Some of my fondest childhood and middle school memories involved YouTube in one way or another. Whether I was spending afternoons watching Fred videos with my neighbors, laughing at (though not understanding) half the jokes in the "How To Be _____" series from Ryan Higa, or making bets on which Smosh member would win the next Food Battle, I've always been fond of internet personalities. Now that I'm older I still find the concept of internet personalities so interesting, one may call it an obsession.

I find it fascinating how any kid in the world can pick up a camera, create a YouTube channel for free, and build an entire empire on top of it. Plenty of people my age have done it: Emma Chamberlain, James Charles and David Dobrik are just a few I'm sure many of us are familiar with. Though YouTube has definitely cracked down on the kinds of videos creators can make, the freedom of the platform is still colossal.

Today, I have a channel that I post a video to once a week. Every now and then I'll miss an upload, but overall I've been keeping it up since 2015. My content is primarily about music, whether I'm reviewing a new album, talking about my current favorite songs, or listing off my favorite records of all time. Four years after starting it, my channel is definitely my baby; I'd do anything for it.

My relationship with YouTube has been on and off for years. My first taste of the hobby was when I discovered iMovie on my parents' computer when I was nine. I taught myself how to edit videos, and the rest is history.

Do you remember back in 2009, when copyright claiming didn't exist and teenage girls would post homemade music videos to Kesha's "Tik Tok" and Justin Bieber's "One Time"? What a time to be a viewer on YouTube. I wanted to be just like them.

So that's exactly what I did. I filmed homemade music videos of me lip syncing to Top 10 Hits and posted them on the internet. Thankfully, they were all on a different channel that has since been deleted, so none of you can blackmail me with them.

That channel gained around 500 subscribers in the end. But when middle school rolled around, I practically lost all interest in YouTube. I even stopped watching my favorite creators. I'm not entirely sure why, but for a while, I hardly ever logged onto the site.

It wasn't until the summer before my Junior year of high school that I uploaded my first real video to ellenawhat. A number of things inspired me to start a channel back up and give YouTube another shot:

One reason was that before YouTube, I didn't have a "thing." It's tough sometimes when you feel like everyone else in the world has a cool hobby or talent except you. I tried sports, but that didn't last. I tried to learn to draw, but my pictures never turned out right. I had a knack for making videos when I was younger, and once I found a topic to actually make videos about, it felt like a match made in heaven. I finally felt like YouTube could be my "thing" if I stuck with it.

I also had a few people in my personal life that inspired me. I had a friend in high school who made videos about music and her favorite bands on her channel, which today has over 160,000 subscribers. I thought that was so cool, and I remember I admired her confidence and bravery for being a fangirl on the internet.

Another person who motivated me to make videos again is my cousin, Kendall. On her channel titled Kendall Rae, she covers topics ranging from true crime to conspiracy theories, to astrology (Check out her "Where Is?" series to learn more about helping THORN, an amazing organization fighting against human-trafficking!).

I remember seeing how well Kendall was doing and how passionate she was about making videos that I thought if a member of my own family can do it, why can't I?

I also knew I wanted to try YouTube again because I finally had something to talk about. The timing worked in my favor because the summer of 2015 was when my favorite band in the entire world, 5 Seconds of Summer, started releasing new music for their upcoming album.

There's nothing I love more than talking about my favorite bands' new music, so I made videos of me reacting to every song and music video 5SOS released. Looking back on these reaction videos I cringe a little, but at the time it really helped me find my niche for content. In fact, I still make these types of videos all the time. No shame.

TWENTY ONE PILOTS - "JUMPSUIT" & "NICO AND THE NINERS" REACTIONwww.youtube.com

Now, this article isn't meant to be a shameless self-plug to get more subscribers to my channel. Rather, I hope this article can inspire anybody out there to create a YouTube channel and try it out. Though I am pretty reserved about my channel when people mention it in person, I'm trying to be more confident in the fact that I post videos of myself crying over my favorite bands onto the internet once a week.

One thing people often tell me is that they want to start a YouTube channel, but they don't even know where to start. They don't have an idea of what kinds of videos to make or how to not worry people from school will find their videos.

I'm not saying I'm a YouTube expert, but I have experienced these feelings in the past. The advice I would give is to first off, think really hard about the things you love to talk about. Find a topic and stick to it.

If you're passionate about what you're making videos about, your viewers will be able to sense that and feel more inclined to subscribe. Plus, you'll just have a lot more fun making the videos. Everything will feel more natural and authentic, for both you and your audience.

When it comes to the internet, people are always going to be able to find you. Keeping a YouTube channel hidden from your friends, family and classmates can be a challenge, but it doesn't have to be. It's 2019: There's nothing embarrassing about having a YouTube channel. I'm a strong believer in that those who put others down for being passionate about something are the worst kinds of people. If you make a channel, and a friend gives you a hard time for it, they're not really your friend. Real friends are supportive, not discouraging.

While being a full-time college student, having a job and working on many things in my personal life at the moment, sometimes I just don't have time for YouTube. Sometimes I don't have the energy or the motivation to make videos for weeks, and I'll admit there have been times where I question whether YouTube is something I can continue to do.

In the end, I always come around and remember what things keep me going at it:

My number-one priority is my viewers. These people range from the ones who watch my videos occasionally, to the ones who follow me on my other social media platforms, like my posts, and send me messages. My viewers are supportive, funny, they give me awesome video ideas, and they all love music, just like me! They are my friends, and I'd do anything for them.

Another viewer and I hugging at VidCon 2017.

Another thing that keeps me motivated is remembering that YouTube is really my only outlet to talk to like-minded people about the things I love. Sure, I can rant to my family about how much I loved Halsey's new single or how much Sleeping With Sirens's last album flopped, but they can only take my rambling for so long. On YouTube, I can post a 20-minute video talking about whatever makes me happy, and there are a few people who will actually listen. It's awesome. And it's a great stress-reliever.

A viewer came up to me at a 5 Seconds of Summer concert and had a very accurate sign.

Sometimes people comment on my videos and tell me that I make them laugh. Sometimes people message me and tell me that they often turn to my videos when they're sad. And I would say that is one of the most important reasons as to why I do YouTube.

The feeling I get when I know my videos are making someone smile and laugh is one of the best feelings in the world. Numbers don't really matter to me. I couldn't care less about how many views I get or how many subscribers I have. What really matters to me is knowing that someone out there gets a smile on their face when they watch my videos. Even if it's just one person, that feels worth it to me.

I'm not saying every kid who starts a YouTube channel is going to inevitably turn into the next Emma Chamberlain. Or maybe you will. Who knows?

I don't expect myself to ever become some YouTube mogul, but that is quite alright with me, for there are so many other things about content-creating on YouTube that I wanted to highlight in this article.

As I said before, it's not about the numbers. Making videos is fun for me, it keeps me busy, it makes me feel productive and it's really the only hobby that ever stuck with me. And for that, I am eternally grateful for the site.

So, if you are someone who has wanted to start a YouTube channel but just needed that one little push to get it going, this is it. The quicker you start uploading videos, the quicker you'll find your niche. I hope you related to something I said in this article, and I hope you get your channel up and running as soon as possible. You never know what could happen until you start it!