Streaming takes a lot

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Daily writing prompt
What’s something most people don’t understand?
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I feel like the vast majority of people who see people posting dumb shit on social media and YouTube don’t fully understand the effort that can go into content creation.

Now, this also includes the people who decide to post that dumb shit, because a lot of them start off with the mentality “oh that’s easy, I can do that too, and I’ll make millions!” That’s not the case. At all. Granted, the most popular people on social media had to start somewhere but there is also the element of luck to consider.

Putting luck aside, the effort that the SUCCESSFUL people on social media and streaming platforms put in is incredible and varies depending on the style of content they’re choosing to create. In my case I can at least talk about streaming since I did that off and on for years as a hobby.

Most people don’t understand the amount of time and effort that gets invested into streaming. You might think it’s as easy as pushing a button to stream to the world and just sit at your desk playing games for a few hours, but there is much more to it than that. Especially if you have any intent to turn it into a “career” of some kind. You need the right equipment/software and know how to use it. You need to understand the target audience. What games do you like? What games do THEY like? What is your style of game play and audience interaction? Are you really good at a particular game, or are you clever/witty/funny? What’s the best time to stream at and can it fit into your schedule? How are you reaching your target audience to let them know you’re live? Are you streaming often enough? Are you limiting yourself to just streaming on a single platform or are you branching out somehow? What are the current trends in gaming? How do you get ahead of everyone and not feel like you’re riding on the coattails of big streamers who are nearing the end of their time interested in a game or genre? Boiling it all down into a singular question “How do you go from pushing the Live button to making it into a career?”

More and more questions your should be asking yourself the further you go down that rabbit hole. You can’t just record yourself doing something silly or dumb and expect to be famous the next day. People who experience that are incredibly lucky, and chances are it’s a flash in the pan kind of moment and it’ll never happen again. You can increase your odds of success by answering the questions I asked above and putting in the effort, but even then, it isn’t a guarantee.

If you want to break it down into something quantifiable like making a living then you can look into the numbers that are out there, but I can at least provide a hypothetical example for you to chew on.

on Twitch a Tier 1 sub costs a user US$4.99 before taxes. The streamer receives a 50% cut of that. Using nice even numbers that puts it US$2.50. If you were lucky enough to live in a part of the country where the cost of living was cheap, and you had no debts, and you could live off US$50,000 per year, what does that equate to in Twitch subs? That’s 20,000 subs. I don’t have the actual Follower to Subscriber conversion percentages at hand as I’m writing this, but if you were fortunate enough to have 20% of your followers convert to subs, you would need 100,000 followers on Twitch. Let me share a tweet with you all to offer some perspective. CommanderRoot shares a lot of fascinating statistics, and this tweet of theirs from December of 2020 likely still holds some truth to it in 2024. https://x.com/CommanderRoot/status/1336488690986717184

By the end of 2020 less than 4,000 streamers on the entire Twitch platform had greater than 100,000 followers. There are roughly 7,000,000 streamers on Twitch today in 2024, so assuming the numbers haven’t changed drastically between then and now we can do some more math. Using nice even numbers, if my math is right, that means approximately 0.06% of streamers on the entire platform meet the completely hypothetical criteria I set before. (Personally, I’d say the criteria are very optimistic compared to whatever the real numbers are.)

This is why I say most people don’t understand the effort that goes into streaming. If you want this to be a career and you have nothing else going for you, if you want to keep trying, then maybe someday you’ll get up there, but it’s going to take a TREMENDOUS amount of time and effort that you’re not going to get back, and this is all just in streaming on Twitch. At the core of all of this, you can figure out the basic idea and apply it to other forms of content creation, like writing. Follow the questions, follow the numbers, get your answer. No matter what you’re doing, do you understand it enough to know where to aim yourself?

Technology makes a difference

Taylor Burian1 Comment

How has technology changed your job?

Growing up I always watched my Dad leave for work in the morning and come home in the evening. After I finally graduated college, I was doing the same. Leaving home for the office in the morning and returning in the evening.

Well, until the pandemic happened. It’s the same story as a great many people. Technology had come a long way in the decades preceding the pandemic to allow millions of people to work from home. In my Dad’s case he lives in the country and has fast enough internet to do his work and stream Netflix. Myself, after restrictions in my State were lifted, I chose to go back to the office because I don’t have an entire house to myself to make an office and I didn’t want to feel locked in my bedroom all the time again.  Well, after a couple years of that, I more or less went hybrid, but only based on need. That is where technology has changed my job.

I have a work laptop set up at home near my normal computer and hobby space, and a desktop machine back in the office. On the days I work from home I can remote into my desktop and take advantage of its better hardware and processing power, and then minimize that window to use my laptop properly for other things. It’s a little awkward, having a pseudo four monitor setup on a laptop screen and one spare monitor, but it works. The days I choose to work in the office I just need my desktop and the three monitors I already have there, no need to remote into a less powerful laptop.

That’s about the gist of it lately. I know it’s one of the biggest topics in the last few years but I don’t use any sort of AI tools so I can’t talk about how those may have changed my job. So we’ll leave it at the remote telecommuting for now.

