I Stream, You Stream, We All Stream..💘🧊
Spring is nearing, but winter hasn't left the party! have some chilly tunes!
ART OF THE MONTH🖌️
THE BIG MEAT🥩
If you follow me on Youtube or Twitch, or really anywhere, you’d know that I had streamed for 3 nights in a row! It wasn’t something I really planned. We had a crazy snow storm that ended up mucking up the roads for about 3 nights, so on the first night I thought it would be fun to just host a “one time” night stream. Then it became two nights, and eventually three.
My normal streaming schedule is a lot more sparse, clocking in at just about 3 times a month. Between work, making art, and making videos, I can’t really dedicate too much time to streaming so this schedule works out the best for me!
But after doing this mini Stream-a-Thon I realize that I have a problem. That problem is I hold the cardinal sin of being an Entertainer. I loved it, I loved talking to the chat and I loved drawing and playing games with an audience! Streaming feels like my own personal stage, I want to make it as entertaining as possible and I want to do more events that require direct audience participation.
The only problem is… Doing more streams requires time taken out of the days where I am either drawing or editing. Perhaps in the near future I may add one more night to the schedule, I wouldn’t mind streaming at least 6 times a month or so. But for now I need to keep my focus on makin my art!
It’s no secret that being an artist is a loooong uphill climb to financial success. But what if we went the less traditional route? Streamers, even those who are not ranking up 4,000 views a night have relatively successful careers. Gamers, Political commentators, Strange Men and Beautiful Women all dominate the streaming sphere. But do artists have a space in such a place? Is there room for an artist to garner an audience and find success?
I’ve seen an opinion that no actual person will tune into an artist’s stream just to watch them draw. Streaming is no place for people who sit and scribble, people want entertainment, they want that instant gratification.
I think this opinion is WRONG!
Every time I stream, I notice the same people taking the time to talk to other people in the chat and see what I’m doing. I wonder myself how these people manage to show up each time, if they ever get bored. They can’t possibly be here just to see me make my art..right? But they are. People care, and if you are consistent ( even if that consistency is just 3 times a month) they stick around, they become loyal art lovers.
For myself, the financial benefits of streaming are at an all time low, which is part of why I don’t dedicate too much time to it. Not to mention that it takes a lot of energy out of me to do it. But despite my anemic schedule, I am already feeling the benefits of streaming consistently. My videos on youtube are doing better, my art feels highly appreciated, I’m making sales on my Itchio shop again… None of it is huge, but to me it’s the start of hopefully a strong community of artists and art lovers who see something in my work, and want to support me.
I always want my work to be what draws people in, but streaming has taught me that placing yourself in front of your own work puts a face to the art, it reminds everyone that this is made by someone. This someone is recording themselves live as they create from an empty, directionless start to the glorious, fruitful finish. This is especially important in times where anyone can generate fuck all and say they did it.
So is streaming for you, artist? I’d say yes. It’s certainly not for every artist, but like private commissions and commercial work, streaming is now another possible future for us…and I think that’s exciting!
!
(a link to your twitch in your newsletter would be lovely!)