Twitch Creative: A Start-Up Company for Artists
Do you love to make art? Do you love to have a community of people supporting you in your art endeavors? Well then making a channel at Twitch.tv may be just what you need to do! Although, it’s not as easy as a lot of other social media websites where you can just sign up and get going. There’s a lot of work that goes into making a successful Twitch channel.
Twitch is a live-streaming video platform where anyone in any part of the world can live-stream whatever they are doing. Popularly, the website is known for people streaming their video gaming plays and interacting with other channels that play the games you play. In contrast, some people are known for live-streaming “IRL” parts of their lives — whether it’s at the gym, at the bar, or doing a day-to-day activity. Apart of the “IRL” community is usually a part of the “Creative” community, which — you guessed it—is the kind of community that the artists want to be apart of.
The “Creative” section of Twitch was launched on October 28, 2015 in support of the people that wanted to live-stream their artistic makings. At first, people were confused as the platform is known for gaming.
In response, Twitch states, “Twitch Creative does not come at the expense of all the awesome gaming channels and events that are supported. We are pursuing this expansion because we think bringing artists and gamers together will make both even better. Demonstrating that gamers are valuable to artists and the wider creative world is important for the future growth of Twitch and the larger gaming industry.”
As someone that has made art in my free time and taken art classes at my university of study, the idea of being able to have a following of people who enjoy my art and the process of making it is now a dream I want to come true. I tested out the idea of quick art making in my free time, and how the progression of art making looks through my classes. For the quick art making, I would practice on multiple mini canvases as seen above. For the process of seeing how a painting came to be, I took pictures after each session I had in-class, and then complied them into two different videos for my two separate classes. For my Watercolor I class, we had to make a painting called “Fur and Feathers,” and my subjects were my cats Juno and Artemis. For my Painting I class, we had to make a famous painter’s master painting, so I choose to do part of the painting “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère” by Édouard Manet.
In each of my classes, my professors would label me an “aggressive painter,” for how quick I would be to put paint to paper or canvas and not be afraid to get started. Even with painting in my own free time, I would be finishing larger scale canvases in only a few hours. For most streamers, they will take several hours to do one or two pieces, but it’s all dependent on size. Knowing my own skills, how decent I felt my art is, and knowing I would be more than fine engaging with people while I create — I knew I wanted to do this.
But how do I make it happen? Most Twitch streamers start small with what they have, but regardless — I want to come in with a bang. Before you can go live, you have to have the right set up.
When it comes to streaming, having a generic laptop may not be the best idea from the get go. It’s best to buy a newer version of a PC, or build your PC from scratch like I did. When it comes to building your PC, it’s best to do the research before hand. With a simple Google search, you can find a million and one ways to build a PC, but it’s best to build a PC specifically for streaming purposes. I was fortunate enough to have a friends who already stream on Twitch, and therefore they were able to help me put together a PC that helps me play games and do very minimal stuff. Although, I need much, much more before I could even start streaming. What I’m lacking in the list I already have is the following:
For myself, I have a long time coming before I can have everything I need in order to set myself up for success, but even just starting to gather what I need has me beyond excited.
I’ve talked to two different Twitch streamers that find themselves broadcasting in the Creative tab on a regular basis. The first streamer I talked to is a semi-popular streamer, SaphireNiight, who does a variety stream that includes Creative and gaming segments. She can have a range from 10–40 viewers every stream. The second streamer I talked to is a very popular and front-page featured streamer, Skyhook, who does only Creative streams of her art making — digital or on canvas. After talking to these two ladies, it helped me inspire myself and give me the confidence I need in order start up my own stream, slowly by surely. These ladies have taught me so much, which I put together into the following infographic:
You can learn more about my interview with these ladies at the following embedded links here: Skyhook Interview and SaphireNiight Interview.
Once I gather all the new materials and start up my new job post-graduation, Twitch.tv/princessjuno will become my very own channel worth viewing. I’m beyond excited to document my journey into the Twitch world, and plan to journal the progression as this is only the beginning stages of the story to tell. In the meantime, the art making will continue as it always does, and if you’d like to stay with me, you can follow me on Instagram @emilyykingsleyy. Until then, continue to support your favorite artists in any way you can, even if you’re just another viewer in a sea of hundreds — every little bit counts!
