That’s my cross-eyed kitty “Gamera” in the background, lol, I know how she feels now.
We’ve been slowly using your Patreon pledge money to buy up more equipment we’ll be using for my upcoming Twitch Creative Livestreaming channel/show!
I played around with the first streaming cam I bought on Amazon and I like it a lot, so I’ve bought a second one. We’re super close to my next Patreon goal – the 6k mark – that’s when we’ll start broadcasting! Last I looked we’re at 5.8K so we are hovering at 96% funded, SO CLOSE. It will be very soon (if you’re not a Patron yet, you can join in and help us here http://www.patreon.com/jasminebecketgriffith or upgrade if you like there too).
Since I have multiple painting stations within my studio (a large drafting table as well as my giant easel) I am building filming setups for both areas, so I have been stockpiling cables, extension cords, tripods, wall & ceiling mounts, clamp mounts, goosenecks, additional lighting & more in preparation.
We’re close enough to our goal that I was able to purchase a new laptop (my old computer was SO old and junky, I had to have external fans blowing on it all the time since it constantly had thermal shutdowns, I felt pretty shabby traveling all over England dragging old fans & stuff just to check my email, lol).
It’s not technically a “new” computer, but it’s refurbished & it’s new to me! I’ve installed the broadcasting software and am trying to learn how to use it in preparation.
We’ve got some audio equipment too – the plan is for my livestreaming channel to have several interactive segments:
#1 A live video camera focused directly on my painting so you can see my painting come to life and watch my brushstrokes, etc. in closeup detail.
#2 A live video camera with audio focused at me & my easel (or drafting table when I’m at my table), so you can actually see ME and ask me questions and I can talk about my painting and random other stuff while I’m working. I’ll talk a lot about my painting technique as well as other fun things.
#3 A live chatroom where you can all hop in and ask me questions.
#4 Matt is going to work as my broadcast assistant/moderator (hey – he’s on Patreon too – http://www.patreon.com/matthewdavidbecket for his writing, check him out). He will read the chat room comments and questions to me so that I will know what everybody is saying/asking while I’m painting! He will be stationed at the computer solely for this purpose, and will have a microphone/audio input so he can talk vocally as well as type.
In addition to having live broadcasting events, we will also do our best to save/archive these shows so if you miss one, you can watch it in your own time.
We’re planning to do a minimum of one show a week to start, shooting for around 3+ hours long. This is all very new to me, and will be a big part of my socialization, so I am looking forward to this. We will let you Patreon folks know ahead of time when we have a livestreaming show scheduled so that you can plan ahead too if you want!
If a lot of you really seem to enjoy the livestreaming, we may increase the frequency & duration. Now that (again, with your Patreon subscriptions funding it – thank you guys!) we have a new full-time employee helping Matt pack & ship orders, he theoretically will have some more time to dedicate to helping me personally with things like live broadcasting & moderating discussions, etc. I think it might be helpful for other artists or aspiring artists to watch too, and will definitely be fun for collectors to watch my creations being created, and for my online friends/fans/family to keep in touch with me.
Twitch is FREE, so there are no additional fees/charges – everybody is welcome, we’ll keep it drama-free and family friendly (well, I can’t promise that Matt might not swear if he knocks over a camera or something, lol, but it’s not “adult content” or anything like that, hehe). There are Twitch-specific “tip jars” and subscriptions/donations/commissions you can always do (helps keep the machine running) but there are absolutely no mandatory fees or additional subscriptions required, it’s 100% free. I also have some fun ideas about maybe doing some “live” commissioned/custom paintings (maybe have you guys suggest things and you can watch me paint it!) and do my Patreon original painting giveaways & stuff like that on the air – that sounds exciting! Maybe do some mini painting marathons and run the auctions and/or giveaways live on the air…. possibilities are endless!
I am so excited for this, thank you all so much for your help & continued support – I just need to order a few more things once we hit our next Patreon goal and I can begin broadcasting!
XO
Jasmine
