Coffee has always been a significant part of my life. For me, it's a chance to start my day and gather my thoughts - it's fuel for my creative process.
Connor Franta
Never think you can't do something. I definitely never thought I could write a book, and even after I started writing it, I was like, 'Oh my God, how am I gonna write a book?' Just set your sights high and reach for the stars. Go live your dreams, and never think you can't.
When you're with real people, you don't have to be with virtual people.
When a moment in front of me appears to be particularly special, whether it be by beauty or experience, I capture it. I usually find a reason to justify taking that photo - symmetry, or color, or contrast - and it's my hope that my photography sheds light onto what I see and do on a daily basis.
I find a lot of up-and-coming musicians I enjoy, present them to my viewers - and hopefully inflate the growth of these artists by putting them in front an audience that wouldn't have been aware of them.
I moved to Los Angeles when I was 20 years old and was absolutely terrified. I grew up in a small town, so the city itself scared me. I initially did not plan on staying but fell in love with it and never went home.
I'm a little bit shy and from the Midwest, so to be so open and honest with millions of people is pretty difficult. To have people constantly having an eye on you and very interested in what you're doing at all times - it can be a little stressful at times.
The work I've done through my Common Culture Music series has enabled me not only to share my joy of music at scale but also promote the artists I love.
I think good taste is completely subjective. If you enjoy something, that's great! Enjoy it, and don't let anyone tell you not to.
The thing about the Internet is we take everything too far. Once something becomes 'popular' in our realm, it's everywhere, and I get sick of hearing about it quickly.
I wanted to share my love of coffee with a wider audience and also continue to raise money for The Thirst Project through Common Culture Coffee.
I could Photoshop for hours. I spend way too much time making thumbnails. I spend, like, two hours on my thumbnails sometimes just because it's, like, fun.
People think that you upload a video, and it goes viral, and then you're a YouTube star, and I'm like, 'Nah, no.' In total, with all of the channels I've done, I've uploaded anywhere from 400 to 1,000 videos to the Internet, and each one of those takes a whole day to make.
It always surprises me how much my followers appreciate how candid my photos are - they may not have a particularly unique subject, but it's more about the light you shed on the subject than the subject itself.
YouTube is so quick and so instant, and you make a video, and you can upload it the same day, whereas with a book, you have to go through a lot of time and a lot of people and a lot of processes. So it was weird to sit down and work with other people on projects, because I'm so independent with YouTube.
YouTube is, like, the new reality television.
You are who you are, and you should love that person.
Music is a huge part of my life and something I enjoy very much. I wanted to use my platform to share and promote the talented, undiscovered artists I listen to every day with a wider audience.
I like The Erised for the harmony of their addictive beats mix, and I like Allie X for her distinct style and incredible lyrics - they are pure art.
I would love to continue working behind the scenes in music - to produce and manage up-and-coming musical talent would be a dream!
Sometimes, cameras can't capture a scene like your brain does. But the use of apps can help get it just a little closer to reality.
I watched a million coming-out videos, and that was kind of how I accepted it myself.
For Instagram, people use cameras ranging from high-end DSLRs, point-and-shoots, classic film cameras, and their smartphones. I personally like to use my iPhone because I know I will always have it with me.
When taking a photo, I tend to look for one of the following: depth, symmetry, color or contrast. All of those things catch my eye to the point where I stop dead in my tracks to capture whatever it is that I've seen.
I don't tend to do a whole Instagram theme. I like to capture the moment in front of me and make it look as good as possible!
Using the correct apps can completely change how your photos look. It's really exciting because once you've already taken a good photo, it can become 10 times better if you use the right combination of apps. My favorites are VSCO Cam, Afterlight, Facetune and SKRWT.
Making YouTube videos while I was in school, I was fortunate enough not to really have any negative repercussions from it. I had a lot of positive feedback from my friends, who thought they were great and thought they were funny and that what I was doing was really cool.
I'm actually like a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop kind of guy. So I love the local shops that are kind of like one-off chains in Los Angeles, and I usually get a soy flat white.
On Common Culture, you'll find coffee, clothing, and compilations. So many C's!
The first time I got recognized in public was at a movie theater. It was at the 'Lord of the Rings' movie premiere. I was at the movie theater, and someone came up, and it was so weird to me, because I had never been recognized by a viewer, so I thought that was scary.
I'm very into Taylor Swift. From her music to her wardrobe, she is absolutely killing it. Also, she has adorable cats that I would love to pet.
Whatever content you create, let it revolve around your interests. You shouldn't create things just because you think other people want to watch it.
Public speaking is scary, I think. I've gotten way better at it. If I have to do a speech and be like, 'I'm a YouTuber,' then that's easy, but if I have to get up there and pretend I know something in front of adults, it's never fine. In front of adults, it's like, 'Ahhhh they're going to judge me.'
I think it's kind of a scary time we're getting into - like, when you're hanging out with people, they'd rather be on the phone than talk to you.
For someone in an alternative job, an alternative lifestyle, it's very hard to explain what I do. So I sometimes try and dumb it down as much as possible, so I'm changing what I do every time! So sometimes I'm in an Uber, and they ask, 'So what do you do?' and I say, 'I'm a comedian,' or, 'I'm a graphic designer.'
