let's have a chat!
HEY BOOKIES! i just wanted to come by and share some words with yall as it's been weighing on me lately!
the standard i create for myself as an individual and creative is not anyone else’s.
i come from a creative personal and work background. i’ve worked in marketing, photography, 3d design and animation, video editing, graphic design, broadcasting sports events and production, NIL projects, writing, etc. this is who i am inside and outside of the sims community and always will be, so naturally i want to make content that reflects my passion for the art of digital media, movies, music, event curation, and visual storytelling. i put my full heart into every story, project, machinima and the gameplay to accompany my stories because i enjoy doing the most lol and treat this as my creative expression. and nothing or no one is ever perfect but if you watch my very first video compared to my most recent you can see the vast difference and that has taken the last 3 years of experimenting, learning, making mistakes, and pushing my own limits but HAVING FUN and finding community in the process. i wasn’t worried about perfection then and i'm still not now, i've only gotten better and continue to learn. and i STILL mess up with edits, typos, using words wrong in commentary etc all the damn time like i just did it last night lol
but i'm saying all that to say: you don’t have to make your content super high production or film-like if you don’t want to. you don’t have to set up every thing you do in game with over the top details, have cutscenes, cinematics, etc none of that is necessary at all and doesn’t make your content any less than if you don't do it. this is my preference it’s what i find enjoyable and fulfilling as a creative. same as some people don’t prefer to watch my style of content and that’s okay! there’s a niche for everyone which is why i feel it’s important to just create for yourself bc i know there’s people looking for what you could do. a lil fun fact: some of my favorite type of sims content is chaotic stuff i love breeding out ugly shrek babies and silly challenges lol and none of that requires the theatrics, they're just playing the game which is what the sims franchise is for!
i truly love how i create though, and i honor my multi-faceted approach to this game which is why i've been able to do it, sustain it and continue to work on my craft while building an amazing community that i can talk and laugh with, create special moments, share ideas and inspire, and have real life conversations that stem from my sims storytelling series which is VERY fulfilling TO ME. if you’re trying to come into the sims content space or already in it and having doubts, not everything has to be this full out thing (especially if you're just starting out) create because you find something about this game or community that excites or inspires you. explore, experiment, and figure out what you love as you go, which can look different for everyone. that is the exact reason i started and that core want has stayed with me even as my content and community has evolved into what it is now.
it saddens me seeing talk about feeling less than because of the imaginary “standard" of sims 4 content. i don’t think it’s fair to the people who are genuinely just creating and existing and also to everyone trying to come into the community and create because there’s this huge sense of pressure and perfectionism before you even start that truly doesn’t have to be there.
putting yourself out there to begin with, taking the time to record, edit, get over mic shyness / recording your voice, all of that is a big feat and you should be very proud of it, even if it’s not where you maybe want it to be at first. & that goes for gameplay simmers, machinima simmers or the ones who do both like myself.
so if nobody told you today, i'm PROUD OF YOU if you started a let's play, made a machinima, made some tiktoks, did a twitch stream, shared a screenshot, or shared any type of content at all because that takes courage! growth comes with continuity so don't get discouraged.
just start and then learn with time i promise it’s more fun that way than trying to have it all figured out. if you mess up an edit or a typo (i promise most people don’t even notice) or even in your commentary, just make it a joke. do some funny edits throw a lil meme in there lol don’t take yourself too seriously, have fun!
and when you can, show love to your fellow simmers. drop a comment or a like, share a post, reach out, or collaborate if possible. the smallest things can make somebody's day and encourage them to keep going!
but thank you to everyone who enjoys and supports what i do and being a part of my lil corner of the interweb.
and if you are inspired by my stuff and interested in my process or tips and tricks, i have some tutorials on my yt channel and my DMs are always open for questions, advice or collabs!
love you guys, happy simming and creating and be kind to each other.
-mint xx