Journeyman (Explanation & Farewell)
—— Journeyman ——
(channel closure reflection)
This will be the final video on this channel. In it, I’ll explain why I created the channel, what I’ve done with it, and why I’ve chosen to bring it to a close.
At its inception, this YouTube channel was simply a utilitarian solution—an alternative to cluttered USB drives and aging laptop hard disks. I turned to one of the largest tech companies in the world, trusting their servers to store my content more reliably than my own hardware ever could.
Over time, I transitioned to cloud-based storage solutions, but I continued to use this channel to upload videos—mostly small experiments. These were attempts to capture sounds, to explore music production techniques I hadn’t yet mastered, or simply to experiment and play.
Many of these early uploads were intentionally obscure, laced with inside jokes or references meant for a single friend. At one point, I deleted over 200 miscellaneous clips in an effort to give the channel a clearer focus: music.
While I’ve never considered myself a professional composer or performer, I’ve gained enough experience in both realms to feel content. I don’t intend to invest much more time in mastering those specific skills. Life, after all, is a series of trade-offs—every decision is a sacrifice of every other possibility in that moment. (I don't plan to be a craftsman in this field)
Over the years, these uploads became something more than storage—they became a kind of creative ledger, a visual and sonic journal of my development in music production. Production, to me, is the crucial middle ground between composition and performance.
There’s a point in music production where you’re not creating anymore—you’re just trying to tame frequencies like some kind of audio zookeeper.
At some point, I realized I had spent six hours EQ’ing a kick drum that was never going to be heard by anyone except a YouTube compression algorithm and one friend who accidentally clicked on the video at 2 a.m.
Though I see the videos and music as art, I don’t consider this to be art intended for official release. Rather, it’s documentation. A record to remind myself: I’ve already attempted—and in most cases solved—these particular creative or technical challenges.
At some point, I gave this endeavor a name: Sad Whale Productions, an independent record label with a dead whale as its mascot—equal parts melancholy and absurdity.
Along the way, I created several alter egos:
도민호: a satirical Korean rap persona. A foreigner with a Korean name that phonetically resembles “Domino,” whose antics ranged from petty mischief to outlandish international crimes.
Brochilidae: an EDM artist whose name looks like a mashup of “bro,” “chili,” and “dae,” yet is inspired by Trochilidae, the Latin name for hummingbirds—with a B instead of a T. If I ever performed live under this alias, I always imagined handing out broccoli at shows.
MC Abstain: a conceptual performance artist who never actually raps. He just stands on stage silently judging the audience’s life choices. Some call it minimalism. Others call it a cry for help.
In terms of personal growth, I’ve come to see myself as having graduated from apprentice to journeyman in the world of music production. And that’s where this chapter ends.
I’ve chosen to cap this channel at 200 videos—most of them music-related—and let it stand as a finished body of work. Moving forward, I’ll use other channels for specific purposes: new music, more refined projects, and future video essays like this one.
So again: this channel started as a storage tool, evolved into an experimental space, and now concludes as a completed journey.
If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Thanks for your time—and for listening.