How I survived 1 year!
Preamble
I have wanted to write this post for a while. But every time I have started it, I have read back what I have written and deleted it.
This time, I’m just going to keep it and publish it! So apologies in advance!
Fully recovered!
I’m not going to talk about it here, mainly because people are probably sick of hearing about it, but this time last year I was still recovering from the effects of the vaccine. To aid my recovery, I dropped down to working only three days a week at my ‘main’ job. I now had the weekends and two weekdays to fill, so I decided to work on my content creation to hopefully go some way to match the salary drop.
This is my first year doing this new way of working. I decided to reflect on the process and share this with you all.
Developing my Content
Looking back on the year I have definitely improved my skills. Currently, my video editing skills are much better. I have a good understanding of creating captions for my short-form content and I have text animations in operation.
I am not niching down yet, but I do have some areas that I am really focusing on for the content. Initially, I created content that linked to productivity. But now, I know that is incorrect. I am not a productivity expert. I am an expert in staying organised and creating content on a limited budget and with limited time. This fits me perfectly. This includes the work I do with the task manager ‘ClickUp’!
Role Playing games are still a focus and I am enjoying creating Mythras Rules videos as well as the Gibbering GM series. Matching this is my content on becoming a successful streamer! And I don’t mean growing your followers or subs. Success can be measured in more ways than growth!
And, as you can tell, I am still turning out these personal reflections!
What have I learnt?
Looking back, it has been a stressful year. The world of content creation is difficult. You need to be at the top of your game and skill levels. I am part-time but my content is compared to the people who are producing content 24/7. Coupled with this, there are content creators who do this for a living! And these are the experts! Compared to me they are way out of my league!
I’ve had to keep in my head that I have to produce content in the time I have available. Rather than quantity, I focus on quality and possibly repurposing what I create.
An example of this is my video content. I create a full-length, full-size video. From this, I create one or two short-form videos and even a blooper video. I then get three for the price of one! This keeps me sane and producing content week after
Thank Heavens for!
Streaming has been my lifesaver!
Nothing has yet provided me with a regular income that compares to my income from Twitch. I have been partnered with YouTube for one year now and have made £52.00 from adverts. This is not yet high enough to have a payout!
I continue to love to stream. But I have made changes recently here as well. I am learning more about the games. Watching videos to improve my background knowledge. I have even reduced the number of games I play. All this is moving to me providing more value with my streams. I am also making more use of what I have, rather than looking elsewhere for something ‘NEW’. I am keeping costs down, but still providing consistent content.
Also, the support from Patron and Ko-Fi has been epic! Seriously, I am so thankful for all the support people give me. These come through all the sites I have mentioned. I have lost supporters on Patreon, but I understand why. The current financial climate is difficult for everyone.
Highlights?
If you want a highlight of the year – my first goodie bag would be my favourite highlight!
From producing videos focusing on ClickUp, I got my first swag parcel from a company. I am hoping this connection will continue to grow, but, as I have said, the competition is fierce!
Maintaining the community server has also been fantastic. Every week I am keeping up to date with improvements and the people who play on the server are fantastic! I love the game, but I still, need to look at how to increase interest in the streams.
The final highlight has to be the amount of money I am spending. I have kept this to a minimum this year. I have refused to buy anything new, working with what I have. When I have bought something this is after a lot of thought and have made sure I use the money I have made from my content.
Have I survived?
Well, I’m still here!
I have a long, long way to go to be more established in the content creation environment.
I am going to set some realistic goals this month and really try and attract more supporters and sponsors. What will happen the following year? I’m not sure. But I am going to keep going and work towards my dream/goal.
Thank you!
Thank you for supporting me. I really appreciate it. You are helping me to keep going throughout the year and work hard to reach targets and skill levels.
I probably don’t say it often enough – so – thank you!
