A Creator’s Wake-Up Call: Grief, Authenticity, And Checking On Your People

In this heartfelt episode, Jermaine reflects on the tragic passing of fellow content creator Lamar Wilson, emphasizing the importance of mental health and checking in on loved ones. He discusses the challenges faced by creators, the need for authenticity in content creation, and the significance of addressing mental health issues. Jermaine encourages listeners to seek help and support, reminding them that they are not alone in their struggles.

Chapters

• 0:00 A Sudden Loss In The Creator World
• 0:48 Why Checking On People Matters
• 2:24 Remembering Lamar’s Joy And Influence
• 4:18 Suicide, Stigma, And Speaking Up
• 6:20 Creators, Criticism, And Mental Tools
• 8:21 Clarity, Authenticity, And Letting Go Of Noise

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome to the podcast, uploaded and unfiltered. And today is going to be a uh different type of episode. I wasn't planning to do this, but right before I hopped on, I saw some unfortunate news. It definitely affects us who call ourselves creators. And if you haven't heard, Lamar Wilson, one of the friendliest fun tech creators on YouTube. You may ask you might have seen him uh do some videos with Dashi. Really love Nintendo. He was a big ass kid. He died a couple weeks ago at uh 48. And the uh cause of death was uh released, and apparently it was suicide. That sucks for lack of better words. We don't know what drove him to do that, but we wanted to take this opportunity to remind people to uh check in with your friends, check in with your loved ones, check in with your fellow content creators, just to see how they're doing. Make sure they're good because you never know what someone's going through. And we all know that most people will hit you with a I'm fine quicker than any. So if you have any close friends, those loved ones who you haven't heard from in a while, check in on them. Make sure they're doing good. That news hit me, and I didn't expect I don't usually, I'm not a sad dude. I I usually don't get sad when like celebrities pass away. I'm not saying that I'm like, it sucks, but it usually never affects me. But this one kind of hit close to home. He was a 48 doing something he loved for years. I don't remember the first time I saw Lamar do his thing, but he was definitely a content creator that I looked up to for a number of reasons. One, he's an older black man, just like me. Two, I I might have heard him curse once, but all his content was so wholesome, so energetic, and just fun. Like when I think of his content, I always see him smiling, always see him geeking out over whatever the latest technology or gear that he had in front of him. And it was awesome. You knew what you were getting when you opened up a Lamar video, and it just reminded me that I need to get on my my stuff. Like I need to do what I know I want to, as far as making content goes, as far as helping creators get out of any mental stucknesses they may have. Because we all deserve to live. And if something was it got to the point that it was that bad where he thought that taking his life was the only solution, I wish he had someone to talk to. I wish that he had spoken to someone. But we don't live in the past here. Nothing but love to his family and his friends. Hopefully they are dealing with this in the best way possible. But yeah, this is gonna be a short one. This is just a reminder to check in on your people, make sure that they're doing good. And if you yourself have something that you're going through that is just racking your brain or you're feeling this anxiousness in your chest, please talk to somebody. Please talk to somebody. I've never had suicidal thoughts, but I don't think suicide is an option ever. No matter what situation you're in, there's always a way out. Call it the optimist in me, but that's just how I feel. So if you ever had those thoughts or you know someone with those thoughts, please talk, talk to anyone. Well, talk to someone who's actually gonna listen and not judge you. I think one of the reasons why suicide happens, because even if you did want to talk to somebody, Mary, maybe there's a fear of judgment wrapped in not wanting to speak to somebody about it, but mental health is very important, especially when it comes to content creation. When we are creating content, we are speaking from a vulnerable place. We are putting ourselves in every project that we put up and allowing the masses to critique it, criticize it, love it. And for some of us, those criticisms get to us. Those random comments affect our daily lives. And I want to get to the point where you have the tools, you have the resources, and you have the mindset that those things no longer touch you. So things no longer affect you because clarity. You know why you're doing what you're doing, you know who you're doing it for, and anybody who is not for what you're doing is not for you, and you just let them stay on the wayside where they're at. So yeah, I'm not waiting until 2026. I've already been pushing the go button, grinding, getting my mindset in a space where it's at now, knowing that I have valuable information, viable skill sets to help people get through whatever rough patch in life they're going through right now. Again, if there's something in your life that is causing uneasiness inside you, negative feelings, you do not have to live with those feelings. Hit me up, hit someone up, get a session so you can get rid of it. Call it bias, but I believe what I do with my business, what I do with my sessions, is life-changing. We don't need to dive deep into your past, we don't need to talk about how your relationship is with your parents. The only thing that needs to happen is you tell me what's been going on lately that has been causing you some duress or some uneasy feelings. Once I understand, we paint a new narrative for your unconscious mind to start following. And with that clarity, not only does it get easier to just live life in general, but it gets easier to create content. It gets easier to be authentic because at the end of the day, being authentic is going to serve you far more than trying to chase the ideal of what a content creator needs to be. I was thinking earlier, and I still want to make a video on this, there are so many things in this world, in our mind, that, for the lack of a better word, have been placed there. For instance, when I say Africa, what's the first thing that you think of? Now, depending on who you are, billion different things could come up. But if you are someone who only knows black people through what they see on TV, most of your friends are the same complexion, and all the education that you get is either from TV or the new, then saying something like Africa will spark a specific image in your head. Or if I say marriage, what feelings pop up when I say marriage? If you've never been married, or if you've never been to Africa, even if you've seen pictures, even if you've seen videos, if you've never been there or have gone through the process and experienced yourself, then the thoughts that pop up when you think of those things, and it could be anything, content creation, putting in cereal before you put the milk in, apes, ugh. If you haven't experienced these things, all those things that are in your head have been planted there. And so rather than emotionally reacting to things that you've never been to or had access to, this is where you take a pause and be like, you know what? I've never done that. I've never been a million-dollar content creator, so I don't know what it looks like when I get there. So I'm not going to base my thoughts and feelings on what other people are saying. So yeah, being authentic, saving your judgment for when you experience a thing that you can experience will go a long way for you. With that, I'm gonna sign out. Merry Christmas. I will be traveling to Tampa tomorrow to be with my family. Looking forward to that. And uh yeah, again, if you need to speak with someone on anything regarding your mental health, hit me up. There'll be a link in the description of this podcast. Other than that, thank y'all for listening. I appreciate each and every one of you. And I'm still amazed that I have a podcast. I love that I have a podcast, and I can't wait to see where this thing goes next year. So, with that, as always, protect your mental. Keep creating content, and I'll see you in the next one. Peace.