Alfie of PointlessBlog tells us all about his new book, his YouTube life and what pointless means to him

In the super popular videos on his YouTube channel, Pointless Blog, Alfie Deyes is like everyone’s goofy best friend that you secretly have a crush on. He loves his adorable black pug, Nala, and his effervescent girlfriend, Zoella, who also makes all sorts of addictive videos of style hauls, beauty tips, and everything else. Alfie runs around town and makes videos of all sorts of stuff – but most of all, we love that he reminds us to  celebrate the little moments and even the things that seem “pointless.” And, of course, he can solve a mean Rubik’s cube.

In honor of his upcoming book, The Pointless Book 2, we got some answers from Alfie about the book, making videos, and what it’s like to be so totally, thoroughly, coolly “pointless.”

HG: You have over 4 million subscribers on YouTube. That’s a lot of people! Is there a loss of anonymity that comes with that kind of Internet celebrity, or do you find that you can still operate in your daily life mostly without attracting attention?

AD: Having a lot of people watch my videos every day does mean that I get stopped in the street quite a lot etc., but it’s only ever because someone wants to chat and say hello or have a photo and I LOVE this! It’s amazing getting to thank someone in person for watching your videos as all I get to see online is a little number on a screen going up.

HG: If you could have people just watch one video that exemplifies you and your channel, which one would it be?

AD: Oh wow, this is too hard to decide! I make around 8-13 videos a week; I wouldn’t have a clue!

HG: What is the most rewarding thing about sharing your life on YouTube?

AD: When I meet people who tell me that my videos have helped them through a hard time, thats the best; thats the reason I do what I do. Knowing that my little videos can take somebody out of the hard situation they’re in and create a moment of positivity and happiness in their life, that’s the most rewarding thing possible!

HG: Does you ever feel self-conscious recording yourself or watching your own videos?

AD: I’d like to think after the five and a half years I’ve been making YouTube videos, I’ve gone past caring about what I look like on camera.

HG: How do you interact with the comments on your videos? Do you like getting instant feedback, or is it ever overwhelming?

AD: I love to read my YouTube comments! Back in the day, I used to reply to all my comments, but now I get quite a few and it’s a lot harder. But I still make sure I put time in each day to read through them.

HG: Who are some of YOUR favorite YouTubers? 

AD: This is a hard one as most of them are my friends! I’d say PewDiePie & NigaHiga.

HG: How is the creative process for creating a YouTube video different from creating a book?

AD: Well my book is a little random activity book, so it’s not actually too far off! I think of my video ideas at the most random of times, like in the bath, in bed at night, and in the shower. And these are also the same kinda places where I thought of many of the ideas from my books! But instead of turning those ideas into a video, I turned them into a fun creative page.

HG: What’s your favorite page in the book?

AD: It has to be one of the scannable pages with the crazy hologram style feature! Probably the shoe one!

HG: What’s the most surprising thing that came out of the first book?

AD: The fact that it became a New York Times Bestseller!!

HG: What have you learned from the experience of working on the book?

AD: It’s a LOT of work and is SO worth it when you walk into a store in another country and see something you’ve spent months creating!

HG: What’s your favorite pointless skill? We know that you can do a Rubik’s cube really quickly.

AD: I can also walk on my hands.

HG: The word “pointless” can have a negative connotation, but your channel and books are all about having fun and getting to do the unique things that make you special. Do you think that “pointless” activities can actually be really healthy and helpful for a person, like a form of self-care?

AD: Of course I do! I use the word pointless in a different way, I suppose. I use it more as a jokey fun way of saying random/funny. Like my videos are actually pointless as they’re just me chatting about stuff, doing silly challenges or filming my day. But for some people, they’re far from pointless.

HG: Do you think your videos and books are actually pointless? What would you say is the message behind your videos and books?

AD: I feel that if you were to flick through my book in a book shop you may be like…what even is this? But once you’ve filled it out and completed the book, you’d realize that actually it’s made you think about fun things, do fun activities, take away dull boring moments e.g sat on a train, but instead of being bored, you’re filling out the book etc. I feel that the book takes you to a fun and creative place. Somewhere where your brain can’t stress about day to day activities and instead you’re taken over by the fun things you’re doing.

HG: What does “pointless” mean to you?

AD: I don’t really know. I suppose the word “pointless” has become part of me.

HG: If you could collaborate with one person, living or dead, on a new book or video, who would you choose?

AD: Taylor Swift!

(Image via here.)