Video summary
Freddy, the creator behind "Ex-husbands," shares an inspiring journey of rediscovering her passion for art after a period where she felt disconnected from creative expression due to personal struggles and societal pressures. She explains that during her transition, she initially relied on makeup as a form of artistic outlet but eventually fell into autopilot mode, treating it merely as work rather than joyous self-expression. This shift led to feelings of burnout, anger toward the world, and a loss of purpose, causing her to stop engaging in activities like sketching or painting that once brought her happiness. Through therapy and a conscious effort to reclaim her identity, she has begun healing from these negative patterns and is slowly reintegrating hobbies such as drawing animations, writing by hand, and playing games simply for the sake of fun rather than content creation metrics.
The core message of the video revolves around the importance of creating art without fear of judgment or the need to please an audience. Freddy emphasizes that while social media platforms often encourage comparison and criticism, true artistic value comes from personal fulfillment and the act of sharing one's unique perspective with others who appreciate it. She encourages viewers to stop apologizing for their work regardless of its perceived quality and reminds everyone that art is meant to be a sanctuary between oneself and the canvas, not just another job or performance metric. By focusing on internal joy rather than external validation, she hopes to inspire others to pick up pens again, charge tablets, or engage in other creative hobbies like crocheting or baking as ways to maintain their humanity amidst a chaotic world filled with politics and digital noise.
A significant portion of the video is dedicated to reacting to fan art submitted by her community, which serves both as validation for Freddy's return to creativity and proof that others are also finding inspiration in similar spaces. She expresses genuine delight at seeing diverse interpretations of herself, ranging from simple stick figures to detailed sketches with specific attention to shading and anatomy, noting how each piece helps her appreciate different aspects of her own appearance, such as her monolid eyes or facial symmetry. Freddy uses these examples to illustrate that there is no competition in art; every artist brings a unique style shaped by their age, experience level, and personal preferences, making the act of creation inherently valuable regardless of technical perfection. She also shares how creating fan art has reignited her own desire to draw daily, leading her to start sketching herself again despite previous insecurities about proportions and facial features.
Ultimately, Freddy concludes that reclaiming hobbies is essential for mental well-being and preserving one's soul in an era where life often feels like a relentless chore list driven by economic necessity or political stress. She acknowledges the rising costs of living but argues that engaging in whimsical activities adds necessary color and meaning to existence, urging viewers not to let fear of failure prevent them from trying new skills. Whether it is learning cursive handwriting for better motor control, experimenting with pixel art blocks, or simply enjoying Animal Crossing music while drawing cats, these small acts serve as "third spaces" where individuals can exist purely as humans outside the constraints of productivity culture. Freddy ends on a hopeful note, promising to continue sharing her artistic process and encouraging everyone to find whatever hobby brings them joy, assuring viewers that their efforts matter even if no one else sees them, because the primary goal is simply to remain connected to what makes us feel alive.
Read the full video transcript
Hey, what's up you guys? My name's
Freddy.
Ex-husbands, am I right? Can we pan to
camera two? This looks so ew. Ew, I hate
that. Hi, how are you? It's your local
autistic girl. Would y'all have bullied
me? Yeah, y'all would have bullied me.
But now I get to live it as an adult.
Anyways, hi y'all. My name's Freddy. I
got a little update for everyone. I want
to do a listen to them video and look at
some fan art that y'all have been doing.
Thank you so much. Back in my day, we
didn't have a YouTube community tab for
other people to randomly post and the
fact that they just rolled this out
randomly, I finally realized and I
checked, there's been fan art this whole
time for months and I didn't
I want you to know if you're watching, I
have 100% seen it. I will always try to
like it, to reply. If I don't see it,
post it again after a month. So, small
update, if you haven't seen the last one
that I did earlier this year, my
favorite phrase, I was going through a
lot, went down in my personal life,
with my family, with myself and now I am
doing better. I used to care so much
about what people thought of me when I
was first starting to transition that I
went down the inevitable pipeline of
constantly on Twitter and Instagram
comparing myself to other trans women,
hating my own body and that happens in
like the first month cuz then you were
finally conscious of the fact that
you're transitioning and that things are
happening to your body. Also, hormones
are just a whole other level when you're
going through adult puberty. Those have
settled down now and I also lost the
purpose of like my life.
