An Update on Streaming

My return to streaming happened on June 27th, after over three years away (more like 6 years away, since the birth of my son). I have always wanted to stream, but I also have a lot of anxiety and health issues that prevent me from doing it smoothly. I decided to ease into it slowly, my streams are roughly an hour, and I only stream three days a week. They’re at (what I consider to be) an awkward time for others, but the best time for me (8pm EDT, mon/wed/fri). I stream a lot of World of Warcraft since that’s where I find myself playing these days, but on Wednesdays I stream alternative stuff depending on my mood. I’ve done fiber streams, RimWorld, and the latest Disney game.

It’s hard for me to measure growth, because every stream is different. Twitch uses an algorithm that I don’t quite agree with. Personally, I feel like the growth is there. I have a very dedicated small user base that returns each stream and supports me. They are honestly the reason I stream, they interact with me, ask questions, and are just a nice friendly bunch.

I’m streaming to help get past my crippling anxiety. Right now, I don’t use a cam, but eventually I’d like to muster up the confidence to stream with my cam on. I’m just not there yet. Of course I’d be lying if I didn’t mention the financial side of things, but that’s a smaller part. Since I homeschool and am stay at home parent, 99% of my day is filled with children and doing things for others. Streaming is for me. As much as it’s not supposed to, it makes me feel like I am doing something ‘more’.

I’m not sure why I’m making this rambling post except to say – I’m enjoying my time back. I’m pleased with the growth, and I can’t wait to see where I’m at in a year. I hope I can continue with it, I hope I continue to grow. If you’ve never caught my stream before, you can find me on twitch: twitch.com/stargrace – mon/wed/fri at 8pm EDT. Thank you everyone for the support. It is very appreciated.

September 10, 2022 September 10, 2022 By stargrace In No Comment

End of Month Update

Tomorrow is the first of September – where has the month gone?! I’ve managed to complete my Blaugust challenge (one post a day) for the month, and I’m pleased about that. I also managed to continue blogging on my two other sites (GirlGoblin which is a Warcraft gold making blog, and NomadicReader, which is a book review blog). I consider those sites extra credit. In total I made 51 posts between all three blogs. I didn’t get a lot of knitting done as far as doing my DailyCreative, but I did get a lot of spinning done on my new Daedalus spinning wheel. It has been a dream to use so far.

I stopped doing my bulletjournal in favour of just using a notepad in short form and making lists, then crossing off items as I completed them from my list. It’s not as fancy, but I’m more likely to see what is on the list that way. I found that some days I was completely ignoring my bulletjournal, and that was frustrating.

I didn’t do a lot of reading this month either, but I’ve still got some books I’m actively working through, just at a bit of a slower pace than usual for me. I’ve been having a bit of trouble with my depression and anxiety, so I’m trying to be gentle on myself.

I did manage a few art pieces this month, I even streamed some. My hands have been hurting this week so I haven’t been keeping up, but I’m confident that I can manage to get 52 pieces done this year, that is the goal. I think I have 32 at the time of this post.

I’m still gaming – but I’ve settled with being content with Warcraft as my main game of choice, and then a selection of smaller single player / co-op player games from my XBoX One Pass, and Steam. I wrote about how I was feeling FOMO regarding FFXIV, (and also GW2 these days) but I just don’t have the time to keep up with multiple games, and I *am* very happy in WoW. When it comes to streaming, I’m still working on establishing myself, my brand, and my schedule. I’ve almost done a complete schedule this week (mon/wed/fri are my stream days) and I want to continue that. Tonight I’m actually streaming fiber arts which is a change from my regular gaming / Warcraft streams. We’ll see how it goes, I still have to set up the cameras.

In any case, it has been a productive month. I can’t wait to see what September brings. Hopefully some cooler weather, because these heat waves have been difficult, to say the least. Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

August 31, 2022 August 31, 2022 By stargrace In , , No Comment

Another Skein of Yarn Completed!

I finished spinning two skeins of merino/nylon blend and now I have a giant bobbin of squishy softness. I can’t wait to set the twist, and then knit something up with this. I’m thinking that I’ll dye it with avocado pits so that it turns a dusky antique rose. This is by far the thinnest and most constant spin I’ve gotten so far. I wish it was a three ply, but since I only have three bobbins, I figured I’d be safe (you need one bobbin to ply onto). Next? I’ll be live streaming making socks on my antique sock knitting machine on Wednesday! It should be exciting.

August 30, 2022 August 31, 2022 By stargrace In , No Comment

A Heavy Case of FOMO

I have played FFXIV off and on since the start – and I have never been able to stick with it steadily for more than a month or two at a time. I have no idea why, on paper this is the perfect game for me. I have no issues sticking with other games (I played EQ, EQ2, and WoW almost exclusively for many years) but for whatever reason, I just can’t seem to do it. Every time I see people talking about this game I want to jump right back in. I want to do player housing. I want to explore the new Island everyone is excited about. I want to level all my crafters, classes, and harvesters. I want the cute transmog. I want to get invested in the lore.

I just cancelled my account last week. It has been open for a few months now and I think I logged in once. I have friends who actively play, and I have never been able to figure out why this game just doesn’t work for me.

If World of Warcraft would just add some player housing, I think it would have absolutely everything I want. I still continue to play and enjoy myself, but FOMO (fear of missing out) when it comes to FFXIV is *so* incredibly strong. I want to be a part of gaming communities, make friends, and expand my Twitch audience. That’s a difficult thing to do if you can’t seem to settle down anywhere.

