Why I've Barely Made Anything This Year/What I'm Going To Do Now

...So. You may have noticed that this year, I've posted a grand total of 4 reviews(or 6 if you count the Star Wars Plug n Play games that were supposed to come out in December) and 2 skits. I left January and February alone, posted the Loot Crate and WWE reviews in March, the Monster Truck Plug n Play review in April, and have only just NOW uploaded my latest stop motion skit & blog review of Block Tech Fast & Furious sets. ...Which was SUPPOSED to come out when that movie was still in theaters... And it's more than likely that the Cars and Spider-Man tie-ins will be just as late, to the point where I'm asking myself if it's worth doing them at all. And this is all in contrast to last year, where I managed to create one review a month AT MINIMUM since June, when I officially started. I still haven't been able to hit my quota of a minimum of one review a week, but at least I was releasing things with SOMEWHAT of a schedule!

So what's slowed me down to the point where even I'm questioning if I exist?

Short answer: I'm a loser.

Long answer: I'm a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSER!

Detailed answer: A few things have gotten in my way that have resulted in me not being able to dedicate as much time to my blog:

1. Multiple Jobs. I'm currently working three jobs(four if you count taking care of older relatives.) 
1. My main job is in resale, where I scour thrift stores and yard sales for things people threw out not realizing the value, then sell them on eBay. It's pretty lucrative actually. ...Or it pays the bills anyway.
2. And it's my expertise in that field that led me to helping officially launch the Nostalgia Crate subscription box this year, where we offer toys, books, and games from yesteryear, all picked by you to relive your younger days! So that means more scouring, cataloging, packaging, shipping, customer support, website building, etc
3. And then we have this job, where I review obscure building brick sets and video games. ...Which currently pays nothing at all. So in the long run, my time is dedicated to whatever keeps the lights on.
2.  Stress. As you may have gathered, the above jobs keep me on my feet for most of the day. And that's not counting all my other normal day-to-day activities, plus previously scheduled appointments, plus appointments that come up at the last minute, PLUS absolute disasters that can occur without warning(like just this week, my wallet was stolen.) So even when I DO find time to work on this blog, I don't want to. When I'm tired, creativity is the first thing to go, and since much of what I do here requires an open, creative mind, I can't concentrate if my brain's energy is already spent, so I just spend the rest of my day playing Rayman or Guacamelee or Minecraft or Skylanders or whatever other game has my attention that week.
3. Burnout. I want to bring the absolute best I can with my blog and videos. I want them to be funny, informative, and unique, focusing on stuff you never knew about, but might be interested in after reading the blog and/or watching the videos. ...But maybe I'm a little TOO ambitious. Most of my work is ad-lib, spur of the moment. An idea will pop into my head after I decide to focus on a set, then it's fleshed out and added to as I write and animate it. ...Which means I don't give myself much leeway for editing, so whatever I have in mind usually occurs, no matter how much time and effort it would take. The most recent Fast & Furious sketch, for example, contains over 4300 unique frames, 4-10 times MORE than any of my other animations! And most of it is just moving objects to deliver the illusion of speed and motion! Then after I've spent hours upon hours snapping each individual frame, I get to spend about as much time putting it all together, while also adding sound and effects! And THEN I get to write about it on my blog, find brainpower to come up with jokes and insightful information, and find/take a few hundred MORE pictures to paste on the post! All while having the glitchiness and amateurishness of my many hours of previous and current work come and smack me in the face! And once the project is finally over, I get to see it and ask myself "...Was this really worth it?" ...So yeah, doing this blog and making these videos is a complete and utter drain, physically, mentally, and emotionally... And since I've yet to receive any feedback of my work, I don't know if it was all worth it... This can lead me to taking a long period of time just not wanting to do anything...
4.  Inferior Technology & Working Conditions. ...I still use Windows Movie Maker... Yes, I know it's severely outdated and has been mocked as the most amateurish, bare bones editor since it first started, but it's the only one I've found where I don't have to pay through the nose and that works with my specifications. I've tried Filmora and Adobe Premiere, but their frame rate caps aren't ideal, which since I animate at 10-20 FPS(or .1 and .05 seconds each frame), results in very choppy movement. WMM is surprisingly the only program I've come across that allows for a high number of FPS, around the same as a high profile animated film! ...However, that doesn't necessarily excuse the other limitations, such as the lack of being able to add multiple tracks, no video overlays, its long processing time, its low capacity for multiple frames, and the many system-breaking sound and video glitches that frequently spring up. Having to deal with all of that can add HOURS to editing, is noticeable in the final product, and just adds to stress and burnout. If anyone knows of a program that can be used to input hundreds of frames at a time, run them at a high speed, allow for multiple tracks and effects at once, and won't break the bank, please let me know. On top of that, I make these videos in my bedroom with my bed being the only surface and my ceiling light the only lighting. That means I can only set up when there's nothing else currently on my bed(I'm talking about things I bought for my business, I'm not lucky enough for that thing you're probably thinking of), then I need to spend hours just building and setting up each shot, and when I need to go to sleep, I have to take it all down again! That's one of the reasons why the backgrounds are so minimalist in my videos, since I don't have the sets and/or pieces on hand at the time or I'm just too tired to put them up only to take them down again. I would KILL for even a small area in my house that I can dedicate solely to a film set. To have a small studio in my backyard would be even better! But as is, I already live in very cramped conditions having to share a small trailer with 2 other people, so I take what I can get.
5. Other Projects. Besides reviewing and animating skits that tie in with the featured product, I'd also like to make some other creative and even original content for my channel and blog. You may have already noticed my surreal comic "The Brick" which I update every so often, and my full-length tribute to The Cinema Snob(which Blogger REFUSES to allow me to embed...) However, there are other things I want to work on. Music videos, scene reenactments of movies, other tributes to YouTube stars, and even eventually a series of original adventures with Brick Miser and Pink Lady. ...Of course, since I'm already strapped for time with everything else I have to do, finding time for these projects means cutting into whatever time I had for reviewing. I'd love to do more original work, but I don't currently have the time or space for it.
6. General Laziness. Sometimes, I just don't want to do anything. I think I need a day off and I take it. ...And I possibly keep going from there... And since I have a Type A personality, I'm simultaneously berating myself for wasting time I could have spent doing something more constructive, so it never feels like a break. I try to rest, yet I won't allow myself rest, so I get tired and try to rest, lather, rinse, repeat.

