Draw My Life

Draw My Life is a type of Internet video in which the author narrates their life history, set to a fast-motion video of the author drawing illustrations on a whiteboard of key figures and events in their life.^[1] Often, the videos reveal previously hidden upsetting or unfortunate histories or stories, and end in the author thanking their audience for aiding in their success.

The videos began in 2013, following the upload of a video from YouTube celebrity, Sam Pepper.^[2] Despite only coming to attention in 2013, YouTuber and musician Bry arguably made the first notable Draw My Life, back in 2011.^[3]

Following the video, several other popular YouTube celebrities began uploading Draw My Life videos,^[4] some of which were featured on popular online news publications.^[5][1]

Eventually, Draw My Life videos for fictional characters and non-YouTubers such as Harry Potter and Avatar Korra were created.^[6][7]

In December 2013 a Draw My Life video making iPad app was released on the App Store called Draw My Life App.^[8]

Notable Draw My Life videos

Note: views are accurate as of November 25, 2015

YouTuber	Date	Views	Ref
Bry (Singer)	September 5, 2011	276,000
Casey Neistat	February 9, 2015	1,503,172
Sam Pepper	January 8, 2013	2,180,763	[2]
Caspar Lee	January 19, 2013	3,846,995
Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie)	January 31, 2013	25,454,280	[9]
Swoozie	June 6, 2013	8,174,838
Phil Lester (AmazingPhil)	February 1, 2013	3,314,137
Emma Blackery	February 1, 2013	756,300
Anthony Padilla	February 7, 2013	16,870,717	[10]
Jim Chapman	February 10, 2013	2,608,223
Joey Graceffa	February 11, 2013	7,817,102
Germán Garmendia	March 1, 2013	25,010,763	[11]
Shane Dawson	March 2, 2013	8,259,219,	[12]
Lucas Cruikshank	March 14, 2013	3,425,952	[13]
Joe Penna	March 21, 2013	869,762	[14]
Jenna Marbles	March 28, 2013	13,511,517	[9]
Timothy Chantarangsu	April 1, 2013	3,188,002	[15]
Grace Helbig	April 3, 2013	1,540,886	[9]
Hannah Hart	April 4, 2013	1,481,179	[9]
Philip DeFranco	April 10, 2013	2,346,886	[16]
Ryan Higa	April 10, 2013	23,809,428	[17]
DeStorm Power	April 12, 2013	2,679,385	[18]
Zoe Sugg (Zoella)	April 14, 2013	10,862,129
Alfie Deyes (PointlessBlog)	April 21, 2013	3,947,447
Dan Howell (danisnotonfire)	April 29, 2013	5,884,712
Mark Fischbach (Markiplier)	May 4, 2013	13,130,794
Marzia Bisognin (CutiePieMarzia)	July 12, 2013	11,829,387
Bethany Mota (MacBarbie07)	January 25, 2015	8,269,186
Michelle Phan	May 19, 2013	9,161,372	[19]
Tanya Burr	May 22, 2013	1,794,217
Rebecca Black	June 28, 2013	4,416,738
Lia Marie Johnson	July 6, 2013	4,646,272
Jack Douglass (jacksfilms)	July 19, 2013	1,510,605
Jordan Maron (CaptainSparklez)	January 20, 2014	5,200,120	[20]
Norman Thavaud	September 4, 2014	16,872,338	[21]
Olajide "KSI" Olatunji (KSIOlajidebt)	October 25, 2014	11,135,425	[22]
Sean McLoughlin (jacksepticeye)	August 20, 2014	5,461,272
Peter Capaldi	March 11, 2016	7,000	[23]
elrubiusOMG	4 March 2013	18,816,410	[24]

References

1. Ed Carrasco (April 11, 2013). "THE 5 BEST 'DRAW MY LIFE' VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
2. Sam Pepper (January 8, 2013). "Draw My Life Sam Pepper". Sam Pepper. YouTube. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc87EmY5A08&ab_channel=Bri
4. "Draw My Life search results on YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
5. Kleinman, Alexis (April 13, 2013). "Watch The Top YouTube Videos Of The Week: A 100-Pound Chocolate Bar, Surprise Shark And More". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
6. Perle, Elizabeth (May 7, 2013). "Harry Potter Tries His Hand At YouTube Phenomenon 'Draw My Life' (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
7. James A (October 10, 2014). "Draw my Life - Korra". Retrieved October 11, 2014.
8. "First App Fully Designed For And Based Off The "Draw My Life Meme"".
9. Ed Carrasco (April 12, 2013). "5 MORE OF THE BEST 'DRAW MY LIFE' VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE (page 2)". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
10. Padilla, Anthony (February 7, 2013). "Draw My Life - Anthony Padilla". YouTube. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
11. 10, 2015
12. Amanda Walgrove (March 22, 2013). "Shane Dawson Draws His Life". Retrieved April 22, 2013.
13. Lucas (2013-03-14), DRAW MY LIFE - Lucas Cruikshank, retrieved 2016-02-07
14. Amanda Walgrove (March 22, 2013). " MysteryGuitarMan's "Draw My Life" Video Reveals His Journey To Becoming A YouTuber". What's Trending?. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
15. Ed Carrasco (April 11, 2013). "THE 5 BEST 'DRAW MY LIFE' VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE (page 3)". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
16. Amanda Walgrove (April 11, 2013). "Philip DeFranco’s Draw My Life Plus The Top 5 YouTube Videos Of April 11, 2013". What's Trending?. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
17. Ed Carrasco (April 12, 2013). "5 MORE OF THE BEST 'DRAW MY LIFE' VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
18. Yolanda Robinson (April 15, 2013). "Draw My Life – Destrom Power". Socialvoom. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
19. Yolanda Robinson (May 21, 2013). "New Video: Draw My Life". michellephan.com. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
20. Jordan Maron (January 20, 2014). "Draw My Life - CaptainSparklez". YouTube. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
21. Norman Thavaud (September 11, 2014). "NORMAN - MA VIE EN DESSIN". Retrieved September 11, 2014.
22. Olajide "KSI" Olajide (October 25, 2014). "Q&A Saturday - Draw My Life". Retrieved October 25, 2014.
23. Allen, Chris; Shankster, George; Dee, Christel. "Peter Capaldi: Draw My Life - Doctor Who: The Fan Show". YouTube. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
24. "elrubiusOMG in Youtube Rewind 2015". elrubiusOMG's Youtube channel. Retrieved 4 March 2013.