But he says the only way to attract viewers to his vlogs is by being "incredibly, painfully honest".
"The economy of YouTube is based off honesty porn. It's just, how far can you go?" the 24-year-old says.
"The more horrendously out there and honest you are, the more people respond to that. It's unhealthy. They're all addicts."
Honesty is something he says he is attracted to however, and that's one of the reasons he agreed to take part in a new documentary - The Creators - which goes behind-the-scenes in the life of vloggers.
Watch TomSka talking about how hard it is now to make your mark in the world of YouTube
To begin with he says he was worried that it would be another "puff piece" talking about how "kids make money in their bedrooms, like every news report" on them.
And, given how much of their lives are already public, it could seem like an odd choice of subject for a documentary maker.
"Even though they are sharing their lives, they're not necessarily sharing all the different aspects of what it's like to be a vlogger," says Nanette Burstein, the Oscar-nominated director behind the film.
"This was an opportunity to get them to open up."
Along with TomSka, The Creators also features Zoella and twins NikiNSammy.
"They put in me ranting about things and it wasn't just 'everything is lovely'," TomSka says.
"I mean you do get a lot of everything is lovely because you see Zoella, who is just lovely... but then you get me being all pessimistic."
He says, unlike other vloggers, he finds it harder to make money through brand endorsements.
"As YouTube has grown, managers and people have learned to apply the Disney kid method," he says.
"They become these deities, these beings of perfection in the eyes of their audience. And that is worth a lot more money.
"I would rather put an honest version of myself forward. And it makes me no money. No-one wants to buy a shirt with me on it."
He did get in trouble with the Advertising Standards Authority last year, over a promotion with a biscuit brand, that was said not to be clearly labelled as an advert.
"I've always tried to be very open and very honest with my audience. I've been caught out by that recently. Apparently I wasn't honest enough," he says.
He has been open about his problems with mental illness as well, sharing videos with his fans about his depression.
"I really don't know what long-term effects my relationship with my audience and with YouTube is going to have on me," he says.
"I like sharing and I like being very honest and I have found that it feels good but then again maybe it's not.
"I've forgotten what the difference is between Thomas Ridgewell and TomSka."
"You put me in a room with 1,000 fans and I can take photos and sign and be lovely to every single person.
"But you put me in a room with 10 people who know the real me and I'm not going to know what to do any more."
The Creators is available to view on YouTube now.
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Thomas Ridgewell, aka TomSka, is a long-serving YouTuber - he's been making comedy videos for years.