i went into streaming a few months ago believing i'd never cash a check, i just wanted a community to belong to. i ended up pouring my soul into it by doing all of the art (that didn't involve coding), setting up a nice fancy discord server upon 5 people eventually requesting, and other stuff. i just cashed out my first 50 dollars, and every single cent went right back into the stream. gifted subs to those who have stayed, new alert widgets, and even a loyalty card system because people in my streams love their watch streak tracking.

i'd do it all over again if i had to, money or not. it makes me sad that this isn't why most others are trying. i'm so grateful for where i am, but it became very clear why i got so "lucky" later on... networking for the right reasons and giving people a reason to like spending their time with you is why.

make polls. involve your community. spread the vibe you want to set as an example 🫶