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Liam Dryden

Liam Dryden

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  • foundation.

    59,812 views 1 year ago
    The past two years for me have been a weird period of self-doubt and demotivation. It eventually manifested into this.
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    ...
    This is not an open letter, it’s not designed to annoy
    It’s not a subtweet, like most things these days it’s a shout into the void
    And after two years of nothing I know you have no reason to care
    But bear with me, while I make sense of the million thoughts I have to share

    I’m getting weary of the purgatory I built
    I don’t think myself tall, but I’m still walking on stilts
    For the validation of people who give me pitying looks
    Because they could move past the event that felt like it took everything.

    It’s exhausting seeing another video titled “Things Have Changed”
    From the people that changed them, while forgetting the ones they used to praise
    They’ll tolerate you, but they won’t ask you to collab
    But what they don’t see is how many times your back's already been stabbed.

    I'm tired of hearing them say the only way to succeed today
    is to stray from the beaten path that led to their vocation
    You know you’re full of it, I know you’re full of shit
    I am the beaten path, I AM YOUR FOUNDATION!

    Exaggeration, the credit isn't mine
    I know I'm not the trailblazer I keep building up in my mind
    Because others have been doing this since 2005
    And the next generation is beginning to thrive

    But I've put in some time; I've seen the rise and decline
    Of artistic integrity, creative longevity
    Now you die an artist, or you live to be a personality
    I'm sorry if that upsets you, but that's our reality
    Since we let stats become the metric for our vanity

    This platform was the first to quantify fame
    And since then it’s been nothing but a numbers game
    And the numbers can depend on the friends that you've made
    Which means the coat-tails I rode have become completely frayed

    Because your friends can go into exile, and you can go into debt
    You find a job writing about your other friends to pay your rent
    Poor little rockstar, his well dried up
    Because he invested his success in narcissistic fuck-ups

    I've taken a far too long to wallow and suffer
    Let my swan song be a ukulele cover
    I paid the piper threefold for the sins of my brothers
    But did I struggle to eat so you'd dismiss me as another fucking

    Wash out, has been useless hack?
    Fuck your labels, and fuck calling this a comeback
    I never went away, I just changed shape, I gained some weight but I'm doing great
    But you look down on me because I've struggled to create?

    I made the call to push myself up a different hill
    It’s not the path I wanted but I’ll walk it before I’m caught standing still
    My channel is a byline, my camera became keys
    I’m still creating every day, even if it’s not for me

    But there’s the doubt; is it really worth shit
    If my creative output is based on someone else's monthly targets?
    And if I came back to this there’s still the question of why
    This community would really have missed the voice of another straight white guy

    The best minds of our generation are young and diverse
    And they inspired me to throw together this stupid verse
    Just to prove there’s still some fuel left in the tank
    And if I burn out, I’ll rise from the ashes just to say "Thanks".

    Thanks for taking the time,
    As they say in my hometown “please like, comment and subscribe"
    Because on this foundation, built in 2005
    It’s the validation, that keeps us alive. Show less
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  • Uploads Play all

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  • A Personal Best Of: 2008-2018 Play all

    Just a handful of videos I'm proud of. Not necessarily my most viewed or most popular, but definitely the kind of thing I'd love to make more of.
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  • Music Play all

    Apparently I do music now
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  • Crossovers & Cameos Play all

    Sometimes I'm in videos elsewhere. Look out for me in these if you need proof I'm still alive.
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  • Collabs Play all

    Every now and then I benevolently let people who are better at this than me pop up on the ol' channel. Go find your new favourite person!
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  • Liked videos Play all

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