Thompson didn't wait for the TikTok ban scare. The Notion templates, the tour, the Patreon—all were launched while the ad revenue was still good. This forward-thinking approach prevented a cash flow crisis in Q4.

At the start of 2023, Cubbi Thompson made a silent, strategic decision: stop posting for the algorithm and start posting for the archive. The shift was subtle but seismic.

| Platform | Followers (Start 2023) | Followers (End 2023) | Growth % | |----------|------------------------|----------------------|-----------| | TikTok | ~420K | ~780K | +86% | | Instagram | ~110K | ~230K | +109% | | YouTube | ~35K | ~85K | +143% |

Note: Exact figures are proprietary; estimates based on Social Blade trends and cross-platform analysis.

While the year looked successful externally, the 2023 Cubbi Thompson video content creator career was not without fractures. In November, Thompson posted a rare, unedited video titled "I can't edit anymore."

The video was raw. It detailed the burnout of the "creator cycle"—filming, editing, posting, analyzing, and repeating. Thompson admitted to sleeping in the office chair for three nights straight to hit a sponsorship deadline.

This vulnerability, however, paradoxically boosted engagement. Comments flooded in from other creators thanking Thompson for speaking on mental health. Thompson used the week of Thanksgiving to take a "hard reset"—returning in December with a slower, once-a-week upload schedule that prioritized storytelling over volume.