>> You what? At least I thought because I
was going on autopilot for content. If
you don't know, it's been my job most of
my life. 10 years, she's a grandma and
also your local art teacher, I guess.
Had to do a lot of things to just pay
bills for me, other people that I
started to hate the content I was doing
and the work I was putting into the
world because art at its core, that's
what this video is about, is a form of
self-expression and I was doing that my
whole life because I had more time as a
kid. I was in art classes in college, I
was doing photography in high school, so
I actively was making art and trying to
encourage my mind to be more creative
and then doing YouTube on the side for
the fun of it cuz it wasn't a job, it
was just a hobby. That's when uh
Freddy's Art Camp, now renamed Freddy
because, well, transition, became a
thing and I stopped doing it. I tried
cooking, I tried digital essays where I
was yelling about everything including
Steven Universe and I regret that. And I
moved it to makeup and makeup was a
great form of art expression. But then
it started to change because I started
to see it as trying to look feminine
only, trying to be pretty. This is like
the first few months in the
transitioning. I was just doing makeup
for the sake of getting it done and just
auto piloting. And when Freddy doesn't
have a way to express herself through
journaling, sketching, painting trades.
>> What did you say? Then I get mad. Then I
lash out at everyone including this guy
right here. Not him. Lane's right here
and Bender's here. It basically felt
like I started to
I just started to hate the world. That's
like the simplest way to put it. I hated
how people treat trans people. I still
do. Hated this country because of how
many people are Trumpies. I stopped
doing things that fuel my brain
creatively. I wasn't doing art anymore.
I was just treating it like work.
Nothing was fun. So it poured into my
videos, the way I treated others. I am
now working on that because I've been in
therapy for a few months. One of the
most humbling things was being told
you've made a lot of mistakes. It was
extreme ego death in the best way
because then I just immediately was
saying hey you can't do this anymore. I
started doing makeup again. I did this
post the other day.
So embarrassing to say. It made me cry
because suddenly I was drawing for hours
doing these little animations that end
of the day people can generate AI that
now. Bad thing by the way, stop. There's
templates online. You don't even have to
make anything. You can just upload it.
But I was just able to put on some TV,
listen to Animal Crossing music, be with
my cats and just draw for hours. And
then I started sketch booking again. Let
me show you. I just started it. This is
literally the first page. Is me writing
again cuz I don't write anymore. I just
only type. There's people who don't know
cursive. Please learn it by the way.
Will help you down the long run and it's
this deep. Learning cursive gives you a
steadier hand, helps you in instruments,
helps you in college. If you're learning
how to do surgery, calligraphy,
painting, something as simple as cursive
or doing a drawing every day and help
round up your learning as you age.
Whenever people ask me for an eyeliner
tutorial I go one it already exists, but
two you need a steady hand. How do you
get one? Those of you who care so much
about being perceived, it doesn't
matter. Why do you care so much about
strangers? They don't matter. In the
sense of their opinion doesn't matter
about what you're doing. This is meant
for you. No one has to see it. You don't
have to post it. Even if you do, of
course there will always be a side that
is judging. Every video I post, some
transfer will end up on it. Someone's
going to hate my video. Someone's going
to say they don't like the lighting,
they don't like the aesthetic, they
don't like how I look, they don't like
my voice. But am I going to let that
take away the joy of me being able to do
what I want and just share it with the
community I want to gain. I have seen
people on here who have watched me grow
up from high school to college to to
now. Like you've seen the whole
transition. You know too much. And I
keep getting reminded that I used to do
more art back then. That was when I was
the happiest. And I haven't been that
happy since well, starting to now.
Because I'm doing art again. I'm not
saying you need to. I'm not saying make
content. I just mean in a world where
everyone wants to take away your time,
make you miserable, prevent you from
being to access hobbies, being third
spaces, play video games for the sake of
it. Have the time to crochet. Find
something. Cooking, baking, doing
science projects, reading a book. All of
these are just to train your mind to
help you get out of this world for a
little bit. To exist as a human outside
from politics. Actually, it is political
because for us in the US, the Department
of Education is being defunded. There
are less and less teachers, there are
less art programs to even fund. We
started crocheting these little Woobler.
