The messy middle of building a creative business, discovering something I genuinely love, and learning how to bring imaginary worlds to life.
I think I accidentally found something I love.
And honestly? I wasn’t expecting it to be YouTube.
When I started building The After Hours Dreamer, I had so many ideas. Coloring books, printables, blogging, affiliate marketing, and an ever-growing list of creative projects I wanted to bring to life.
I still love those ideas.
But lately, something unexpected has happened.
I’ve become a little obsessed with creating ambience videos.
You know those cozy YouTube videos you put on your television while you’re cleaning, working, reading, or just trying to unwind?
The ones with rainy windows, glowing fireplaces, little coffee shops, and peaceful background sounds?
Yeah. Those.
Except now, instead of just watching them, I’m creating my own.
And I am having entirely too much fun doing it.
From Coloring Books to Creating Entire Worlds
One thing I’ve learned about myself is that I don’t just enjoy making individual products.
I love creating places.
There’s Ciderleaf Hollow, my cozy fictional town filled with bookstores, autumn streets, and little shops I wish existed in real life.
There’s Midnight Intuitions, with its witchy atmosphere and mysterious late-night charm.
And there’s Somewhere I’ve Never Been, a collection of dreamlike places that feel strangely familiar, even though you’ve never actually visited them.
These worlds started as creative ideas for coloring books and other projects.
Then I realized something.
What if people could actually spend time in them?
Not just color a picture of a cozy bookstore, but put that bookstore on their television, hear the rain outside, and enjoy an entire evening there.
That’s when creating ambience videos started to click for me.
And the more I experimented, the more ideas I had.
Rainy autumn nights. Enchanted villages. Nostalgic childhood bedrooms. Quiet coffee shops. Dreamlike swimming pools.
Apparently, my brain has an entire real estate portfolio of imaginary places.
And now I’m figuring out how to bring them to life.
The Unexpected Joy of Learning Something New
Here’s something you should know about me.
I am not a professional video editor.
I didn’t go to school for filmmaking.
And when I started experimenting with ambience videos, I certainly didn’t have everything figured out.
I just had ideas and a willingness to learn.
I’ve been experimenting with AI-assisted visuals, animation tools, audio, editing software, and YouTube Studio.
Some things work beautifully.
Other things require approximately 47 attempts and a questionable amount of caffeine.
But every time I figure something out, I get a little more confident.
And that has become one of my favorite parts of this entire journey.
You don’t have to know how to do everything before you start. Sometimes you learn because you started.
How I’m Learning to Create YouTube Ambience Videos
If you’ve ever wondered how people create those long, cozy ambience videos on YouTube, here’s a simplified look at the process I’ve been learning.
This isn’t meant to be the only way to create them. It’s simply an introduction to the process I’ve been experimenting with.
1. Start With a Feeling, Not Just a Picture
Before I create anything, I ask myself what I want someone to feel when they watch the video.
Comfort? Nostalgia? Peace? A little escape from everyday life?
For example, one of my recent videos is called Halloween Sleepover, 1996.
I didn’t just want a room decorated for Halloween.
I wanted the feeling of being a kid again, staying up late with friends, watching movies, eating snacks, and listening to the rain outside.
That feeling became the foundation of the entire scene.
Sometimes I start with a memory. Other times, it’s a fictional place I’ve imagined.
But the emotion always comes first.
2. Build the Visual World
Once I know the atmosphere I’m going for, I start developing the scene.
For my own videos, I’ve been experimenting with AI-assisted creative tools to generate visuals based on my ideas.
And I’ve learned that the details matter.
Lighting matters. Colors matter. The little objects scattered around a room matter.
A glowing television, a blanket thrown across the couch, an old game console, or rain against a window can make a scene feel more personal and nostalgic.
The goal isn’t simply to make something pretty.
It’s to make somewhere people want to stay.
You Don’t Have to Use AI to Create Your Visuals
One thing I want to emphasize is that AI-assisted tools are just one option.
If you’re an artist who enjoys drawing or digital illustration, you can absolutely create your own scenes from scratch.
Whether you use Procreate, Photoshop, or another drawing program, your original artwork can become the foundation for an ambience video.
You can also use Canva to design cozy rooms, landscapes, coffee shops, and other scenes by combining backgrounds, illustrations, textures, and design elements.
And you can mix methods, too!
Maybe you draw your own characters but create the background in Canva.
Maybe you design an entire scene yourself and then use animation software to bring it to life.
You could even use your own photography or footage as the starting point.
There’s no single correct way to create an ambience video.
The important thing is finding a creative process that works for your skills, your budget, and the atmosphere you’re trying to build.
I also understand that not everyone is comfortable using AI-generated artwork, and that’s completely okay.
There are valid conversations happening about AI, creativity, how AI models are trained, copyright, and the rights of artists.
My goal isn’t to convince anyone to use a particular tool.
I’m simply sharing the process I’m learning as I build my own creative business.
If you prefer traditional illustration, digital drawing, photography, Canva, or another approach, you can absolutely use those methods to create your own ambience videos.
Whatever method you choose, make sure you understand the licensing and commercial-use terms for any assets you include, especially if you plan to monetize your content.
Your creativity is the starting point. The software is simply how you bring it to life.
3. Bring the Scene to Life
Next comes animation.
I’ve been experimenting with Google Flow to add subtle movement to my scenes.
Think rain falling outside, candle flames flickering, fireplace embers glowing, or water gently moving in a swimming pool.
One thing I’ve learned is that ambience videos don’t always need dramatic animation.
Sometimes the smallest movements create the most relaxing atmosphere.
