amanda rach lee, 21, toronto

She dropped out of U of T business school to make videos about bullet journalling

I started my YouTube channel in Grade 9. At first, I made a lot of videos on DIY crafts, makeup and fashion. I didn’t think much of it. It was something I did for fun, and I would only get a few hundred views per video.

In fall 2016, I started business school at Rotman. But I quickly realized it wasn’t for me. Just a month in, I decided to defer to the next fall semester, hoping to enrol in a creative program at a different school. I thought, This is my year. I can do YouTube 100 per cent and see where it goes. I only had about 50,000 subscribers at the time, so I set out to build my following.

At the end of 2016, I discovered bullet journalling, an analog organizational system that helps you schedule tasks. I posted my first bullet journal video in January 2017. Not many people were doing it back then, so I quickly built an audience: I hit 100,000 subscribers shortly after posting that video.

I started doing monthly videos showing how I set up my bullet journal. By August 2017, I’d fully transitioned into a bullet journal–building channel with 300,000 subscribers. That fall, I started a radio and TV program at Ryerson, but again, I quit after a semester to do YouTube full time.

These days, my videos usually get between 500,000 and 1.5 million views. I come up with ideas and do some preliminary sketches before I film, and then it can take three to five hours to shoot one 15-minute video. It takes double the amount of time to draw something when you’re filming it because you have to make sure your hand isn’t blocking the camera. Editing takes the most time—about six to 12 hours, including recording my voiceovers—and I have a full-time editor who helps me with that. She’s a friend from high school.

In June 2018, I was able to buy a one-bedroom condo in downtown Toronto with my YouTube earnings. Three months later, I hit one million subscribers. It was surreal. I filmed my reaction, and I still get choked up every time I watch the clip.

I’ve worked with some big sponsors like Microsoft and Crayola. One of my favourites was a collaboration with Samsung. They had a new phone with a pen, which I used to create a lettering design. The video aired on Fox last year. I also worked with Warner Bros. to create some drawings for the film Detective Pikachu. I got to go to Japan for the premiere and meet the cast, including Ryan Reynolds.

In November 2019, I released my own $46 planner with hand-drawn illustrations, a mood tracker and a habit tracker. When it came out, I did a pop-up shop and meet-and-greet in Toronto. More than 200 people showed up. The journal eventually sold out in four colours, and I’m thinking about adding more stationery to the shop.

My parents were skeptical at first, but as soon as I was able to support myself financially, they realized I was serious. Now they’re totally supportive—and they even help me out with bookkeeping.