If you are unaware of the now-dominating platform Twitch, you may be missing out on some worthy content. From rap battles, gaming, cook-offs, and even advice panels, Twitch has everything that you could ask for and more. Luckily for me, I had the chance to speak to a fellow Twitch streamer, YouTuber, and cosplayer, Krysta a.k.a. KrystalogyTV, about everything content creation, and gained some insight on what it means to have an identity online.
You originally had a channel that went by the name “Kissabunni.” Looking back at when you made videos back then to where you are now, how do you feel that you have changed the most?
Back then, I was like 13 or 14 years old. I was a fool, I was immature, the quality of my videos were not that great, and I really did not edit my videos. I would just sit down, record, export the video in a smaller file, and then I would just upload it. Not much thought was put into it creatively. I was just playing and having fun; now, I put a lot more thought into a process for editing and making it more enjoyable. Other than my commentaries, I feel like edits can elevate your commentary if done properly. I feel that makes my videos better, and my quality has improved [as well].
My confidence as a YouTuber/creator has improved and the way I have dealt with hate comments [has improved as well]. I present myself in a better way. I am definitely a lot more considerate about what I say, because I know how much it can affect other people. I feel when I was younger, I did not realize how much influence I had when I had 30,000 subscribers, but they’re also a younger viewer base, so I did not take that into account.
How has it been working with Gen G Esports and Slim Jim?
The financial security is obviously great, but also the people I work with are really genuine and they care about me as a creator and like helping uplift me. I really appreciate that, because in the gaming industry [and all other industries] there’s those people that you may not be able to trust and are only looking out for themselves. I feel that with Gen G and Slim Jim, and all of the other sponsors that I do end up working with, they have my best interests at heart. They want to collaborate with me and not just use [me] as their own play-thing. They want Krysta as is and not a different version of Krysta that has to accommodate to be able to work with them. I appreciate that I can be myself and that the people I work with are accepting of who I am.
Is there anything you wish you knew before getting into the content creator space?
I think that the one thing I wish I knew in the beginning was how important it is to just take some time to yourself. I feel like when you are just starting out, it’s very much “you gotta grind, grind, grind.” Like, you can’t miss a day, because if you miss a day, then you will lose all of your viewership or the momentum. But, mental health is important, especially since you’re constantly reading things online. Unfortunately, social media is kind of unavoidable. When you’re a content creator, you need to be on Twitter, Instagram, on everything. You have to read the comments, you have to see what’s going on so that you can be aware.
Also to interact with your community, but with that you obviously get a lot of bad comments. Although it does not necessarily hurt me, I lose brain cells reading them, like, “Oh, my God, it’s another dumb comment I have to read,” and that’s exhausting in itself. So, just taking time to myself to enjoy the times that I don’t have to look at the Internet, because it can be very exhausting.
Do you find it hard to find that balance between being present online and disconnecting from it?
Yeah, it’s hard, it’s super hard. It’s so easy to always be working, since I have my phone. I can tweet something or make a quick TikTok, or write a quick email. So, it’s really hard to disengage myself and be like “no work today.” Then also, it’s like when you have opportunities coming to you, you really want to say yes to everything. I’ve been needing to work on saying no to things.
Although, yes, I want to do it because it’s a great opportunity and other opportunities are going to come, and I should not have to overbook myself, in fear of it not happening again. Because I mean, it’s happening now, so it’s going to happen later too, you know?
Is there anything you would want your viewers to know/understand about you?
About me and other creators in general, I feel a lot of people forget that we are busy humans as well. Yes, we have our work, but then we also have our personal lives that we may not talk about, like family events or just feeling sick or down and needing a personal day. I find that sometimes with everyone’s viewers, they get caught up in this mindset of, “Oh, this person uploaded today, what are they doing? I want to see this video or I want you to stream, etc.” Sometimes people get sick or just have a rough day and don’t want to be on the internet. I think people should remember just like how celebrities are human, your teachers are human… we’re all human.
Is there anything that you want to put out into the world, any last words that you want to share?
Let’s see….if anyone’s interested or wants to become a content creator, my number one tip of advice for aspiring creators is to diversify your platforms. Be sure to post on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. If you are streaming on Twitch, it’s really important to put yourself out everywhere because you never know where you are going to gain traction. That’s how I grew. That’s the best way to expand your audience.
Check out Krysta’s content on Twitch and YouTube @KrystalogyTV
Top Photo Courtesy of Krystalogy
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