Trouble saying No

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How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?

Short answer: Not enough.

I’ve talked about some of my goals previously, like losing weight/getting in shape/eating better and aiming to get a novel published. One of my problems is that I enjoy some of my hobbies so much that I prefer to do those instead.

Another problem, and one I see as having more impact on my decisions, is that I don’t always have the mental or physical bandwidth to work on those goals when I already dedicate quite a bit to my full-time job. The funny part of this is that I don’t really have a problem saying “no” to things at work!

It isn’t that I refuse to say “yes” to things at work, I’m just very conscious of the work my teammates and I do. Every “yes” and “no” is very calculated. I will bend over backwards to help my teammates because I know they would do (and have done) the same for me. We each bring to the table different skills, personalities, and work styles. I try to keep these things in mind every time I have to help them, even if it’s just to be a sounding board to bounce ideas off of because sometimes the situation they find themselves in requires a “no” and they struggle to accept that conclusion. The reason being that a couple of them will sometimes take on work that they aren’t responsible for and not ask for help from the rest of us or put the onus back on the appropriate team/individual who SHOULD be responsible for that work.”Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” That kind of thing.

So, from a work perspective I say “no” plenty enough, but on an overall personal level I could stand to say it more often. Especially to myself.

I’m sure some armchair psychologist/psychiatrist behind a screen could stumble across this post and think they know exactly what is wrong with this picture, but I have a sneaking suspicion it isn’t that easy. (This means I’m not looking for unsolicited advice, thank you.) I bring this up because I see people on social media think they can do a self-diagnosis all the time, plus I was recently watching some videos on YouTube from Dr. K (HealthyGamerGG, in case anyone wants to look into it themselves.)

Awesome secret skills

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What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?

There are so many skills and abilities that people have dreamed up that are completely amazing, and I go back and forth wishing I had any of them.

Flight? Speed? Strength? Standard comic book hero powers like that come to mind, but then I’m reminded of the abilities that characters had on the show Heroes.

I think if there was just one I wish I could have it would be that “empathy” ability that Peter had on Heroes. Then I could have access to so many others! That would be incredible. Although, I don’t recall if he got to keep any of the mimicked abilities or if it was a temporary thing. Either way, it would still be awesome.

The best kind of weather

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What is your favorite type of weather?

I’m kind of an oddball about the weather. Seasons and locations are important to me when I think about the different kinds of weather I like. I like living in a place where I can experience all four seasons because that’s the only way to truly appreciate just how different the same kinds of weather can be.

Starting with Winter where I live, you can have a temperature range from far below zero up to the 50’s (though that isn’t too common.) Because of this wide range we can experience cold weather with different kinds of snow. Tiny snowflakes carried by a fierce wind that pelt the face. Huge snowflakes on a nearly windless day that fill the air like a gentle, feathery blanket. One of these is obviously less comfortable to be out in, but both can put you in the mood to stay inside wrapped in warm blankets with hot cocoa and a good book, all nice and cozy like.

Spring and Summer offer rain, hail, and tornadoes. Definitely not fond of hail and tornadoes, so skipping over those to rain. Rain can be just like snow! Not just because both are made of water but because they can fall in the same amounts and sizes of droplets/flakes. The only difference in that particular regard is speed. Rain falls much faster. Tiny raindrops, sprinkling across things like a fine mist. Huge raindrops that can threaten us with flash floods and make it almost feel like you’re walking through a swimming pool. I mentioned temperature for Winter, so I should touch on that here as well. Cold and hot rain is a thing to consider when deciding if it’s your favorite kind of weather, alongside the general temperature of the season. Warm rain on an 80-90°F day is different from the same rain on a day in the 100’s.

Anyways, none of that really answers the question. What IS my favorite kind of weather? I understand that bugs are a part of nature and we need them for the cycle of life, but Winter beats Spring and Summer because there are no bugs. So, that’s where my generally favorite kind of weather is! I mentioned those huge, pillowy snowflakes before and I find it to be a calm, relaxing kind of weather event. I like how it makes the world feel a little quieter, more peaceful and serene. If I know I have to be out and about for the day then I like the days where that snow doesn’t stick to the ground too much and just melts fairly quickly. It adds another layer to the overall experience. Factor in time of day and lighting, and now you’ve got yet another layer! Like those Christmas movies where the snow and the light make everything seem magical.

That’s the kind of weather I enjoy most because I can go out in it and experience it, or choose to stay inside and be cozy.

A wonderful teacher

Taylor BurianLeave a comment
Daily writing prompt
Who was your most influential teacher? Why?
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This is going to sound a little weird. I don’t know that I could qualify a teacher in my life who had the most influence on me. However, I can say that I know a teacher who qualifies beyond that on the influence she has had on the lives of my family and friends.

Roughly 20 years ago, when my family still lived in Colorado, Kelly Gibson was my teacher, and my sister’s teacher before me. She taught English and Theater. Sadly, I had other English teachers, so I had the amazing chance to have her as a teacher for one Theater and Improv class instead.