For now I am pulling myself back and reminding myself that I do love WoW. That I do have an excellent community here. That there are people I’ve gotten to know and I look forward to interacting with each day. I need to find a way to be happy with myself and where I spend my time. It’s not like I don’t enjoy Warcraft, quite the opposite in fact. I just always wonder if the grass is truly greener on the other side (note, it’s not).

August 29, 2022 August 29, 2022 By stargrace In 2 Comments

If I didn’t have bad luck…

I’m using the addon Rarity to track my mount attempts, and I have officially swapped over to ‘unlucky’ when it comes to getting the jade primordial direhorn mount. This comes from Warbringers in Pandaria zones, and I’ve already obtained the Amber and Slate ones, but the Jade one is a whole different beast.

My favourite WoW motto is: If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.

That continues to hold true.

August 28, 2022 August 31, 2022 By stargrace In No Comment

The Savings Keep Coming

I was contemplating buying in on the Dreamlight Valley game on my Nintendo Switch – and then I saw that the base model is going to be included in my Game Pass – and that solved that. I love this deal so much, I’ve gotten to play more games and spend less money than I ever would have normally. I don’t feel any guilt, and it’s just been a joy to discover new things to play.

Anyone else out there planning on getting it or playing? Let me know in comments, and as always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

August 27, 2022 August 31, 2022 By stargrace In No Comment

What Gear do People use to Stream Wildlife 24/7?!

I have two hummingbird feeders set up outside, as well as a regular bird feeder, and I’d like to add them as cameras / independent streams on my own stream. Here’s where it gets tricky (for me). I have NO IDEA what gear people use to stream 24/7. I have good internet & access to wifi, are they using an entire laptop or computer set up with a camera to stream these wildlife streams, or are there some cameras that I should be looking at instead, like perhaps a house security camera? I have no idea. I tried to do a bunch of google searches but nothing really turned up exactly what I was looking for.

If you happen to stream 24/7 and have a feed for animals, or have some gear suggestions for me, please let me know in comments! I’d love to show off the wildlife that comes to our feeders, but I just don’t know what I need to get started, and it seems like I’m supposed to automatically realize what the right items are.

August 26, 2022 August 27, 2022 By stargrace In No Comment

The Footrace Across Azeroth

In one of my more daring moves, I sporadically decided to sign up for the WoW esport variety show, which included a footrace across Azeroth as one of their last events. Somehow, I managed to get in, and that’s how I found myself at midnight (my time) waiting along with a few others to start sprinting away on a level 10 vulpera monk.

It was the first time they had run this event, and there were some hiccups, but I do have to mention that the community was top notch. Everyone was helpful, friendly, and eager to partake. No one was upset at the late start, no one ranted and raved about it not being the smoothest ordeal. We all had enormous fun, and the discord channel was filled with voices of people who are *incredibly* passionate about this game. It made me smile. Of course it could have also been that I was a bit loopy from the almost 3h wait I had subjected myself to, but hey, it was all in the name of fun.

I streamed it over on my twitch channel, and my viewers took it upon themselves to keep me entertained and awake. While I did not come in first place (or second, or third..) I also didn’t come last! I had a pretty good time, and it was just lovely to see everyone come out and discuss what mount they were going to use, how they made their class selection, and a variety of other subjects that I didn’t even know would be relevant. I hope to see more events like this in the future, and I truly hope everyone had a great time. Sleep? Who needs sleep!

August 25, 2022 August 25, 2022 By stargrace In No Comment

That was Terrifying

At around 3am me and my husband heard the most awful screech coming from the backyard. I figured it was an animal, but I had no idea what sort of animal it was.

Turns out it was a barred owl – a baby one. They scream, and they’re terrifying. I knew we had owls around but when you ask me what sort of sounds I expect one to make, it’s more of a ‘hoo-hoo’ type sound, NOT a blood curdling scream.

At least now we know what it was. We have a rodent or something living nearby (found some holes in the yard dug up) so I imagine the parents must be out teaching it how to fend for itself. I hope to see more of them in the future, at least now I recognize the cries!

August 24, 2022 August 27, 2022 By stargrace In No Comment

Why I Blaugust

I’ve been participating in Blaugust for a number of years now – but I always do so on the outskirts. As much as I crave being social, I have a mixture of imposter syndrome, anxiety, and other issues that prevent me from ever REALLY feeling like I’m a part of the group. I lurk, I follow from a distance – and I write. I attempt to write every day, and those days where I don’t write, I backdate it and write extra. I love the feeling of accomplishment Blaugust gives me, and I love being even remotely connected to a group of people who don’t necessarily feel like blogging is on the out. I have three fairly active blogs. This one, my world of warcraft dedicated one (mostly about making gold), and a book blog. Writing my thoughts out lets me speak without interruption. It usually lets me vent without fear of being counseled in my area of expertise (especially when it comes to making gold). It lets me share some creative spark with the world in a process that only takes a few minutes. Sometimes I plan out a concept or idea that I want to talk about but that’s pretty rare.

Why do I Blaugust? Lots of reasons, but the main one is simply to be held accountable (even if it’s false accountability) to write. Making it become habit again in a year of posts that might have been quite sporadic. I thrive on that sort of motivation, and it’s wonderful. It may not be everyone else’ cup of tea, it may put undue pressure on you – which is absolutely not what I’d ever aim for, but for me it works. I’m so thankful to Belghast and others for continuing on with the tradition each year.

August 23, 2022 August 23, 2022 By stargrace In No Comment
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