Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Bailey
Hi Ashley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
If we really want to go back to how my journey of a content creator and streamer began, I have to mention when I originally got introduced to video games. This was when I was about four years old. My brother had a Super Nintendo that our step-father gave him and I just remember going into his room all the time to play Super Mario Bros and Paperboy with him. I easily traded spending time with my Barbie’s to play video games with him. My mom did not like that. From then on, we would soon get a Playstation 1 and Playstation 2 along with numerous editions of the Nintendo Gameboy years down the line.
At first, I was definitely hesitant about playing video games on my own, so for a long time I watched my brother play and complete nearly every game we had and that was inspiring. I wanted to be just as good. Actually, scratch that. I wanted to be even better than he was! So, I finally picked up the controller myself. I played those very same games I used to watch him play and from then on, the rest was history. This was something that just became apart of my life. and something I don’t think I would ever give up.
Fast-forward a couple of years to the year I graduated high school in 2014. A family friend of ours mentioned to my brother and I a website called Twitch.tv, where people would watch others play video games and talk to an audience. Now at the time I was not the most sociable person. I was very shy and reserved to the point when we had company over, I would run upstairs to hide. I didn’t have many friends growing up because I kept to myself most times. This family friend of ours thought it would be nice if we joined this website to be streamers, because at the time, there were very few African-Americans or other minorities on the platform for that matter. I didn’t know if this would be the right fit for me but I stepped out on a limb and gave it a try. My brother and I spent that whole week researching what programs to use, what equipment to buy, and how to set everything up. It was a challenge as this was new for us both. Trust and believe I kept going back and forth about whether or not I should go through with it. I told myself I would quit after two weeks if It was just too much for me to handle. I’m so glad I didn’t quit!
The next hard part was coming up with my brand name. I get asked how I came up with my name a LOT actually and its really quite simple. My favorite color is actually Orchid but people know the color purple more than Orchid. I didn’t want to just be called purple though. so I had to think some more. I thought that just seemed too plain. I thought since video games are made up of millions and millions of pixels, why not combine the two? And poof! That’s how the name Purple Pixxel was born.
I felt I started to blossom into the person I am today. Each time I hit go live, I became increasingly more confident in myself the more I spoke with different people from around the world. It felt like I could finally be myself. It was such an exciting new experience I looked forward to each day after my regular job. It was an escape for me to finally let the person I’ve always been free, ya know? It was like a break from reality for a couple of hours in a way. I didn’t worry about work or anything else going on. My only responsibilities were to chat and pretty much vibe out enjoying the hobby I love. Those times weren’t always the smoothest. I was still met with racism and sexual harassment every so often. At that time, there weren’t any regulations on what people could say to you. I would soon start my own Youtube channel where I would post gameplay videos of popular games at the time. I would stream consistently for two years before I would take a five year break for personal reasons.
During this time, I wasn’t in the best place mentally and I felt this break needed to happen. My job was becoming stressful mentally as well as physically. I had feelings of being trapped or confined to this dead end job, but I was too afraid to leave because of the unpredictability of family and their decisions. There was an overwhelming sense of pressure to provide. I worked ten to twelve hour shifts most times doing very strenuous activity, so it was hard and there was no way I could provide a comfortable space for my viewers when I was mentally exhausted myself.
In a way, it was a blessing. During this period, streaming and getting back into content creation was heavily on my mind nearly every day. I bargained with myself that if I bought a new gaming laptop, I had to dedicate myself to streaming and content creation again. When i got back into streaming, I challenged myself to be able to create everything. I looked at it as an ongoing art project as art has been apart of my life since I was a child. I’ve created my own overlays for my channel, emotes, transitions, and brand for both my Twitch and Youtube channels. I’ve even edited my own clips for my page. I’ve spent many long nights learning programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects.
I had always been into art and just creation period. I taught myself how to draw at an early age and I’ve kept up with it since. I’ve designed tattoos for people so I can say I already had an eye for aesthetics and I seen this as an opportunity to translate those skills into creating my brand. Learning motion graphics in After Effects or new skills in Photoshop was always something that intrigued me. I love to learn new skills and put them to use.
