We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dollcake a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dollcake, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
While I’ve always been an introvert, I craved connection in some form. As a kid I’d picture myself dancing on a stage, while listening to my CD player in the backseat of the family car, but I was far too nervous and shy to actually do it. Growing up in the ’90s, I socialized in Yahoo chatrooms and on AOL Instant Messenger after school. It was a unique way to connect that felt safe and comfortable.
There were flashes of bravery, allowing me to express myself despite feeling so shy. In middle school, I learned the entire dance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller and pitched the idea of performing it at a pep rally. We got a big group of girls to learn it on our lunch breaks and performed it for the whole school. It was a huge hit, and though the more “popular” girls took the front and center, I was happy I got to perform and hear the school enjoying it with us.
Another big moment of bravery came during my freshman year of high school. I learned the dance from Napoleon Dynamite by watching the movie over and over, and when student council passed around the sign-up sheet for the talent show, I surprised myself and my classmates by signing up… the only dancing act. On the day of the show, I was terrified, but my excitement kept me going. I started shy like in the movie, and then fully leaned in. I even had the music cut and awkwardly ran off stage. I loved hearing my friends and the crowd laugh and cheer, and I had an amazing time.
Fast forward to 2018, I discovered Twitch and started watching livestreams. The idea appealed to me: being safe in your room while you socialize with people from all over, while doing what you love! It was like a modern twist on the old chatrooms I’d loved. I’ve been into videos games since getting a Super Nintendo for Christmas as a kid. My sister and I were hooked, but she drifted into other things over time, while I kept playing. Donkey Kong Country led to Harvest Moon for GameCube and many other games, and one day my friend showed me Runescape, a rather large MMO. That opened a world where I could nerd out about all things medieval and make friends online.
The darkest point in my life actually pushed me into streaming. In January 2019, I had been working at an animal shelter as a dog caregiver for about a year. The job was meaningful but exhausting, compassion fatigue and working 10 hour days wore me down. I’d worked with dogs for years: daycare, walking, petsitting, and then my life changed. One of the dogs traumatically severed my right index finger. It was like being in a nightmare. I’d never so much as broken a bone before, and I was screaming and staring at my finger laying on the floor. It couldn’t be saved, as the risk of infection and rejection was too high. I had eaten lunch about an hour earlier, so I had to have emergency surgery while wide awake. The anesthesiologist was present but had no job to do, so I asked them to hold my left hand while they painfully worked on my right.
The next day, after staying in the hospital overnight, I began using humor to cope. I joked that I’d never be able to do “double finger-guns” again. Being right-handed and loving video games, I worried what my future would look like, and what job I could do, since most of my experience was with dogs. I was traumatized and eventually went through therapy, and worker’s comp helped me stay afloat while I recovered. Friends and family checked on me and cheered me up during many dark days.
In February 2020 I started streaming on Twitch as Dollcake, the username I first used in Runescape years ago. I didn’t show my right hand at all for the first year, I was terrified of trolls mocking my finger, as I was very self conscious about it. I learned to game by using my right middle finger as my new index, and my friends’ kindness at the beginning slowly helped me gain momentum and confidence. One stream shortly after the first year, I was receiving generous donations and started crying in gratitude. It felt like the right moment to finally tell my story. It was a very emotional time for everyone, but I felt safe enough to share this side of me I’d been hiding. That was a real turning point in my journey as a creator.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Kristin, but I go by Dollcake online. I’m a Twitch streamer and content creator. I make relatable and silly meme videos on social media, and gaming playthroughs on YouTube.
I first started streaming in February 2020, after that injury that changed my life. Streaming was a way to distract myself, play games, and make new friends from the comfort of my room. I discovered something deeper: I loved being a little light in someone’s day, by making them laugh, distracting them when they needed it, and being someone to hang out with. I slowly built a community and a Discord, where friendships (and relationships!) have blossomed and many moments have been shared. In real life I usually have only a few close friends, and in larger groups, I find my soft voice gets lost when I try to joke or share a story. But with a mic in front of me and people in chat, I can fully express myself and know I’m heard. Because I know what it’s like to feel isolated, creating a welcoming online community matters to me. It helps me, and I hope, helps others too. What began as a way to cope grew into something much bigger: a community where people feel welcome, included, and able to be themselves.
I stream a mix of cozy, chaotic, and nostalgic games – everything from classics like Skyrim, Fallout, Red Dead Redemption, to simulators, to my origins – Runescape and SNES games. Beyond gameplay, what I really provide is a place to hang out. I want it to feel like you’re just hanging on the couch, watching your friend play games as you joke and chat. I value authenticity, I’m not a different person in real life versus online, and I encourage people to enjoy this space without feeling they have to perform or “be on” to belong. Whether someone is chatty, lurking, or just having a rough day, they’re always welcome.
