It’s easy to fall into the trap of being hard on ourselves when we’re chasing after our goals. In this episode, I was joined by YouTube content creator, Melanie Ham and we talked about why we should put less pressure on ourselves as creatives. Melanie got started on YouTube in 2011 after wanting to connect with other makers and quickly realized her love for sharing content. She shares how she started it as a side hustle, how she deals with criticism on the platform and what she does to stay grateful during challenging times.  What’s in this episode: How Melanie remains grateful and positive Why turning to your hobbies is a great way to get through challenges Her process for making a project happen How she felt when she first started as a creative on YouTube How she started her channel as a side hustle project Why you shouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself Melanie’s advice for custom handmade gifts  Her thoughts about dealing with criticism and negative feedback What she does to overcome supply limitations during the pandemic  Why you should use this time to finish a shelved creative project What Melanie enjoys most about crafting Her YouTube schedule for creating videos What Melanie does when she needs inspiration How her typical day looks About Melanie: Melanie took a beginning sewing class at Joann Fabrics back in 2007 and bought a sewing machine shortly after. She started sewing crafty stuff, just simple things and then in 2010 made her first quilt and has been obsessed ever since. In December of 2011 she started her youtube channel to first connect with other makers online. At the time she was an active duty military spouse living away from family, and desired that connection with other creatives. She also wanted to share her latest projects and teach others how to make them as well. It took off beyond her wildest dreams with now nearly 650k subscribers and 55 million views on Youtube. Her favorite thing about being a creative content creator is the ability to work from home and keep her family the top priority. She lives in a suburb of Los Angeles with her husband and 2 children. Connect With Melanie: Website | YouTube  Links: One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp    Hope you’ve enjoyed this episode! Would love to hear from you. What is one thing you can do with the wisdom and guidance you’ve extracted from this episode to make a positive and lasting change in your own life? Connect with me on social media. You can find me @amytangerine on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and pretty much anywhere. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please rate and review on iTunes, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and let your friends know about it too! The more we spread the creativity and happiness that comes from pursuing our passions, the better off our amazing community will be. Hope you feel uplifted, energized and inspired.