, at each intersection the bike lanes were packed with pedestrians. While your video might have been aimed at the road, there were no feet in your way. :)