We recently connected with Thia The Bard and have shared our conversation below.

Thia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I have worked on was Real Women of Gaming’s To Hell and Back…For Charity event last year.
To Hell and Back…For Charity is our biggest event of the year. Last year it was 12 days long and we chose to partner with the Alzheimer’s Association. This was important to me becuase of my grandmother. She moved in with my family when I was in middle school. I became one of her main caregivers as my mom had epilepsy (limiting what she could do, particularly with sundowning and nighttime difficulties,) my dad worked full time, and my younger brother was even younger than myself. So I tried my best to step up. It was awful to watch the disease killing her. It was also very difficult to understand as a kid.
So partnering with an organization that not only puts money toward finding a cure but toward helping the community and caregivers was very special to me. I was very alone trying to take care of my grandmother but this was a way for me to help others not feel like that.
I learned how to make a majority of our graphics for the event. I wrote all of the announcement and update articles leading up to it. I also wrote the wrap up article. I was in as many streams as possible helping spread information about the disease and the organization.
It was a lot of hard work. It was emotionally difficult to do, to talk about the disease which killed my grandmother in front of me and very much changed the course of my childhood. However, it was worth it. We helped spread awareness. We helped raise funds. We helped our own community to not feel so alone, as many of us have lost loved ones. It felt like I really gave what I needed but didn’t have all of those years ago to others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I would list myself as a content writer first and foremost.

I have wanted to be a writer since I was 12 years old. I loved that stories helped give people a place to escape to. A way to learn about other people and places. I wrote as much as I could and even had a writing group with friends growing up. It has always been difficult to write, and sometimes I thought I would never have anything published as I am dyslexic. A lot of people tell you that you are too stupid or to make your dreams smaller when you have dyslexia. Unlearning that is flustering work but worth it. Finding people to support you will help out greatly. (Shout out to Real Women of Gaming’s amazing team of editors who help me to be more confident about writing.)

When I started to work at a Library as an adult the director asked me if I wanted to write book reviews. It was different from what I had been doing but I believe that learning new aspects of something you love will always serve you well. So I started to write book reviews for their site.

I was invited to join Real Women of Gaming shortly after and became one of our content writers. I write a lot of reviews and am starting to challenge myself to write some more opinion pieces now. I also write articles to announce projects we have coming up and if there are opportunities for folks outside of our members to help with these events. It is important for there to be information on how these events went so I write wrap up articles about them as well.

I am very grateful that I am able to continue to challenge myself by producing written content for Real Women of Gaming. I help us keep people informed about what we do. I, also, get to express my opinions on different forms of media in a way that I am more comfortable with. I don’t always like to be on camera but I am happy to share my thoughts and feelings via an article. It is important to us at Real Women of Gaming that we have spaces for everyone. Not all people want to watch Twitch. So our written articles provide something for them that we did not always have. Everyone’s voice matters and if I can help someone gain confidence to share their thoughts on a topic or piece of media then that makes me happy.

At Real Women of Gaming we are very focused on being a safe space. A corner of the world that is where all kinds of people can gather. I hope that my writing has helped to diversify us so that we can reach more people. Also that it helps get the word out about our charity events. It is a privilege that we are able to do what we do.

As for Social Media I am very new to that game. Creating graphics and helping where I can has been a big challenge for me. I am finding it to be fulfilling and I love to learn new skills. I am happy to be able to help get information out about what the amazing people I work with are doing. To highlight their personalities in the graphics for their stream announcements. They work so hard and are so entertaining to watch so I want them to succeed.
I am so proud of my progress so far since taking on more last year in regards to social media. I am excited to put what I have learned into our projects this year and to continue to get better.
https://realwomenofgaming.com/author/thiathebard/ (my articles on the Real Women of Gaming site)

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson that I have had to unlearn is that success looks the same for everyone.
This has been an ongoing lesson for me. I think growing up we are given a very specific version of what success in certain fields looks like. We are told that is the only way to “make it.”

For example I really thought the only way you could be a writer was to be a novelist. Even in recent years I have been uncomfortable calling myself a writer despite how much I have written. I really was convinced I could not be a writer until I have a published (and on a best selling list) novel.

While that is a wonderful goal it is not the only way to be a successful writer.

I am a writer. I write multiple articles every month. These articles are published. People I have never met read them. That is success. Not giving up is success. Continuing to learn, grow and sharpen my skills as a writer is success.

I am a writer and a successful one at that so long as I continue to write.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that I get to share part of myself with others.

I am an extremely shy person. Speaking in front of groups gives me a lot of anxiety. However I do still have thoughts and feelings that I want to share.

Through writing I am able to do this in a way that is more comfortable for me. I can give my voice a place to go. I can share myself more freely then trying to speak over a group. I am able to take the time to formulate my answers and opinions. We all want to be understood. To be, to at least some extent, known.

Writing is my way to do that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://realwomenofgaming.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/realwomenofgaming
• Other: Bluesky: @thiathebard.bsky.social
  Tumblr: (Real Women of Gaming) https://www.tumblr.com/realwomenofgaming
  (My personal Tumblr) https://www.tumblr.com/briethebloofercryptid

Image Credits

In the group picture
Source: Real Women of Gaming