Your Stream Job - Illustrator Austen Marie
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What if the world could watch you while you worked?
What if they paid to watch?
What if they interacted with you so you didn't feel alone while you worked?
What if they then paid you for to work for them AND paid to watch you?
That's pretty much where streamer/entertainer/illustrator Austen Marie finds herself.
It looks like a lot of fun. But it's definitely still a job. It's a business.
Keep scrolling for Key Takeaway Points and links to Austen online, but first...
Key Takeaway Points
- Austen posted her work within online art communities and that’s how she started taking private commissions, from people who loved her work and encouraged her
- with Twitch she can work on her commissions whilst streaming live, interacting with the community (so it’s not as lonely) and making money from the stream
- 'partnered' streamers on Twitch can charge for people to subscribe to their channel, or viewers can pay ‘tips’ if they’re enjoying what you do
- she finds being on Twitch a positive for the creative process: the positive feedback, the boost from interaction, the work itself… and you’re getting paid
- if streaming, be consistent, be on time for your audience - if you’re going to be late or miss a stream, communicate that
- if you’re streaming content, it’s hard to take a break because people will find something else to watch… but it’s still essential to give yourself a break
- for private commissions Austen takes payment up front (via PayPal) to avoid being scammed
- you shouldn’t feel bad about charging high rates for your skills, especially art
- Austen feels working for a games company, in a different space would really improve her artwork, her skill, her craft
- in order to evolve her portfolio in the direction she wants to work in, she’s going to create a side project to push herself
- she’s now forcing herself to take days off (and not work on those days off)
- communication is crucial - make sure you manage client expectations
- really focus on the things you want to do: don’t create things just because you think that’s what people want, do what you want or you won’t enjoy it
More from Austen
Who the hell is Steve Folland?
You know how everyone bangs on about how powerful video and audio content can be?
Yeah, well Steve helps businesses make it and make the most of it. Find out more at stevefolland.com, track him down on Twitter @sfolland or lay a trail of cake and he'll eventually catch you up.
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