How many movies have you seen…without seeing them?

I’m not much of a movie guy, so for me it’s an awful lot. But I AM the kind of guy who’ll get sucked in to watching those crappy movie clips on YouTube. I can sit down in front of my computer with a clear head, a warm heart, and a list full of wholesome things that I want to accomplish. Two hours later, I’ll be slumped in my chair staring at the fiftieth set of 100-second movie clips that I’ve clicked on or that was “suggested” to me in the same way a crack dealer “suggests” that you diversify into heroin. 

And The Untouchables is at the top of those seen-but-not-really movies for me. I’m a sucker for gangster movies, and I’ve probably seen maybe a quarter of the movie on YT. In the scene I’ve probably seen the most, Al Capone (played by Robert De Niro when he was a great actor and not just Angry Grandpa…trust me on this one) stands as the honored person at a round table full of colleagues and supporters. He gives a speech about his love for baseball (which is honestly just an excuse to murder someone), but his description of the game really stuck with me. He said, holding a bat in one hand: “A man stands alone at the plate. This is the time for what? Individual achievement. But in the field, what? Part. Of. A. Team. Looks, throws, catches, hustles, part of one big team. If his team don’t field, what is he? No one!” 

Now, you may not want to ask why Capone gave said speech, and you definitely might not want to watch the video if you’re squeamish since someone at that table was about to become “no one” via that bat. However, in a sort of weird way I’ve been thinking about that scene lately and the value of a team behind the individual. Streaming in specific and content creation in general is a pretty lonely business. It may not seem like it when you’re looking at a chat with hundreds of people trying to fit in their specific copypasta and get a notice or some sign of approval from a partnered streamer who’s flawlessly doing it all and somehow functionally playing a video game at the same time, but even partners turn the stream off and are often alone in the room that was once digitally filled with people. And I’ve not even mentioned the thousands of people just starting their stream or plugging away, day after day, with that big zero beside NUMBER OF VIEWERS:. And there are days when the loneliness can get you. There are days when you need some advice or some reassurance or just someone to say hi to or someone to understand what it’s like on this side of the streaming screen. 

Content creation is the time for individual achievement. But some are lucky enough to have a team out there in the field with them. In the past, I’ve been on a team and I was generally happy to do so. But it ended up not working out for various and sundry reasons and I’ve been on my own for around a year now. When I had heard one day that a streamer that I had enjoyed watching from time to time, PsycheSiren, was starting a streaming team, I mentioned offhand that I might be interested. And when I joined The Psychepaths several months ago, I didn’t immediately announce it to my community because there was a little part of me that was afraid that it was going to end like the first one and I’d suddenly be out in the field by myself again with little to explain for their absence but a shrug. But I’ve been so surprised at the value of what an active, caring team can provide to your content creation. The real value of a team isn’t a host or a raid, although those things are of course helpful when they happen. But the stuff that a team gives a streamer behind the scenes that most of the viewers can’t see is the real gold from the mine. A place to vent. Other streamers who can give you technical and artistic advice about decisions you’re going to make before anyone else sees them. Someone asking you how you’re feeling when you mentioned offhand a couple of days before that you’d been feeling sick. Something as simple as a “good morning” when you’re staring at that blank screen trying to create something new on it. All of these things ultimately make the stream that you see or the article that you read better than it would have been otherwise, and it might be the thing that’s keeping your favorite creator, well, creating. 

So in conclusion: streamers, make connections and network in your various communities not because you might get an extra host out of the deal but because those connections not only support your well-being but help to support the well-being of others in your field. Even if it’s not something as structured as a team, be willing to reach out with questions to others in your areas of influence. Try to sit at the feet of those who have already walked the paths that you’re beginning and learn from their mistakes and successes.  And let those things influence and support what your viewers and readers are seeing. I’m happy to say that I am a PsychePath. I’ve been blessed by this great group of streamers and mods, and I’ve been overwhelmed by the support and love they’ve shown someone who doesn’t deserve a fraction of what they’ve done for a stranger.

I’m not out there in the field alone. I’m part of a big team. And you can be too. Connect with those around you and support them through these weird times, and be willing to give. Your teammates will be there for you as well.