Hey YouTube World.
It's me, Evelyn.
By the time you see this video, yo girl gon' be in Kenya.
In the Motherland.
Hey Siri?
Hey-- Hey Siri?
I'm only on 18%.
(typing) What is the weather in Nairobi since Siri wanna be stank?
Ooh!
We in the 70s and 80s! (giggles)
I am filming this video on Christmas day in my childhood bedroom amongst memories and
dust to go over and recap my 2017.
What did I do, what did I not do.
(Kenyan accent) You know, just reflect.
Can I reflect?
So 2017 for me was the Year Of The Journal.
I journaled consistently this year for the first time since social media started being a thing.
So for about the past 10 years, I could subtweet my lil emotions.
I could post on Tumblr about my innermost thoughts, post special moments on my Instagram,
but what I realized was all of that is performative.
There is an exchange that happens.
You post about your life, and then people like it, people follow you, people comment.
There's like a feedback involved.
No matter how genuine you are or authentic you are, it is never 100% for your own benefit.
This is my journal.
It's really basic.
I got it at Walmart at 2 am because Walmart is where you go when you're having a crisis
at 2 am.
This is the pen that I use.
Not spon.
It's a nice point pen.
I'm gonna swatch it for you.
(giggles) Are you seeing that?
And I learned so much.
I learned what I was scared of, why I was scared of it.
I tracked my progress.
Times I shot myself in the foot, got in my own way.
Important event, moments, feelings.
And just checking in with my body.
Like I remember...was it May's journal entry?
I just put a little note in the corner.
Hey girl!
You are clenching your teeth, like, clenching your jaw and like, grinding your teeth in
your sleep.
What's that about?
Through next month's journal entry I realized what was making me so stressed out that I
was gnashing my teeth in my sleep.
(Nigerian accent) Just clenching-- (clenches)
Just clenching my jaw.
Just got some, you know, some paperwork here.
Uh, my dentist bill.
Did you know that a mouth guard specifically made to your teeth costs $240?
Bet you didn't know that.
Bet you didn't know that.
The back half of 2017 was about REST.
I have spent the past couple years going to work, dumping everything all the good ideas
out of my brain, problem solving, being resourceful, just activating every part of my brain, and
then coming home and working for myself.
And I was exhausted.
And the thing that I also had to journal about is that the work I was doing wasn't always
translating into something for your consumption.
It was also me working through my frustrations of "I swear I'm grinding!
I swear I'm grinding!" and not feeling like I ever really have anything to show for it.
Just for it to look like I'm on a hiatus.
And so around July or August, my body just stopped.
It was like "nah".
How 'bout you go watch a movie.
Alright?
You know what you want?
Oh.
Oh, you wanna edit?
Oh you wanna write?
Oh you wanna send in applications?
How about you...eat movie theater nachos instead.
No regrets.
And now through journaling and all that rest, I understand that what my body was doing was
bracing me for the biggest change that I made this year in 2017.
I decided to um...you know?
Take a break from the concept of gainful employment.
Just figuring out what to do with my 401K.
Uh, and also I don't have insurance anymore.
So...
I don't-- I don't have insurance anymore.
(prepares a glass of Emergen-C)
Six ounces. That's way more than six ounces.
(drinks Emergen-C)
Jesus be an antibiotic.
So stay tuned for that video, the 2018 goals video because oh my God.
What have I done?
(nervous laughter) Oh no!
I'm scared!
Puppet: Ssshhhhh...You're doing amazing, sweetie.
I needed that.
Puppet: I know.
(laughs)
So GOALS, right?
This year, I said that I would go to Kenya.
(old school benga music)
CHECK!
I also said this year that I wanted to travel more in the U.S.
I don't know if i traveled MORE in 2017 than I did in 2016, but this year I went to D.C. in January
by myself to mourn what will be the next four years.
Uh, what would have been the next four years--
Met up with some Internet Cousins.
It was great.
It was cold, it was great though.
MLK Jr. weekend is when I went.
I went to New York like three times.
Two of the times were for work.
Curlfest and Texture On The Runway.
The third time is when I was nominated for the Shorty awards!
I didn't win but I was cute as hell.
I went to California.
Palm Springs for Clamourcon and Anaheim for Vidcon.
Quinta Brunson: I just met Evelyn! I just met Evelyn! Me: Ayye!! Ayee! Oh! Oh!
Me: You smell really nice, can I say? Quinta: Thank you boo! It's Prada.
Atlanta, ATL to work with Design Essentials.
I'm not saying this is a competition, Nikki, but it's a competition and I'm finna win.
I'm me - I always been this way on the inside.
But you know, Design Essentials brought it out of me on the outside.
(giggles)
I took a road trip with to Marfa, Texas - that's West Texas -
with Doyin to see Solange perform in the middle of nowhere with the literal mountains as her
backdrop.
As her melodies caressed the air and the sun set.
Number three!
In 2017 I also said that I wanted to make better videos.
And I also made sure not to say that I wanna make MORE videos because Past Evelyn knew
that Present Evelyn and Future Evelyn are not about that life.
I wanted to make content that pops.
That's the word I used "pops".
Content that I can be proud of.
And I think I did.
Of the videos that I posted this year, The two drone videos that I made with Hallease.