What are these called? Wobbler? This
thing. I've only done one. Most fun I've
had in so long to just film. I'm so
excited to edit it. Sorry that I
randomly It's just that the video I
posted about Generator Guy last week, I
did not see such an influx of people
just wanting to draw in general because
of it. I didn't realize that it could
inspire people that easily. This is not
me gassing myself up by the way. I'm
just trying to point out. It makes me
very emotional to know that there is
something as simple as a video like this
where you can inspire someone to want to
draw again. To pick up that pen, to
charge that tablet, to learn a new
skill, a new hobby for the sake of it.
And at the same time there are people
who say, "I don't see the point of this
if you're not getting better." It
doesn't matter. I don't care if you're
say you're good or bad. You're both
equal to me unless I'm paying you for
something. Work is good or bad. Art is
meant to just be shared between you and
the canvas or the world if you choose
to. No one has to see the art for you to
be happy about it. So please, if you're
doing art, stop saying I'm sorry if it's
bad. I'm sorry I'm new to it. I know the
internet has become a place where people
fear judgment within the community which
unless you're asking for it, it doesn't
matter. As long as it's making you happy
and you're not hurting anyone, please
just do it to remain human because there
are there is less and less of that
because everyone is in a relationship
with a chat GPT therapist. Anyways,
we're going to look at fan art. Some
frequently asked questions. Yes, of
course you can draw me. I don't know a
person who would say no. I love any fan
art. It can be a stick figure. I don't
care. It's all beautiful. It's fun to
share.
Oh my god. I'm sorry. I want to put more
effort into this community and make sure
that there is just a congregation of
lesbians every day. I'll keep this world
afloat. I am going to be consistent with
weekly videos on Saturdays cuz I if I
could do it as a kid, I can do it now.
There is a Twitch stream of me turning
latent into Pam Bondy if you want to
watch that on Twitch. We also play games
on there. You should join. And we got a
podcast, too. I'm not doing this video
to like judge fan art. I just want to
say what I like about it. That's all
that matters. Don't feel bad if the fan
art isn't good compared to other people.
You are all different age groups. You
have all different levels of learning
art. There's no competition needed. Like
look at this. It's a sunflower. So cute.
And I love my eyes. What I've also
learned through that, everyone who draws
my eyes, it makes me appreciate them
more because I used to want double
eyelid surgery. Hated my monolid growing
up. Now I definitely don't cuz of that.
Yeah. Drawing where I had double
eyelids. Like look, you got every part
of my face. And the background colors is
two a T. Which crayon is that? Love the
blush. Love my dress. Also with every
piece of art, you get to know so much
about who's drawing it. I can reasonably
predict an age range. I guess you know
how you personally color things in, that
you prefer markers. And that there's
people who prefer sketching and I just
uh
the eyes are so cute. I haven't seen fan
art of this yet. It's my lipstick
makeup. Beautiful. There are so many
that I saw just from that one video
about AI and they're like, "Hey, I drew
this in an hour just to spite them."
It's gorgeous. This is the beginning of
a thumbnail and I know exactly which
one. Like look at the shading. I've
never I don't really see reverse shading
like that. I just want to point out this
one. This is one specifically that
really made me appreciate my monoliths.
And you have a ton of blue pencils.
Amazing shading. Also hair is so hard to
do. Never be afraid to trace. Never be
afraid to do a simple shape. Stylize it
in a unique way. I don't care about the
hyperrealism. I don't care about AI
trying to go as close as possible to
mimic humans. I like seeing how people
interpret humans. How would you
interpret drawing a rose to 100 people?
They'd all look a little different.
>> There can be 100 people in the room.
