If you’ve been on YouTube communities of any sort (forums, Reddit, the YouTube Creator Community), you’ll inevitably see some form of the following:

“Hey guys! I just started a channel, but I’m stuck! What do you think I should make my next video about?”

There are many variations on this request, from gamers asking which video games are popular, to vloggers who want to know what they should do, to the oft-requested “Ask me questions, so I can answer them in my next video.” It seems the most difficult part of being a video creator, to a lot of potential creators, is thinking up some things to make videos about.

Ideas are not easy. While there are ideas floating around in the universe everywhere, honing in on an idea that works for the project you want to make is hard work. Often, that can be the most difficult part of creating something…coming up with the initial concept. However, if you outsource the very beginnings of your content, how can you be proud of the end result? While there are certainly journeyman video creators who make a living in filming other people’s ideas, the YouTube platform is built upon the concept of self expression. The idea is the first step in expressing what you want to in your video, and in your channel.

If you don’t have a concept, I tend to say that you should make the video you want to see when you visit YouTube. What’s missing from the site? What point of view haven’t you seen, or haven’t you seen done the way you wanted to? What burning topics of the day remain unaddressed? What weird visuals could you create, just to see if someone else finds it as interesting as you do? The possibilities are endless.

And if you can’t think of a good idea, make a video about anything at all! YouTube rewards creators who post regularly, so making a video about something is better than waiting for other people to tell you what to do.