Most content creators don't blow up overnight. When you first set out on that journey, it's the equivalent to a bright eyed bumpkin from Ohio getting off at the bus stop in Hollywood with nothing but a suitcase, 20$ in their pocket, and a dream. You start with nothing, doing what you can with what you got. Small gigs, testing the water. It's a lot of finding what works and what doesn't, and a lot of playing to an empty house. It's frustrating and you'll be left with a feeling of existential dread that maybe you weren't cut out for this kind of thing. You invest what you can, new microphone, audio equipment, sound boards all that. But all that means nothing if you don't put in the work.
This conversation branches off into a lot of different directions but today I want to talk to you about the topic...Is today a good day?
How's your day going? How are you feeling? Have you been keeping up on your obligations? Bills paid, errands run, all that?
Chances are you're like me and you work a full time job with maybe a decent chunk of the day to maybe sit down and get some streaming in. But...you're stressed out, things aren't going so well in your personal life, work's being a hassle all the time, and maybe you're not feeling good. Headache, bathroom related problems...How warm's your forehead? These can all come together and really put a hindrance on your motivation to get online and entertain people. It's like the last thing you want to do, but you know the golden rule- You gotta put in the work.
But. BUT...Just because you're walking the path of a Content Creator doesn't mean you're immune to life's little inconveniences and ups and downs. You're not a machine. It doesn't matter if you make Cosplay, paintings, gaming videos, or whatever, you HAVE to take care of yourself. And that sometimes means you have to tell yourself, sometimes a little firmly...Maybe today's not a good day for it.
And there's gonna be this little voice in the back of your head that will try and egg you on. What if today is the day we hit the mark? What if this is the stream/photo set/video that marks our break out, it says. You have to be firm with yourself, that day will come, and it won't come in one day. You're not going to fall off the face of the earth into the void of internet obscurity because you took a day or two to get yourself together, get some things done you've been ignoring because of the computer or the crafting table. Work/Life balance applies to being a Content Creator about as much as having a mundane job. And when you have both going on side by side, self-care is almost a mandatory. You gotta take care of yourself, or all the stress of work and the grind on the internet will build up inside you like a warm soda bottle in July dropped on the curb.
But just because you take a day off doesn't mean you can't still work on your growth. Growth is all on you and how you market yourself online, you know. No program or website is going to do that for you. Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook...We have so many tools now for us to interact with people. Post something funny. Maybe you get an idea and wanna blast it on social media. That's still attention to your brand. And your followers will appreciate the occasional off-time candor. Best of all it takes what, fifteen seconds to mash out a Tweet?
If you're a gaming streamer: When was the last time you played a game just because you wanted to play it? When was the last time you enjoyed a single player game? Gamer's game, and sometimes switching off the camera just to enjoy a little personal time in a favorite can do a lot for your morale and mindset. Maybe you got a backlog of games you haven't gotten around to finishing because they don't really hold Stream value?
If you're a cosplayer/model: I'm a guy and I'm nearly attractive enough a one to tell people who put their everything online what to do with their time. I follow enough on social media to understand that it's no less stressful, which makes sense because they're using their whole being to create their craft. Arranging photo shoots, making the costumes, making sure everything fits, posing all pretty or handsome for the camera, looking through results to see what passes, traveling to locations for shoots. It's a lot. My only advice I can give them is put the phone camera down and maybe enjoy a hot cup of cocoa once in a while and some Netflix. Wear the baggy sweats and splay out like you own the couch. Enjoy not being focused on.
More generally, when I get stressed about life, I go out to eat by myself. I find a crowded restaurant and have a meal by myself and soak in the chatty atmosphere. It helps bring me down from whatever's bothering me and put me in the moment. It's refreshing.
Go out for a walk, breathe in some fresh air and soak in some sunshine. Get away from the computer for a while and enjoy a little nothing. When you're a kid, you always want to do something. But as an adult and our livelihood is always doing something, there is nothing more relaxing, than a nice bit of nothing at all.
The best part of doing these little things, is you're not focused on The Work, and you can let your mind wander, and when you do that, ideas can come. You'll be minding your own business, and boom, the lightening happens, and you get that surge of energy back that you've maybe been missing for a couple days. Now you got a little more direction, and all it took was a little bit of doing you, as nature intended.
So...Next time you wake up and go "Ugh, I really should get a Stream/costume/whatever done today", do a little check. Is today a good day?
