Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Justice.
Hi Ashley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
During the first 5 years of my marriage, my husband served in the United States Marine Corps and having moved around a lot, it is hard to have a social circle in the same state, let alone zip code. Gaming has always been my go-to for socializing. With the amount of moving, even after he has separated and been on a career outside of the military, I’ve spent most of my time being a stay-at-home mom.
Using my love for gaming to create content just made sense. By streaming the games I enjoy, creating a community and social circle within video gaming has helped to provide a source of supplemental income to our home without taking away from my being able to be home for my young family.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being a mother, especially when there is a lot more than pushing a “go live” can definitely create some obstacles.
Being a content creator means being able to market yourself, network with like-minded creators, create supplemental sources for traffic to your content, and it all has to be done between school pick up, drop-offs, caring for a toddler, dinner times, bedtimes, bath times, house cleaning…
Everything a mother has to do and then piling the need to be available to continue creating and building these connections to improve her content is a juggling act. It’s extremely easy to burn out, and creating my own schedule adds to the stress of “am I doing enough” not just for creation, but for being present for my family as well.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Gaming Content Creator. I originally started as a Facebook streamer, amassing over 5,000 followers in a little over a year. As time passes and I realized I needed to seek other avenues to take my career where I wanted and needed it to go I begin creating on Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram as well. I gained my popularity as an Apex Legends streamer, but have since moved on to various games, mainly Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto RP, and a variety of other games. As a content creator, I also as work with brands and companies to improve various aspects of my content. I am currently Partnered with META PCs, a custom PC company, alongside many other popular Facebook and Twitch streamers. I also hold an affiliate link with Razer, a popular gaming company.
When you think content creation, especially women in it, you tend to think of younger women, in their 20s, sometimes coined “e-girls.” That isn’t me. I am a 32-year-old wife and mother. I tend to attract an older audience I’m gaming. People who can relate to me and vis versa. We are able to talk about things 30-40-year-olds enjoy rather than the banter you see in your average twitch chat, and I know my audience much more for it. I even know some of their kids’ names, their favorite sports teams, and significant others jump into chat and become a sort of the community too. I just feel generally more connected to the audience I attract, whereas they may not feel quite as at home watching a 24-year-old man or woman playing the same games.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My best advice for anybody, no matter you’re demographic, who wants to become a content creator is not to overdo it.
It is extremely easy to see a bit of success and want to ride that wave until the end. I did. I woke up, streamed, networked, and marketed myself all day between my mom duties, and then streamed some more until I went to bed. 6 days a week I did that for over a year.
And then I ran out of gas. It cost me my traction and nearly cost me my love for gaming and streaming altogether.
Do not let your hunger starve you. Pace yourself; it’s a marathon, not a race. You have all the time in the world to create your perfect community, but if you push yourself to exhaustion your viewers will notice and it will affect the content you push out.
Contact Info:
- Website: Linktr.ee/AshMegzGG
- Instagram: Instagram.com/AshMegzGG
- Facebook: Facebook.com/AshMegzGames
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshMegzGG
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