The Artist's Treadmill: Escaping the Scope Creep of Our Creative Lives

Everyone suffers from scope creep, especially good artists finding their footing. A good visualization of this is with YouTubers, specifically video essayists. They'll start with simple production and whichever B-roll is affordable in order to present their points. And from the experience of producing a video essay, their next is better-researched and with a higher production value with a longer runtime. The next after is even more elaborate, taking months now instead of weeks.

Sometimes, these YouTubers will make second channels that have shorter, off-the-cuff videos that are reminiscent of their original work. But if they're *really* good, even these secondary YouTube channels will fall victim to scope creep. Again, the production value will go up, the time between videos as well.

[Natalie Wynn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ContraPoints), known as ContraPoints, is a good example. When she started making videos in 2016, she was in front of a camera talking about politics and philosophy. Over time, her production evolved into theatrical productions with [dramatic lighting, costumes, and set designs](https://stanforddaily.com/2021/02/16/the-rise-of-the-video-essay-as-art-contrapoints/). Videos that journalists have called "the mold of Oscar Wilde by way of Weird Twitter." What began as accessible video essays became hour-long films taking months to produce, each one more ambitious than the last.

[Harris Brewis (HBomberguy)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hbomberguy) followed a similar trajectory. His channel started with straightforward video responses and gaming critiques. Now he produces heavily-researched, multi-hour documentaries. His 2023 [plagiarism investigation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDp3cB5fHXQ) ran four hours. I can't imagine how much fact-checking and consultation with experts went into it. Production timelines keep stretching out endlessly. And what for, exactly?

Even Big Joel, whose main channel features analysis of media and culture, created [Little Joel](https://www.youtube.com/@littlestjoel) as a secondary outlet for looser, more casual content. Joel himself has mentioned losing "the bone in my body that tweets" after making Little Joel videos. His attempt at a more relaxed format began demanding his creative energy. It's so antithetical.

## The Weight of Neoliberal Expansion

I believe all of this is symptomatic of being part of a Neoliberal world. To feel compelled to always expand, always do more. The entire world's media digest has become more radical and hyperbolic. And it feels as though we need to follow suite.

I sympathize. There is just *so* much to consume, after all. And most of it can be consumed for free or on a subscription service people are already paying for.

"[Being creative today means seeing the wo