We had the good fortune of connecting with Leyla Lacombe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leyla, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
The new year has really gotten me to think pretty hard about this. I work full time on top of my content creation, and while I have always been proud of my 9-5 work life balance, I have come to realise that I was not quite so competent at balancing streaming with the rest of my life. At times in the past year, it transitioned into this very strange position where I was “always on” for content creation, even though I was not really producing more content then before. The biggest change I felt was more of a mental one, where I was thinking about content all of the time, or more realistically I was feeling guilty about not making content. It became incredibly unproductive, even though it stemmed from a desire to create more and do more of the things I love. That’s always the fine line you walk when you are self employed with your passions. You never want to go too far and have the things that motivate you become the things that burden you. Thankfully, I took a much needed break from streaming and did some soul searching and came back with a new mindset and outlook. I don’t think I have finished the work of evaluating my balance, but I have definitely made some nice improvements, like days where I get to simply consume content, not make it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It’s always a little tricky discussing art and creativity when I create in such a “non traditional” medium. I think a lot of people, understandably, don’t see streaming or gaming content creation as art. I would love to start to change that mindset however, because to me the similarities between the mediums are so large. Streaming is most often compared to something between a standup routine and a rehearsed piece of acting, which is 100% true! But there is a secret hidden side to streaming that I think a lot of people don’t consider. A lot of the times, especially smaller creators, their set up is a one person show. Not only are they the on camera talent, but they are the tech support, the marketing manager, the pr manager, the accountant, the art director… The list really goes on. To me, every aspect of streaming is a work of art that comes together when you hit that “go live” button. Not to mention the amount of people in the periphery who all contribute to the success of a streamer. Special shoutout to emote artists and stream overlay designers, they help people like me who may not have “traditional” art skills express themselves visually. As for what I’m most proud of and excited about, I would say it’s my ability to keep iterating and coming up with new and exciting content for the stream. Brainstorming collaborations, making announcement posts, starting new series that will run for multiple weeks, it all keeps me so creatively fulfilled and happy!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So excited at the prospect of planning a trip in San Francisco! I think the main attraction would be all the wonderful restaurants we have here. Off the top of my head, a couple favorites would be Garaje (mexican), Montescaro (pizza/pinsa), Dumpling Time (dumplings) and Hogwash (fancy sausages). To go with all these wonderful meals we would have, I’d want to hit up a couple of nice bars/lounges, like the beautiful Local Edition, which is a newspaper themed speakeasy on Market. I also would love to swing by Wilson and Wilson if we could get a reservation, another speakeasy, but this time detective themed! Once we’ve had our fill of food and drink each day, we can go through some of the most fun attractions in SF. I think a trip from downtown to the embarcadero via cable car is a must, and on the way we can check out the free cable car museum that I feel like so few people know about! The embarcadero comes with so many fun hidden gems, like the maze of mirrors at Pier 39, as well as some well known attractions like Boudin Bakery and Museum and Ghirardelli Square, where we can finish our day with a delicious sundae!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There is such a long list of people to account for my success, ranging from my boyfriend and his parents for helping me get some much needed gear, to my friends and my mom, who are always there to support me, but I think the person I really want to dedicate this shoutout to is my dad. Everything fun and exciting that has happened in my streaming career (and in some ways in my day job) comes from the fact that my dad introduced me to video games when I was about 6 years old. Back then, I would be watching him play on our ps2, before i graduated to holding the controller and eventually he was watching me. I know a lot of women and female identifying people feel left out of the games industry, or come into it later than their male peers due to lots of factors, but thanks to my dad I never felt that way. I have been an avid video game lover for over 15 years thanks to him, and whenever I see success in streaming I always think about him. He is also a huge supporter of my work, asking me how he can be a better fan every time I see him. So I want to say thank you dad for letting me play SSX tricky with you one day in 2002.

Website: https://www.twitch.tv/leylabelle/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leylalalacombe/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Leylabelle

Other: Tiktok: https://tiktok.com/@leylabeiie

Image Credits
Cosplay and Personal Photo taken by Casey Currey-Wilson

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