I actually prefer scenes where the camera stays still and the environment gently moves around it.
It’s the difference between watching a movie and feeling like you’re sitting inside the room.
And if you’ve created your artwork yourself, you can explore other animation and video-editing tools to achieve similar effects.
4. Create the Soundscape
Audio is just as important as the visuals.
Depending on the video, I might use rain, a fireplace, gentle background music, or other atmospheric sounds.
For my music-based videos, I’ve also experimented with AI-assisted music creation.
I try to match the sound to the experience I’m creating.
A witchy apothecary needs a different atmosphere from a cozy bakery or a nostalgic childhood living room.
And sometimes, music isn’t necessary at all.
A steady rainstorm, a softly humming fan, or the crackle of a fireplace can be enough.
If you’re creating your own videos, there are several ways to approach audio.
You can record your own sounds, create original music, use properly licensed sound effects, or explore music-generation tools if that’s something you’re comfortable with.
Just remember that not every audio file you find online is free to use commercially.
Always check the usage rights and YouTube’s relevant policies before including music or sound effects in a video.
5. Edit, Upload, and Learn
Once the pieces are ready, I assemble the video, check the audio and visuals, and prepare it for YouTube.
Then come the title, thumbnail, description, and all the little details that help viewers understand what they’re clicking on.
And after publishing?
I watch the analytics.
Not because I expect every video to take off, but because I want to learn what people connect with.
What My Early YouTube Analytics Are Teaching Me
I’m still growing a small channel.
We’re talking early days, not some overnight success story.
But I’ve already learned something interesting.
One of my Halloween nostalgia videos recently reached more than 170 views and showed an average view duration of about 22 minutes.
For a small channel, seeing people spend that much time with something I created was genuinely encouraging.
Here’s the video that gave me one of my first encouraging moments as a new ambience creator. It’s a nostalgic Halloween sleepover inspired by the 1990s, complete with cozy decorations, rainy-night sounds, and that childhood feeling of having nowhere else you need to be.
If you love cozy nostalgia, feel free to put it on in the background while you read, work, or relax. 🎃🍂
It doesn’t mean I’ve cracked the YouTube algorithm.
It doesn’t guarantee the next video will perform the same way.
But it gives me something useful to study.
Maybe people are connecting with the nostalgia.
Maybe the rain sounds help them relax.
Maybe they just like having a cozy room playing on their television.
I don’t know for certain yet.
And that’s why I’m paying attention.
Three Things I’m Learning About YouTube Analytics
Views tell me how often my videos are being watched.
They’re useful, but they don’t tell the whole story.
Click-through rate helps me understand how often people click after seeing a thumbnail impression.
A thumbnail might attract attention, but the number needs context, especially when a video has very few impressions.
Average view duration tells me how long people stay, on average.
For long ambience videos, that can be particularly interesting because viewers may use them while relaxing, working, or falling asleep.
I’m learning to look at these numbers together instead of obsessing over one metric.
And I’m trying not to judge a video too quickly.
Sometimes creating something and giving it room to find its audience is part of the process.
What This Has Taught Me About Building a Business
Here’s where things get personal.
I still work a full-time job.
The After Hours Dreamer is something I’m building around my regular responsibilities, usually after work and on weekends.
And some days, I’m tired.
Some days, my brain has more ideas than I could possibly finish.
Some days, I wonder whether any of this will turn into the business I’m dreaming about.
But lately, I’ve noticed something.
When I finish my workday, I’m genuinely excited to work on my own projects.
Not because someone assigned them to me.
Not because there’s a deadline.
But because I want to see what I can create next.
That’s a feeling I don’t want to ignore.
I still have a lot to learn about growing an audience, building income streams, and connecting all the different pieces of my business.
But I think I’m beginning to understand what makes me want to keep going.
It’s not just the possibility of making money someday.
It’s the freedom to create something that’s mine.
A Little Advice for Anyone Starting Something After Work
If you’re building a business, learning a creative skill, or trying to figure out what you actually want to do with your life, here’s what I’d tell you from the middle of my own journey.
You don’t need to have your entire business figured out.
You don’t need to be an expert before you try something.
And you don’t have to force yourself to stick with an idea simply because it was your original plan.
Pay attention to what you enjoy doing.
Pay attention to what you’re naturally curious about.
And pay attention to what you’re willing to keep learning, even when it’s frustrating.
Sometimes your next direction reveals itself through the work.
Not through another business plan.
Not through another hour of researching what everyone else is doing.
But through actually making something.
And if you’re experimenting with creative tools, remember that your process doesn’t have to look like anybody else’s.
Maybe you’re an artist.
Maybe you’re a writer.
Maybe you’re learning design for the first time.
Maybe you’re experimenting with technology you never imagined yourself using.
There’s room to explore, learn, and find your own way.
Still Dreaming. Still Building.
I don’t know exactly where The After Hours Dreamer will be a year from now.
I hope my coloring books find their readers.
I hope my blog continues growing.
And I hope more people discover these little worlds I’m creating on YouTube.
But for now, I’m proud of the fact that I’m learning, experimenting, and finishing things.
I’m building something after hours, one project at a time.
And somewhere along the way, I found a creative outlet that makes me genuinely happy.
That’s worth something, too.
The day job pays for the dream. The business gets built one finished thing at a time.
Until next time,
The After Hours Dreamer 💜
Want to see the worlds I’m creating?
Visit my YouTube channel, The After Hours Dreamer Lo-Fi, to explore cozy ambience, nostalgic childhood memories, enchanted worlds, and peaceful places to escape for a while.
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