I felt it was meant to be for me to come back when I did. I soon became a member of a gaming group where it felt like we were family. We would have virtual sleepover parties and even do podcasts together. It was a group of other African-Americans that shared the same vision. We wanted to diversify the homepage and bring attention to streamers of color. We supported each other and showed up for one another when we all had special events going on. I was a member of a previous gaming group where it didn’t end well. I was hesitant but it seemed this time would be different. I’ve even gone to hang out with some members that happen to live in the same state as I do and even met the rest of the members from out of town for an official meetup. This led me to branch out and meet more and more content creators from the platform and be apart of their events as well. More recently, I’ve been attending different conventions locally as a content creator. I have been accepted into the content creator programs for both Dreamhack Atlanta and Momocon.
Looking forward, I plan to grow my community and continue to make more connections with not just the bigger streamers but also the smaller ones. We’ve all had humble beginnings and I want to be able to use my platform to uplift anyone, regardless of gender that want to become a content creator within this space. Video games aren’t going anywhere, and I believe this space will continue to thrive.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh man. This journey has been everything but smooth. Throughout this journey, you have to WANT to continue to learn and pick up new skills. You cannot stay complacent or else people will turn to the next biggest thing that does something slightly different. You also have to remember to stay true to yourself. That was something I had to learn myself. I spent hours watching others and seeing what they provided as content creators but you kind of have to make it your own or else you’ll just copy everything they do.
It took me asking myself, why am I trying to be so much like this person when I know that’s not me? It holds true when people say you need to march to the beat of your own drum because that’s what separates you apart from the next person that’s doing the exact same thing. People will gravitate towards you if you continue to be your authentic self. I feel that’s something a lot of younger people struggle with. They see what’s working for someone that has made it or been successful and want that exact same thing. People will appreciate you and your content for who you are.
Comparing yourself to others is a big thing as well. When you aren’t seeing the numbers you want or the progress you aspire to have, you sometimes doubt yourself. I’m no stranger to that. if you’re just starting out, it can be discouraging when there aren’t many people in your streams. I encourage them to keep going. That one person can really make your day.
I would say another challenge for me has been to set aside time for myself and finding that balance so content creation and streaming doesn’t feel like it takes over my entire life. I work a 9-5 job as well as prioritizing my health with working out five days a week in the gym, all while keeping my mental calm. It’s not easy. You absolutely need to take care of yourself and enjoy the present as well. There have been many times I have taken breaks in between streaming because it can feel like its is a lot to handle. It’s not something that gets talked about a lot. It’s okay to step away for a bit. I’ve done it and my community has been there each time to welcome me back. The burnout is real and you have to take care of yourself a little more.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I actually like to describe myself as a video game influencer rather than a streamer or content creator. I start these journeys with my audience each time I start a new game. We’re here on these journeys together. And for some, they’re experiencing the game along with me for the first time. You can kind of look at it as me being the test dummy for trying out potential games they might buy.
I do feel I provide more than just entertainment or gameplay. I provide a safe space for everyone to relax and forget about reality for a bit. I’ve often asked my audience, what’s the appeal? They explain to me that its a nice way to unwind after a long day. They can turn off their adult brains for a few hours and enjoy conversation while someone games. They like to see someone enjoying the very games they play or the games they would never play like horror. They live to see me suffer sometimes or catch my reactions to certain parts of a game, so I often find myself getting clipped.
I feel I specialize in being very personable as well as transparent with my audience. I share parts of myself to them and in turn, they’ve allowed themselves to be vulnerable as they share what’s been going on in their lives. At these times, it does get pretty emotional and I’ve caught myself tearing up on stream. I think that’s what I always wanted out of this. To be able to connect and create that closeness with my audience and community. So, I believe that’s what I’m most known for. We end up having conversations and discussions that last well into the late hours of the night and at that point it’s hard for me to stop because I’m enjoying the engagement from my viewers.
My quirkiness is definitely what sets me apart. I’ve allowed people to see my authentic and flawed self. Something I thought I had to hide from the world to be accepted when in actuality, it was my biggest asset. I’ve been learning to not strive for perfectionism and accept who I am as a person. My drive to be better and connect on more than just something that’s surface level with each individual has made my channel something unique to me.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Patience. It’s something so simple but few of us can actually comprehend it. Trust yourself and trust the process. Things might not seem like it’ll work out at that moment, but when you trust yourself and continue to remain dedicated to your goal, you’ll have that breakthrough. It’ll be worth it.
Because I put such a big importance on my health by working out in the gym, I’ve learned that progress is not something that happens overnight. You’ll only receive as much effort as you put in. You can’t walk around here acting like you deserve it. You have to earn it! This is a testament to anything you do in life and it can be applied with what you want to achieve.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purplepixxel
- Other: https://www.twitch.tv/purplepixxel
