“I’m a man with a mission in two or three editions. And I’m giving you a longing look. Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book.”
– Everyday I Write the Book, Elvis Costello & the Attractions
As someone who doesn’t mind taking journeys of self-discovery but also doesn’t like spending money, I decided to take the free version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test via the 16 Personalities website at the suggestion of a friend. My results showed that my personality type was INFJ. I had no experience with Myers-Briggs at that point and needed a clearer indication as to what it meant to be an INFJ beyond being “mystical”. Most of my searching yielded articles written with flowery words so I soon moved on to YouTube. Surely there was an expert creating videos on this whole MBTI thing.
On my way down the YouTube rabbit hole, I came across an unfamiliar face whose wide-eyed video thumbnail and title intrigued me. Honestly, “Who’s this hippie?” was the first thing that came to my mind. For me, that’s not a negative. During my childhood, I aspired to become a hippie complete with a Volkswagon van I planned to cover in peace signs. I wanted to know more.
A few minutes into watching Frank James discuss The INFJ Stare, I realized there was an intelligent human being with the driest of humor on the screen before me. In his descriptions of the INFJ personality type, he pointed out character traits that I strongly identified with. My curiosity was piqued, and it only made me want to keep watching. I sought out more content from Frank James and proceeded to watch multiple videos in single sittings. Pretty soon I had watched just about all his videos, even some unlisted ones I struggle to find these days.
Frank James is an accountant by day, YouTube personality by night. He’s also a twin to many if you believe many comments in which people claim he resides inside their brain or that they are the same person. Spend a few minutes in the comment section of Frank’s videos and you’ll witness kind, silly exchanges and even words of support that sometimes sound as though those posting the comments have known one another for quite a while. I wholeheartedly believe that good people attract good people, with Frank’s following being proof of that. What Frank James has successfully managed to do is make viewers feel as though they’ve sat down to chat with a friend.
This friend happens to be in the mood to talk about those unglamorous parts of our beings that are not always a popular topic for public discussion, but he’ll muddle through it with you. Whatever subject he’s tackling in a video, he’ll be the first to admit it when he’s experienced it himself and at the same time offer words of encouragement to those who are currently going through it.
That level of vulnerability is admirable and can be a challenge to balance with a sharp wit. Frank manages to make this combination of deep emotion and humor work. Take that formula and toss in love for The Beatles and an inclination toward philosophical musing and you’ve got yourself a creator with a devoted and ever-growing fanbase.