Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with this idea of becoming a streamer, right? But I’m not getting any younger, and I figured, why not make that part of the whole thing? So I’m calling this little project “Sketch Age Streamer” because, well, I like to sketch, I’m not a spring chicken anymore, and I wanna stream.
First off, I had to get my head around what streaming actually is. Turns out, it’s basically just broadcasting yourself live over the internet. People watch you play games, or chat, or whatever. And Twitch is, like, the big dog in the streaming world. They say it’s for folks 13 and up, so I’m good there. You can follow people, toss them some “bits” – I guess that’s like a tip jar thing.
Setting up was a bit of a pain, honestly.
- First, I made some tests.
- Then I made more tests for quality check.
- And realized that I need to talk more.
I didn’t want to just jump in blind, so I did some digging. Gotta figure out what kind of setup I need, what kind of goals I have – the whole nine yards. I’m not trying to become some big-shot streamer overnight, but I do want to have some fun and maybe connect with some folks.
Next up was figuring out my “content”, as the kids say. I enjoy sketching, always have. So, I thought, why not combine that with streaming? Maybe do some live sketching sessions, take requests, chat with people while I draw – that sort of thing. I know there are a million and one streamers out there playing the latest games and all that, but I figure there’s gotta be a space for an old-timer like me, just chilling and drawing.
Figuring Out the Tech
Now, the tech side of things… that was a whole other beast. I’m not exactly a computer whiz. But I managed to figure out the basics. You need a decent computer, a good internet connection – that’s super important, apparently – and some software to actually do the streaming. It took a lot of trial and error, let me tell you.
I started off with a few test streams, just to make sure everything was working. I checked the video quality, the sound, all that jazz. It’s important to make sure things look and sound okay, otherwise, people are gonna click away faster than you can say “buffering”.
One thing I learned pretty quick is that you gotta keep talking. It’s weird, just sitting there in silence while you’re drawing. People want to hear your voice, get your thoughts, all that. So, I’m working on that – trying to be more chatty, even if it’s just talking about what I’m drawing or what I had for breakfast.
So, that’s where I’m at right now. Still learning, still experimenting. It’s definitely a process, but it’s been fun so far. Who knows, maybe this whole “Sketch Age Streamer” thing will actually take off. Or maybe it won’t. Either way, I’m having a good time, and that’s what really matters, right?
