We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alexandra Miles. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alexandra below.

Alexandra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Learning how to be a content creator is almost entirely an independent study kind of thing. There are countless nights of learning from YouTube University, numerous fits of Googling and finding answers mostly on Reddit from other creators, and so much time spent asking your creator friends questions. Ultimately, as it stands, learning how to live stream, how to be effective on social media, how to work with brands – it’s a mix of those three. Googling, learning from others, and asking questions.

Knowing what I know now, asking creators who I saw doing things I wanted to do for their help and input would’ve been at the forefront of my efforts. Some of the biggest jumps I’ve made in my career, I made by simply having a conversation with those who are farther along in their content creation journey than I am. And I was so afraid that I would be bothering people when I first started. When, in fact, they were me once and doing the exact same thing!

I did have a bit of an advantage going into this field. I went to a magnet program that focused on graphic design, video and photo editing, and other creative skills. So, when I started this journey, I already knew how to use Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom and others. And programs that were new to me didn’t take as long for me to pickup as they could have. Outside of technical skills, having some good people skills continues to take me far. It helps me converse with my community while I’m live, it helps me craft exciting captions and content, and it helps me connect with others in the space. It’s probably the biggest skill one can learn if they’re going down this path.

I always say the biggest obstacle to me learning more is myself. I don’t mean that to be philosophical or inspirational. I mean that literally. My brain (read: my imposter syndrome) loves to get in my way! And every time I manage to ignore the voice telling me that something is pointless, out of my grasp or not meant for me, I end up growing. My single biggest competitor is myself.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a full-time digital creator and influencer! My interest and focus is in adventure games, story-based games, video game soundtracks, and cosplay. The content I create comes in the form of livestreams, talk shows, social media content, YouTube videos, and the creation of cosplays! This is the kind of content I create when I work with brands, as well! Offline, I’m a professional social media and marketing coordinator.

Some of my favorite things I’ve done in 2023 include hosting segments for a 6-day long Zelda marathon in July, becoming a member of the StreamElements Creator Diversity Program, beginning my work towards becoming a household name on opinions about video game sound tracks (including starting my own talk show about it), and getting to cosplay at AnimeExpo in Los Angeles. I’ve done so much and there’s still so much to be done.

I’m most proud of just how wide my creative abilities extend. One day, I’m hosting a weekly live show, the next day I’m creating a commercial for TikTok and two days after that I could be modeling a cosplay I just finished making. I’m working on getting more into hosting shows and interviews and making that a staple part of my work. It’s hard to get into, but I’m taking steps every day!

I think the biggest thing about me that I’d want anyone to know about me, whether they’re a potential client, follower, fan or otherwise, is that I’m always evolving. The things I create, the streams I do, the work I complete is always getting better. I’m constantly learning new things to apply to my work. I’m always trying new things. It’s worth it to keep up with me and it’s even more worth it to work with me!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

There is so much more to this than just creating things. That’s the crux of it and that’s why any of us get into it, but we wear so many hats. Yes, I get to be in front of a camera, play video games, play “dress-up” when I’m cosplaying, etc. But I’m also my own agent, graphic designer, social media manager, copywriter, PR manager, data analyst, tech support, tax agent, and so much more. It’s a lot of constant work, every single day.

This isn’t an easy gig at all and it’s not something you get famous doing super quickly. Those creators that blow up overnight are extremely lucky and/or extremely connected. And even then, they still have so much work to do. So, yes, from the outside, it looks like I’m just getting paid to play video games and dress cute. The reality is, as an influencer and content creator, I’m getting paid for my knowledge as a marketing tool..

How did you build your audience on social media?

Let me preface this by saying, there is no surefire way to grow your audience on social media. There are some general things that usually work, but a lot of it is trial and error!

That being said, I built my audience on social media by engaging with those making things similarly to me, consistently creating content that is both what I’m interested in and also interesting to others, and by just being me, really! Whether you’re on social media for business or personal, your pages are a window into you and what makes you unique. So, I post what sets me apart from others.

But that engagement piece is huge! Any algorithm feeds off of engagement. Take the time to comment on the posts of others. Join conversations, take part in trends. People will begin interacting with you more when they see that you will interact with them. And when the algorithm sees people interacting with you, it’ll push you to more! That’s the biggest thing that works for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/alexnorimaki/mediakit
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/alexnorimaki
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlexNorimaki
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AlexNorimaki
• Other: Twitch: https://twitch.tv/AlexNorimaki