Yello's Personal Thoughts
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January 2, 2026 - A chaotically fruitful year
Wow, this year was so eventful, in both ways and bad ways. Let's recap. TL;DR The world has been messy and scary, but my personal life has evolved significantly for the better.
The vibes were uh...more than off
Not gonna lie, it's been really tough NOT to give into the gloom and uncertainty this year brought. Politically, financially, socially, the vibes have never felt this depressing since 2020. Even though I tried my best to stay off the really egregious news centers (aka Reddit and Twitter). I continue to be a sucker for the YouTube recommendations page. So much so that I've had to install yet another YouTube blocking extension. Who needs hard drugs at this point, when you have the endless scroll?
I don't think any other year after this will fully understand just how uncertain it felt to live in 2025, especially as an American. Past the niceties of small-talk, most people I've encountered in my life always commented on how crazy the world felt like, whether it was politicians, crime, or God forbid the economy.
I just want a steady job I like, man
I also can't lie and say that my personal life has been perfect either. At the beginning year, I was languishing in a (slightly above) minimum wage job at a desolate mini golf place that ended so abruptly that I had to file for unemployment for 5 months, which led to another depressing period of job seeking in a hopeless market. Nothing feels more demoralizing than losing an already unfair economic game. All I really could fall back on were all my personal projects, which weren't even considered a safety net.
However....by some miracle of the right place and the right time with the right people, I secured another part-time job without even really trying. This time I did apply through Indeed (blegh), but it was more of an impulse decision cuz my friend happened to work there too. Somehow I was one of four applications that secured the job and I literally couldn't be more grateful. Unlike my last job, stuff is actually happening, customers ACTUALLY come in regularly; you know, a sustainable business. No, it's not my dream job, but I'd like to think it fits extremely well into my life as of now.
Now PLEASE let me enjoy my life WHILE making income at the same time. :')
PAX East 3: The Extravaganza
This was finally the year that I went all 4 days to PAX East, thanks to months of proper saving. I basically went all out, I shared a hotel with a group of friends, went out to eat, explored every nook and cranny on the convention center, and FINALLY completed PAX XP after 2 failed attempts. I had the most exciting, eventful, and utterly exhausting time there and I basically did everything I wanted to do (besides the Just Dance tournament c'mon guys it's not that hard).
Having that breathing room to take in all of what PAX had to offer felt very luxurious, but I cannot deny the pure exhaustion I felt by day 3. We were there basically all hours of the day from 10am to 10pm, So for next year, my friend group and I are definitely scaling back the amount of effort we're putting into attending PAX in 2026...unless we get free badges...
Couch Quests is a reality!
Sometimes, miracles do come true, just not in a way you'd expect. This entire year was dedicated building up my group project from the ground up. And I'm happy to say that we completed our first season in stride! In total, we shot and produced 5 episodes, all with their fun moments and important lessons to improve. I still can't believe the amount of progress we made in these 12 months. Looking back at the first episode, it already feels to dated and crunchy, but that's only a good sign.
This project really opened my eyes into the power of teamwork because it would've been impossible for one person to pull off. Creative endeavors feel so much less intimidating when you have a team of other passionate people who have your back. Thanks to everyone's efforts, so many more people believe in this project. While it's not a viral amount of believers, the in-person connection we feel to the people who took time to attend our events is something we're eternally grateful for. We can only go up from here. Here's to a bombastic Season 2 of Couch Quests!
The state of this secret project
Back in February, I began a year-long retreat project to rejuvenate my passion for YouTube. I felt pressured and burned out from the constantly working on the next video that I just needed to step away and reevaluate my priorities. So I've dedicated 12 whole months from February 2025 to January 2026 to create any piece of art I want and document the process; no restrictions, no deadlines. But I had to keep everything I made a secret until the end of this project.
The reason I wanted to keep this project a secret was to remove the constant pressure to make every creation impressive and mind-blowing. The perfectionism in me is a nightmare to manage. But as I'm approaching the end of this experiment, I've learned a LOT more about my strengths and weaknesses as an artist. At the end of the day, I love to create, so why am I forcing myself to reach an impossible standard? The struggle is just part of the journey, so I might as well enjoy it.
So overall, 2025 has been a year of huge personal growth amongst cultural chaos. This might sound cheesy, but despite all the ups and downs I experienced, I wouldn't change a thing. I did everything I could to make this year as beneficial as possible, and I hope to bring that good fortune into 2026.