By Chris Dietrich
VYPE: What inspired you to start animating?
Kyle Smith: I’ve always drawn. The main thing that pulled me into either pursuing it as a career or just keeping it as a hobby was this portrait my aunt had made of me and my mom when we were in the hospital. It’s an impressive drawing; we hung it somewhere in the house. That has always inspired me, and I wanted to do something like it. I went to the internet to learn more about art, which introduced me to many different artsy stuff. I decided that was what I wanted to do. I’ve been juggling that for the past six years now.
VYPE: How long have you been animating? Doing art in general?
KS: Art itself could be my whole life like I have drawings from my kindergarten days. When I started drawing independently, it was seventh grade, before COVID.
VYPE: How do you balance band with your art career?
KS: For the last six years, I’ve put band first. It’s a school activity, and I would do art on the side. I got accepted into Moore Norman Technology Center for Graphic Design (MNTC), which just added to my band schedule. I reserve an hour a day to practice my instrument. Most of my time goes to graphic design work or art practice.
VYPE: How has MNTC developed your skills?
KS: All art is art, but there are techniques to it. There’s a lot to know about it, and I’ve learned much about graphic design. I’ve learned about the people I design for, how elements fit together, and typography. We learned about color balance; too much of one thing can unbalance the design. It’s a slow process to know it, but you can also develop it over time. It’s improved me a lot. I’ve designed T-shirts for band, and since I joined MNTC, they’ve gotten much better. Unlike before I joined, I could see more details when I created the shirts. I can see where one thing looks wrong and know how to fix it.
VYPE: What struggles have you faced with your YouTube channel? How many subscribers does it have?
KS: My central struggle is procrastination, which is standard in my life, not just art. I deal with it often and struggle to keep up a good posting schedule. Before I started high school, I had a great schedule. That changed due to my hectic schedule with band, and finding time to post is a struggle. I’m starting to get back into the swing of things since I have more time on my hands now that my band season has finished.
VYPE: What do you post?
KS: I mainly post animations and reaction videos that people ask for. I balance posting what I want with what people who want entertainment can also enjoy. I can post the most jaw-dropping animation I’ve made, but it won’t get many views as it may not be trendy. Over the years, I have learned how to follow the algorithm on YouTube. I can see what is popular and put my art into it. Most of my reaction videos are a mix of reactions that people want to watch, but it has my artistic spin on them, so I can get my art out there while making a video that people want to watch. People love it.
VYPE: How did you start your YouTube channel?
KS: I started it back in 2020. It blew up one day because I accidentally posted something trending. I used that to figure out how to follow the algorithm. It’s been an ever-flowing process, with rises in subscribers and times when I barely get any. It’s been a steady uphill. It’s still growing too.
VYPE: Do you want to pursue this after high school?
KS: I do. I want to keep the channel going, as it does give me profit. It’s a good side hustle for pocket money. However, it couldn’t support me full-time unless you’re a big, flashy, popular channel. I have a decent following, around 36,000 subscribers.
