The Most Creative Creators on YouTube (Yes, Even If It’s Not Art)

Last week I asked LinkedIn if YouTube was art. 67% of you said yes. The rest presumably screamed “no” into the void and logged off.

Naturally, I played devil’s advocate. I made a case for why YouTube isn’t art… something about algorithms, brand deals, and the fact that your upload schedule shouldn’t be more important than your soul. TL;DR: if your creative choices are dictated by a sponsor’s brand guidelines or an A/B test, it’s probably not art. It’s content. Delicious, efficient, platform-optimised content.

And yet, here I am, listing off creators who completely ruin that argument.

Because even if I don’t think most YouTube content is art, these weirdos, dreamers, and camera nerds make a damn good case that some of it might be.

So here it is. A not-quite-definitive list of creators who make me feel something other than scroll fatigue:

1. The YouTube New Wave

Okay yes, this isn’t one creator. Sue me. (Actually don’t, I can’t afford a lawyer.)

The YouTube New Wave is less a movement and more a vibe. Coined by creators like Ryan Ng and Max Reisinger (who are also leading the charge), it’s a loose collective of filmmakers who treat YouTube like a sketchbook, not a marketing tool.

Think Natalie Lynn. Gawx. And others who say: what if we didn’t chase thumbnails like crack head lab rats? What if we just… cool shit?

The cinematography is always beautiful. The storytelling is refreshingly honest. And The vibes are just big “I edited this barefoot in a cabin” energy.

It’s the opposite of the MrBeastification of the platform. No jump cuts every 0.4 seconds. No shouting. Just vibes. Watching them feels like eating a vegetable you actually like. You leave full, not ashamed.

2. GxAce

Now for someone who breaks my brain: GxAce.

On paper, he reviews cameras.

But in practice - He builds cinematic universes that just happen to feature a Sony A7S III.

Imagine a camera review set in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world, narrated like a fever dream, lit like a Denis Villeneuve film, and scored like Blade Runner. Somehow, it’s still informative.

Even if you don’t care about sensor sizes or colour science, you’ll find yourself glued to the screen like: “Wait… is this a trailer? A breakdown? A new HBO drama?”

I don’t want another camera review from him. I want a feature film.

3. Yellow Cherry Jam

Switching gears. Let’s talk lo-fi.

I love a good lo-fi livestream. I mean Lofi Girl is Basically my housemate at this point. But lately… something’s off. The tracks feel a bit soulless. AI-ish. Like a computer pretending it has depression.

Then I found Yellow Cherry Jam.

It’s (I think?) a couple, a dog, and a field. That’s it. They record music sometimes outside in the sun, othertimes in their very bristol student looking bedroom, and post it. No AI. no branding. Just vibes.

They’re not reinventing the genre, but god, they make it feel alive again. Warm, human, slightly off-beat in the best way. They’re still relatively small, but I’d bet on them blowing up…

4. Struthless

Okay so every rule I set about what isn’t art on YouTube, yeah this guy breaks.

Struthless is a self-help-meets-art-meets-cultural-commentary wizard who somehow makes videos that are part advice, part collage, part existential spiral. His channel is like a pirate radio station broadcasting from a floating island of creativity - its equal parts punk, paint, and panic attack.

He doesn’t follow trends, i feel like he just follows his manic creative energy.

I don’t know how to categorise his stuff, which is exactly why I love it.

If the rest of YouTube is the algorithm’s chosen children, Struthless is the feral nephew no one talks about (relatable) and he's thriving.

These are just a few of the people keeping YouTube weird, human, and maybe… just maybe, artistic.

Got any others I should check out? Email me. Message me. Send a raven. I’m always up for a scroll down the stranger side of the platform.