Alright, whinefest over. The point I'm trying to make is that as much as I'd love to make this my main focus, other elements of my life have to come first if I'm to survive(and even that's debatable.) Maybe one day, I'll actually be making enough money from my other jobs and this job to afford to get a place I can dedicate to my craft and where I can focus without having to worry about the other dedications in my life. ...And maybe Bill Gates will arrive at my front door and tell me "I'm tired of having money; take it all. And here's the girl of your dreams and a coupon for free omnipotent powers as well."

So. Here's what I'm going to do. One of the major problems with getting things out on time has been my schedule. I originally had it set up to be "brick set, game, brick set, game, brick set, game, etc.", but since putting together the brick reviews and skits take much longer than playing and critiquing a game, I'm going to need to put in a few more steps.

From now on, here's how it goes:

First, I review a brick set. It could be a full set, it could be minifigures, just anything that clicks together and I can make a skit out of.

Second, I review a Plug n Play game. Anything that's a self-contained console and plugs into a TV with RCA cables.

Then, if I'm still working on the brick skit, I'll review another game, either one of the many bootleg/homebrew games I also collect for the NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, etc., or a system that plays said games, or possibly even a game on my 3DO system. You know, the system from the early 90s that was a great bit of hardware but flopped miserably due to its SNES and Genesis competitors? ...That wasn't the CD-I? ...Or the Saturn? ...Or the Jaguar? ...Or the Pippin? ...The 90s had a lot of failed systems come to think of it...

Then, if the skit is still coming along, I'll review something else building brick-related I own. Comics, movies, storage cases, clocks, costumes, etc. If it has something to do with building bricks, but isn't necessarily a building brick set, I'll tackle it here.

THEN, if the skit is STILL in production... I start over from the second step. Though with significantly less dignity than I had...

Also, I want to add some gaming to my channel. Every once in a while, I'll grab a Lego or other brick-related game and do a Longplay of it. Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Star Wars, Lego Ninjago, Ionix Knights, Bionicle, Lego Dimensions, etc. And when I'm done, I'll write up a review for that. This'll probably happen during my other projects, so while I'm animating a skit or writing up a brick review, I'll also play a little bit of another game. And who knows? Maybe Brick will come along and do a commentary on it.

Hopefully, this will get me on a relatively consistent schedule, churning something out every week or two. However, it is still subject to change, depending on if I want to focus on something due to something coming up(holiday, blockbuster movie, theme month, etc.) For example, with the Cars movie out and my blog having its official start a year ago, I'm going to review both Cars Plug n Play games I have(since this is probably my last chance to talk about them while they're still relevant) and another Spongebob game(since I featured one as my first Plug n Play review) before the next brick set. But whatever I decide, I will try to keep a consistent schedule and get things out on a frequent basis. No more months-long hiatuses. I want this blog to work, so I'm going to MAKE it work!

In the meantime, I'd really love your input. How do you like the blog and what I'm doing? Anything you like? Anything you hate? Anything you'd like to see? Any suggestions, requests, etc.? Let me know. As long as it's constructive, any criticism is welcome. So feel free to comment in any comment box on the site or on any video what you think. I'm doing this all for you and I'd love to know if I've succeeded in some area somehow.

Thank you all!

-ZC-Infinity