As I recall, my sister had started participating in theater before high school, and my mom helped with costumes and makeup, so if anyone could share more information about Kelly it would be them. If this leaves you wondering why I would bring her up as an influential teacher despite my limited time with her, it’s because of the reach she has managed to develop in the years since.

If you know who Guy Kawasaki is, you may have heard him talk with Kelly on his podcast Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People. If not, you can listen to the particular episode on Spotify here. (If you don’t use Spotify, I’m sorry, but you can look it up by title “Kelly Gibson: The Real World of a Public School Teacher”.)

So, while she may not have had the level of influence on me that I may have hoped for when compared to the time my sister got with her, you can hopefully tell just how influential she is even if I don’t have anything to provide as an answer to the prompt.

Never enough time for hobbies

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What do you wish you could do more every day?

Hobbies are a great way to pass the time. Unfortunately, we live in an age where work is a necessity and it can take up a lot of time. Not just with the actual work, but also getting ready for and traveling to work. Oh, and responsibilities like taking care of your home, cleaning, feeding yourself and/or your family. All those “pesky little activities” that suck up your time.

Truthfully, I don’t mind all those “extra” responsibilities outside of my desire to spend oodles upon oodles of time on hobbies. I often enjoy most of those things well enough as it is anyway.

The problem is that I have a bunch of hobbies that I bounce around from one to another. Reading, playing video games, writing, Magic: The Gathering, painting miniatures, putting together those wooden constructions that come with instructions as if they were like LEGO’s. I just want to do all these things all the time! Sadly, I have to pick and choose, day by day, which ones I do.

Oh well, maybe if I get to retire someday, then I’ll get to do more of each.

Wanting a new tattoo

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What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?

I only have one tattoo, a dragon on my left side, and I have plans for it to someday have a friend on my right side.

The backstory of my dragon tattoo (and the eventual phoenix that I want) starts with my Dad. He got one a long time ago (we’re talking nearly 50 years ago) when he was in the military. Well, my siblings and I all wanted to get tattoos eventually, and my younger brother was the first to get his dragon tattoo around 10 or so years ago, which spurred on our sister to get hers not long after. I would get mine a couple years later.

Unfortunately, as old tattoos do when they age, my Dad’s tattoo faded a little and the lines blurred together. So, when it came time for my sister to make the move to get hers done, she took a picture of Dad’s dragon tattoo to use as a base. She used her photo editing skills, traced what she could of it, and tried restoring it enough for her tattoo.

I did something similar. I have a friend who went to school for video game art and design, so I commissioned him to do roughly the same thing my sister did, except that he would be allowed to add a bit of his own style and flair. After I had taken the redesigned dragon and gotten my ink done, I went back to the same friend and commissioned the phoenix that I want to go on my other side. (The idea for the style matching side tattoo actually came from my younger brother. He has his dragon on the back of one of his calves and a style matched unicorn on the other.)

The refreshed art
The tattoo I have
The tattoo I want

There are definitely other tattoos I’d like to get someday, but they’re still only ideas and nothing as complete as these two pieces.

One word of many

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What is one word that describes you?

I’m glad this prompt doesn’t say “what is the one word that describes you?” One word alone is not enough to describe a person in their entirety, and someone might choose a different word to describe you versus the one you choose for yourself. Which is precisely what happened in a Leader Outing I was part of a long time ago when I worked for the “Big Red Circles” store.

I was a new Team Leader for the overnight shift, and at some point we did a group activity outing to a pottery store where we all got to paint our own mugs. The activity also included us passing our mugs around to have each person write a word or two that comes to mind when thinking about the original owner of each mug.

So, pick a word! Except “Hi”, the gaming controller, and the upside down surprised face for obvious reasons.

I’d like to think that all of these still apply, except for “puppy” because I never had one (it’s my roommates dog.)

Being complimented

Taylor BurianLeave a comment
Daily writing prompt
What was the best compliment you’ve received?
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Unfortunately, this post might come across as a bit of a humble brag, but the prompt is practically asking for it.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate any and all compliments I receive, I just usually feel awkward about them because I don’t much like the attention.

A majority of the compliments I get are at work. My manager loves to sing our praises and acknowledges the gifts and talents that each of us on her team bring to the table. So, when she starts going with handing out the compliments I usually just respond in a manner that says “I was just doing what I was supposed to do.” or something of the sort. I apply myself to my job in the ways I know best and that’s all there is to it, so I don’t usually give it any extra thought.

As for an exact compliment, well, I don’t have one at hand because they’re all on Teams, my email, or in a Christmas card (or something similar) that I don’t recall where I stashed them.

I’ll paraphrase a compliment from my manager: “Taylor, I am so blessed to have you on the team and I don’t know where we would be without the gifts and talents you bring each and every day. Thank you for always being willing to jump in and use your skills with Power BI and Excel to help with creating new tools and reports to support the efforts of your teammates.”

As for whether that would qualify as the “best” compliment I ever received I couldn’t say, because, again, my manager likes to give them out frequently enough that I have a hard time selecting just one. (For the record, she doesn’t just give them out like candy, I maybe get compliments like this once a month.)