There can be 100 people in the room. You
can have 100 people in the room. 100
people in the room. You know, 100
people. You know, there can be 100
people 100 people
>> Also you can make candy. You can make a
bracelet. I just struggled to do this
and I used to know how to Rainbow Loom
as a kid. Any hobby could help you in
life cuz it helps here, okay? Y'all need
to care more about the soul and adding
more fun and whimsy into your life.
Literally if even if it is dressing
colorful because I don't do this as
much. That was during the
#arthoeesthetic on Tumblr. Thank you all
so much. It is a priceless thing to be
able to say, "Because of y'all, I was
able to find my passion for art again."
Seeing other people get inspired to art
makes me want to do it again and I
started like in one week, I started
doing sketchbook, I opened up Procreate
again, practiced more animations for
myself, started playing games again off
stream just so I could have a little bit
of me time, bought more pixel art
blocks. I can't wink. That was bad. I
know life is getting more expensive and
that everything feels like a chore and I
always said skin care and makeup are
ritual, but separate from that, skin
care is not art. For me personally, I
need something physical. I need
something physical. I need something
with my hands while I still can use
them. Everyone is temporarily
able-bodied until disabled. I just want
to draw it again. I hope y'all start to
enjoy doing art. I didn't realize how
many people liked art still here. You
know, it's been a long time since I've
done a Freddy's art camp, but I hope me
showing this We stopped because Layton
un- did a whole row and he got mad. I'll
be showing more of my sketchbook. I'll
be showing more of the how I do makeup.
There is a whole separate channel for
it, and that's like the tutorial side.
But, I'll just be making more edits. I
want to tell you how I do photography.
Like I said, I want to show more of the
artistic and artistic side of me. And to
do something for exposure therapy, I'm
going to sketch myself. Hopefully, I've
been drawing this whole time on the
side, but now you get to see it. I
should be finishing up my sketch. I
haven't sketched in a while. I'm already
doing it. I'm doing what y'all say.
Sorry, I'm not the best, but guess what?
It doesn't matter. I'm doing it. I'm
learning. And I have proof that I can be
good. I don't care about that right now.
I just want to do it. I've been editing
this all night. You can tell I just woke
up from a nap. I'm pretty sure this is
my first self-portrait of myself. Like,
I've taken photos of myself in the past,
gotten used to my face, but I hated
drawing them because I just didn't know
proportions, didn't know how to do
facial symmetry, so I avoided it my
whole life. I know it's not the most
accurate photo of me. I did this in like
20 minutes. This all goes back to that
one journal video I did so long ago,
where I journaled every day for a month,
and I just documented it. And I also did
that in Procreate, where I just learned
how to use Procreate in a month and
documented it. And I want to emphasize
that unless you are literally doing this
for your job, there is no need to one
post it online or focus on other
people's perception. Because even while
sketching, I was like, "Ugh, what if the
eyeliner is off? What if it's not as
good as other people that have posted
things?" And then I remember, "Hey, you
don't do this stuff. This is literally
just your free time you're just choosing
to upload it. Who gives a truly,
if it's bad?" If art is only made to be
consumed and judged, I think it loses
its value in learning it. Cuz then more
people never bothered to pick up the pen
because they believe they'll never
improve or that it's not worth it. Or
they get mad at themselves, and that is
a separate issue, and that's something
you need to heal from within. I learned
how to do eyeliner after 5 years. I
think it's safe to say that working with
my face every day helped me just learn
how to draw myself. Now, I know how my
face actually looks. And because I'm 24,
and I just have more of an idea of what
I want to draw, how I like to add a
little bit of my own style into it. I
hope this inspires y'all. I really have
been enjoying the last few weeks because
I've just been getting back into my own
hobbies. You know, they say don't turn
every hobby into work and I was like, I
will do the opposite because it's fun.
At some point it does get to you if
you're not compartmentalizing those
parts of what is truly a hobby and what
are you doing for work just to get it
done. What do you mean you started to
hate something you've done your whole
life? So yeah, let me know what art
videos you want in the future. I'm
currently working on that crochet. It's
going to be Freddy's art camp revamped
because we have better cameras now and
I'll see y'all next week. Leave a
comment about your favorite album cover
and why. I love you all. Everything is
less than three. See y'all next week on
Saturday.