Y'all really seemed to like them.
I enjoyed making them.
The Sister Sister parody that I made with my brother.
So You've Been Publicly Dragged By Twitter.
People still tweet me that video every time someone's getting dragged.
I starred in a web series this year.
I shot it in the summer, came out in the fall.
It's called We Are and it's now on Issa Rae's YouTube channel.
It was made here in Austin, Texas by a female cast, female director, you feel me?
When I was eight, I thought by this age I'd have a convertible, a boyfriend, a flat stomach
at least.
But now all I got is student loans and anxiety.
You can click in the atmosphere to go watch that.
That was a highlight of my 2017.
This year I got my YouTube Play button, my silver Play button for reaching a hundred
thousand subscribers.
Who would have thought, you know?
I would have never thought that I would reach 100,000 subscribers because I don't really
be doing.
I don't really be doing.
But, um, cool.
I got the YouTube Creators For Change fellowship.
That means I got monies to make videos.
I don't know if any have come out yet by the time you see this video?
I don't know.
This year has been a struggle, alright?
I journaled about it.
Don't worry about it. It's in the journal.
(whispers) Are you ready? (laughs)
Parent: Wow.
So I paid for school and you're an activist?
Kid: What does that mean?
I also said that this year, 2017, I wanted to do more things outside of the Internet.
So speaking opportunities, you know what I'm saying?
I was part of the Teen Vogue Summit meetups that they had around the country.
So I was at the Austin, Texas stop.
Luvvie hooked it up and I was able to speak.
She interviewed me on stage for the Together Tour that she was on across the country.
So when she came to Austin for the stop here, I was able to be interviewed and that was
really dope and cool of her to bring me on for that.
I was invited to YouTube Black
(Howard marching band plays)
(Knuck If You Buck plays)
And I was the only person to give a solo dolo speech, and I think it went well.
People really gave me good feedback, and it's cool to get good feedback from your peers.
Like people who actually also make things.
I said that I want to be about my business and get my website together.
I didn't do it-- listen, listen, listen.
I didn't do it.
It's okay though.
I do have the designer, the design the idea.
I have a landing page, you know what I'm saying, to say "coming soon".
And I'm gonna be traveling for a bit because of said willful unemployment.
I'll be back back back in like, March.
And then I'll do my photoshoot.
Get my website poppin'.
Ooo! Ooo!
I also said that I wanted to volunteer more.
Didn't really do that as frequently or consistently as I wanted to because my office moved further
away from the organization that I volunteer at.
So what I did was I was part of an organization that housed immigrant mothers.
I would give them rides to work or an appointment or court.
Things like that.
When my office was closer, I could just kinda like, swing it.
Like "I'll step out for a little bit" or take my lunch to go pick somebody up, but when
we moved further, couldn't really do that.
So hopefully in 2018 I'll be able to do more of that.
When Hurricane Harvey happened, I did volunteer my time and some of my U.S. currencies and
y'all did too, when you purchased a Magical Black Girl shirt.
So props to you, you know what I'm sayin'.
Helping me complete my goal.
And finally, my last goal in 2017 was to turn 27.
And I did.
Nothing but the grace of God.
But the grace of God.
So that's my 2017 recap.
Hindsight is 20/20 and it's good to reflect.
Figure things out.
Weather it's through talking to a loved one or reading your journal, making a YouTube
video.
What went down, know what I'm saying?
Try to make sense of it all.
Always realizing though that life is cumulative.
There is not experience that is wasted on you.
You know what I'm sayin', you not gon' know the point of anything until it has passed.
Ain't that a goddamn thing?
I'm gonna go to Kenya now.
And I will see you on the Internet somewhere.
Bye!
Hey, girl.
This video is sponsored by Audible.
I wanted to throw in a quick book recommendation in here in the spirit of a "new year, new you".
Audiobooks, especially the ones that I read, more of self-help autobiography type books
definitely help me get motivated, get focused.
And so that's why in this video I wanted to recommend Shonda Rhimes' "Year Of Yes".
Fast forward to the present day, I am currently in London because I said yes to something,
alright?
Went to Kenya, did that.
And now I'm in the colonizer's land, alright?
And so I just wanted to recommend that book to you.
And you can download it for yourself on Audible.
With my little code situation, you can get a free 30-day trial membership, and with that
comes a free audiobook.
So visit audible.com/evelyn.
E-V-E-L-Y-N.
Or you could text EVELYN, E-V-E-L-Y-N, to 500-500 to get started on your 30-day trial
membership and your free audiobook.
Audible has a massive selection of books that you can listen to.
Podcasts, other types of programming.
Start your year off right.
I know it's a little late and that's my fault.
I will take that.
Audible.com/evelyn.
Or text EVELYN to 500-500.
So shout out to Audible for sponsoring this video.
Shout out to 2017.
It sucked globally and kind of personally, but in the end for me at least, it worked
out a little bit.
It remains to be seen.
If it remains to be seen, you are worth finding out.
So shout out to you, you're still alive.
I would like to keep it that way.
In the comments below, tell me how your 2017 went.
If you still feel like talkin' 'bout it, girl, if it's too late, I understand.
But I will see you on the Internet somewhere.
Bye!
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét