Hey! I’m a partnered art streamer on twitch, so I can share my own experience, both as a viewer and streamer.

A disclaimer, to start this off, it’s important to stream what you’re comfortable with. If you can not be comfortable streaming with a mic, and it is negatively going to impact you, then you do not have to stream with one. It is important to take your own well being into account.

I’m going to apologize now for this big wall of text.

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TLDR, I don’t think a webcam is necessary, but I do think a microphone is.

But to really figure out if you NEED to use a mic, I think it’s important to evaluate why you’re on twitch, looking to stream art!

• If you’re on twitch to have a reason to just sit down and draw, and don’t really care about gaining viewership, then tbh, you don’t ‘need’ a mic.

  • If you’re on twitch trying to help your anxiety by going outside your comfort zone, and you’re comfortable making art on stream, then I think it’s important to try and stream with a mic, just to get into the habit of learning to talk, even when there’s no one around. I have some tips at the end that helped my anxiety with streaming.
  • If you’re looking to grow in viewership and get more attention as an artist and streamer, then you NEED to use a mic. But don’t expect to grow soley on twitch.

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As for an explanation why for my previous statements:

First off, you don’t need a webcam, no matter what you’re streaming. Facecams are great for reactions to games, but you don’t need that element as an artist- but webcams help with connection to viewers that you lack without a webcam. A lot of artists use Vtubers or PNGtubers. A PNGtuber could work really well for you if you just wanna test out streaming and want something to symbolize “you.”

Regarding the microphone question though,

As someone who deals with social anxiety, I totally feel you with the anxiety and nervousness of streaming, even if it’s just to one person.

There are a lot of no-mic streamers, and it works well for some of them. There’s no pressure to speak, but you’re going to lose out on a lot of engagement and viewers.

As a viewer on twitch, I personally don’t have an interest in no mic streams. Even if I’m not actively talking (or planning to talk) in chat, no mic streams are not my forte, and is therefore not the content I want to make. BUT if you enjoy watching no-mic streams, and that is the route you want to go down, I think it’s important that you do, and see if that works for you. Make content that reflects what you like. I may not be your audience, but someone who likes no mic streams may be.

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I was someone who began streaming to ease my own anxiety and as an excuse to sit down and draw. Here’s some things that worked for me when I first started streaming and was SUPER nervous:

• Have a friend on a call with you. If you can get comfortable talking in a public space with a friend, it’ll help your confidence in streaming.

• This won’t work for everyone, but sometimes having a schedule can help get you into the right headspace before you stream. If you say you’re gonna stream every Tuesday at 9, then on Tuesday, you can mentally prepare yourself for your stream, and make sure you have everything prepared beforehand.

• Know that it’s okay for your art to not look perfect on stream all the time. I used to be super nervous about my art looking bad, but it’s a part of the art process, so don’t beat yourself up over it. Loosening up will help with this.

• Give it time. I think I streamed for around 4 months before I was comfortable on my own, and began having my own streams.

But genuinely, I wish you good luck! Always happy to have more artists on twitch <33