What I Learned from YouTube’s Creative Collective: A Mental Health Check-In
Recently, I had the chance to attend YouTube’s Creative Collective / Mental Health event, and it was honestly such a special experience. We dove into some really important conversations about mental health, content creation, and the emotional rollercoaster that can come with living online. I wanted to share one topic that really touched me and stuck in my heart.
YouTube’s Creative Collective: Mental Health event in Los Angeles, May 2025. Mona Corona, Niina Myller and Jazmine Valencia.
One thing that came up was this strange duality many creators feel—how after creating content for a while, it’s easy to feel like people don’t really see the full you. Sometimes, it feels like you have two identities:
The online you
The offline, real-world you
And honestly? That can get heavy. You might get labeled for something you’re not. You might receive hate you didn’t even know was out there. People only see the version of you that lives in their feed—not the whole picture.
YouTube’s Creative Collective: Mental Health event in Los Angeles, May 2025.
A Personal Moment: Finland vs. LA
When I recently went back to Finland to visit my family, I really felt that divide. In LA, I’m a content creator. My days revolve around filming, editing, engaging with my community. But in Finland, I’m just Niina—the daughter, the sister, part of this big, warm, grounded family. My family doesn’t really know the “LA me.” And sometimes I ask myself: “If they don’t know that version of me… is it even real?” But yes. It is. I am both.
A Reminder from the Event
Back to the YouTube event—someone said something that really hit home:
“Don’t let your content identity become your whole identity. People will always label you—but keep doing you, even if ‘you’ is changing.” YES. This is the key to not just surviving but thriving in content creation. You can grow and shift and evolve—and your content can come along for the ride.
YouTube’s Creative Collective: Mental Health event in Los Angeles, May 2025.
A Lesson from Oklahoma City
I’ll never forget filming at Century Martial Arts in their Oklahoma City studio. I stood in front of a BOB (lol) and asked, “What should I do?” And a man called Chat Raunborg simply said: “Do you.” I started kicking BOB! I’ve carried those words with me ever since. Most of us started creating because we were passionate. Because we had something to share. But when negativity, hate, or burnout creeps in—it’s time to check in: Is your content still aligned with your values? If not, that might be why the spark feels dimmer.
Keep Doing You
Don’t get lost in the online world. Always remember who you are, and keep doing you. Even when you change—and you will—your content is allowed to change with you. I got a big reminder of why I started this whole thing in the first place… and why I’m still here:
Because I love creating.
Because I love connecting.
Because of you.
Thanks YouTube! I’ve met the most genuine, kind-hearted people at these YouTube events, and I feel so grateful to be part of this community. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.