(footsteps thumping)
- Hello, you may be wondering what I'm doing here.
Oh, don't you worry little girl
I'm simply practicing my lines for, "I Am An Actor".
- You look like a creepy old man.
- Yeah, that was the only part I could get.
Okay, I may not be an actor.
But I did go through a lot of art classes.
You may be thinking that others have already touched
on this subject, but you what?
I'm different from these bozos, 'cause I--
- Don't have eyes?
- No, well, I mean yeah, but that's not what I was--
- Wait, I know, it's because you're brown.
- Oh my god, no.
Why are you bringing race into this?
- Oh, is it 'cause your videos are garbage?
(sniffs)
- They're not garbage.
(cries)
- But for real, it's actually because I went to this
art-centric middle school.
They really wanted the students to experience
all of what creative arts had to offer.
So they implemented a system where in eighth grade
you would rotate between the four major
art disciplines each term.
They consisted of, visual art.
You know, the art class everybody knows about.
Music.
(trumpet plays)
Media/Digital tech.
- I'm in.
And Drama.
What is up dramaaz-alert nation?
I'm your host, Killer Maa--
And whilst I'm grateful for the experience
looking back at it, these art classes were the biggest meme.
Because it was such basic, rudimentary level art
we all honestly did jack all that year.
Take my music class for example.
I mean, after watching the Rachrab Diss track
the Timtom rap battle and the famous MAAZ rap
I think it's clear to see that I'm pretty musically gifted.
Denial is the first step of grief in the five step process.
For that term of music, we had a choice between
learning the piano or learning the guitar.
And I'm gonna be honest, I kinda only picked the guitar
because I thought it'd make me more attractive to girls.
(laughs)
I was such a loser, holy.
Okay, side tangent, that's actually a recurring reason
for a lot of my childhood decisions.
See, I would watch these high school movies
which had all the pretty white boys.
And they all had these one sided smirk things going
and the girls obviously loved that.
- Oh my god, take my heart.
- So for years, I tried my hardest to get my own smirk
which may have worked on one side, but on the other
I look like I had a minor stroke.
And so, with my lopsided smile I spent an entire term
practicing my guitar skills to pick up the Ladies.
(chuckles) Man, looking back at it
I wasn't even learning a romantic song.
I'm pretty sure I was learning, "Ode to Joy".
(guitar playing)
Oh yeah, girls are totally gonna love this.
- I'm glad you haven't drawn me with eyes
so I can't see how ridiculous you look.
But at least I was confident enough to play guitar
in front of the class.
Unlike drama, where I had absolutely no confidence
and was convinced that I was a terrible actor.
But you see guys (laughs) I have a life hack for you.
If you can't act well, just have them write a role
specifically for bad acting.
Like, a background character or a tree.
- Okay Janika, you're killing it.
Melvin, you keep channeling your inner Johnny Depp.
Maaz
just act like a drunk hobo.
(sniffs)
- I was destined for this.
(laughs)
- You know what they say, if you can't act well, die.
One time, I legitimately wrote myself a role
for a guy that gets in a car accident and dies.
(car engine roaring)
(screeching)
(crashing)
(truck hooting)
(farts)
- Dude, acting is so easy.
- It's funny because the drama teacher
actually pulled me aside and told me
that I wasn't that bad of an actor
and I just needed more confidence in myself.
That was honestly so sweet of him to say.
And it instilled a passion of drama and acting in me
for years to come.
I even did theater during university.
Like I was on-stage and everything.
- "If you prick us, do we not bleed?
"If you tickle us, do we not laugh?
"If you poison us, do we not die?
"And if you wrong us, shall we not rev--"
- Yeah, you. (smack)
Okay, that's cute honey, but I'm an actor.
The next year I was moved to scriptwriting
and had no time on stage.
So maybe my teacher was a lying son of a, visual art
Alright, so I'm just gonna gloss over this one
because not a lot happened during this class.
I know it's the medium that I spend the most time doing now
but, art had a lot more writing analysis
than I thought it would.
Actually, I'm pretty sure I was justifying
more than I was actually doing art.
However, that was nothing compared to Digital/Media Tech.
Now, the name of the class is awful
but it basically covered film, television
gaming and digital art.
I remember this one assignment we had
which was to basically analyze a TV show
and provide reasoning as to why people
either loved or hated it.
This project was the best because
it allowed me and my brother the perfect excuse
to run down to Blockbuster, rent out five seasons of
"How I Met Your Mother", and binge it all in a few days.
- [TV] The ultimate way...
(door clicks)
- [Mom] Hey guys, it's getting pretty late.
Maybe you should go to bed and rest up for--
- Shut the door mom, gosh do you even care about my grades?
- Yeah, mom.
(door slams)
(crying)
- And that's why "How I Met Your Mother"
is one of my favorite TV shows to this day.
And why my mom goes to therapy.
So, here's what I actually learned in my art classes.
Improvement and skill is not linear
and shouldn't be compared as such.
This is relevant for people like me
who compare themselves to other people
and get really distressed when they're not
on an equal playing field.
But let me tell you something, now "TheOdd1sOut".
Does he have the best visuals in our community?
- Yes.
- What about the most interesting stories?
- Yes!
And is he more animated than the others?
- Yes!
- No, he isn't.
- What? - You see what I'm getting at?
Even though he's not the best when it comes to
all of these factors, he's still number one
in our community.
- Dang right I am.
- And it's all because he's got
his own unique blend of skills
that really showcases what he can do.
His art style.
When you judge yourself to another person's art style
or sense of humor, you're comparing something unique
that you alone have on their field.
So, of course you're going to be upset
and feel like you're inferior to them.
That's just not a valid comparison.
And I know it's way easier said than done.
But I can assure you, if you knuckle down
and really focus on what you're doing
and try to establish your own style
I think that'll lead you to more happiness
and creative fulfillment in the longterm.
It is hard, but you'll eventually get there.
I used to be a saddest boy for life.
But now?
Not only am I able to fulfill my creative urges again
but I'm also fortunate enough
to have this fantastic channel
and to be the Maaztermind with all of you guys.
My Maartians, our fan base
and strongest alien army known to man.
And I know we're all waiting to take over the world
and defeat the Laddis, but in the mean time
why not promote some of you to become Super Maartians?
So, I wanna give a shout-out to Jentry Lewis
Aldo Gameplay and UnderTale Grillby.
You guys are now all Super Maartians
the brave soldiers who will lead us to battle.
If you wanna have a chance for a shout out
make sure to subscribe, hit the notification bell
like the video, and comment
"I have turned on the bell and am a Super Maartian."
Now I know it may be daunting to focus on self-improvement
and to learn some new skills, but why not make it easier
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But hey, look, that's enough of me talking.
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So, be sure to be one of those lucky 500.
So, thank you once again to Skillshare
for sponsoring this video.
And thank you audience for watching.
Okay, so I know this wasn't a super crazy topic
but I had a lot of fun making it
and I hope you liked it too.
Major thanks to my best buddy Emily
whom I have no beef with, for voicing some of the characters
in this video.
You're an absolute legend.
All right, if you liked the story
make sure to click on the video
on the left side of the screen
and you'll get some more of that Maazie goodness.
And finally, I'd like to give a major shout out
to my patron and original tea poser (mumbles)
Yes, that's his name.
All right, laters everybody, and stay aMaazing.