When I started streaming, I realized I loved the freedom to express myself creatively through my layout, alerts and emotes. When I was little, I wanted to be a baker, so there’s plenty of cake references! My username “Dollcake” comes from when I was kid and loved looking at cakes in the grocery store. I was intrigued (and a little spooked) by the cakes that had a Barbie doll stuck in the top, with her cake as the dress, and thus my username was born. While I’ve never considered myself an artist, I love pixel art and knew I wanted that for my emotes. So I taught myself how to draw them. I figured if I went square-by-square, I could eventually create what I imagined! My pixel emotes have expanded, and I love providing emotes in my community that people can use to express themselves in a way words can’t.
Over the years I’ve expanded from Twitch into other platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, BlueSky, and Discord. My thoughts are always running, and I get so many random ideas for videos that entertain me just by imagining them. Sometimes I bring those ideas to life, figuring if they make me laugh or feel something, there’s a good chance someone else out there will enjoy them too. I also love making videos about my experience with ADHD, or little life experiences in general, knowing someone out there may relate. As someone who watches YouTubers game as my biggest form of entertainment, I wanted to create my own version of that, infused with the humor and authenticity I’d want to watch.
What sets me apart is the mix of authenticity, humor, and creativity I bring. I’m not afraid to share the real parts of my journey, even the hard ones, and I try to “sweeten” people’s day in the process. My brand is playful, cake-themed, and nostalgic, but it’s also grounded in kindness and inclusivity. I’ve also found myself having fun with voices on stream, from narrating silly scenarios to slipping into characters, and people’s reactions have encouraged me to see how much I enjoy using my voice creatively.
What I’m most proud of is building a community that helped me raise money for a great non-profit, War Child. I did two different fundraising streams, each raising at least $1,000! War Child invited me to their live-streamed fundraising event in person, where I got to play Mario Kart with Patrick J. Adams, Troian Bellisario, and War Child founder Samantha Nutt! They actually presented me with a cake for being the first streamer to raise $1,000!
At the end of the day, my creative work isn’t just about playing video games. It’s about connection: being a little light in someone’s day, whether it’s through a stream, a video, or the community itself. And showing that even from your room, just being yourself, you can create something meaningful.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
This particular story is one I’m still living, and that’s working a day job while working toward my dreams. My goal is to make streaming, YouTubing, and content creation my career because it fulfills me and feels like the “dream job” I didn’t even know existed when I was little.
After the worker’s comp from my accident ran out, streaming alone wasn’t enough to sustain me. I had to get back to work, which meant five days a week at a job that doesn’t fulfill me, and compromising on my goals. I used to stream four days a week, but that turned into three with shorter streams, and sometimes cancellations when I’m too exhausted. Dealing with the public really drains me socially, and combined with being neurodivergent, I often don’t have the energy left to do what I love. Growing on Twitch often means socializing in other streams and communities too, but that can be just as draining for me, so I’ve had to find my own balance.
On my days off or non-stream nights, I do my best to keep moving toward what I really want. Once I realized that streaming on Twitch alone wouldn’t get me very far, I started sharing gaming clips on social media and creating short videos to grow. More recently, I’ve fallen in love with filming gaming playthroughs for YouTube, where I can edit in little jokes later and let my personality shine in a different way. Sadly, I don’t always have the time or energy to do these things as much as I’d like. I’m sure a lot of people can relate when all you want to do on the weekend is sleep and recover from the five-day work week.
As frustrating as this situation is, I continue to do what I can, when I can. Burnout is real, and I can be hard on myself when I don’t have the energy to create. Low viewership and engagement can sting too, especially when I’ve poured my time and heart into something. But my community reminds me to take care of myself and reassures me that they’ll be there no matter what. That support helps me keep going, even when balancing everything feels impossible.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I would say the most rewarding part is being myself and letting my interests and ideas be expressed. When that resonates with others, it feels really meaningful. I used to joke when I was younger that I wished “I could be paid to be myself.” In a way, this feels like working toward that. Playing video games, making little jokes and silly voices, and turning the random scenarios that pop into my brain into videos all feel natural to me. Over time, I’ve realized I’d love to pursue voice acting as well, since using my voice in creative ways is one of the things I enjoy most. And if there are people out there who enjoy it, that’s the best bonus I could ask for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/heydollcake
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heydollcake
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeyDollcake
- Other: https://www.twitch.tv/dollcake
@heydollcake
