We recently connected with Tig3r (Jess) and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tig3r (Jess), thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Rewind to elementary school, to a young Tiger.
I loved watching the Disney channel and Saturday Morning cartoons. I would quote voice lines from start to finish and dreamed of being the characters on screen. Unfortunately, our family was not the most financially comfortable, living paycheck to paycheck, in subsidized housing, with little disposable income for my mom to put me in after school classes or clubs. I would soon forget my creative dreams and feed my imagination with books, television, sometimes puzzles and whatever toys my mother could get for me.
Once high school came around, mom was, for the most part, bedridden and was nearing the end of a toxic relationship. When she and her then boyfriend broke up, it was just Mom, me and my little brother (we have a 4 year gap between us). Most days I struggled to get us both up and ready to get to the school bus on time, on top of sometimes having to cook dinner and keep up with my studies.
It’s no surprise once the school counsellor started asking us “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I leaned towards a health care profession – those were always in demand, and I needed a guarantee I could get a job straight out of college, a fear imbedded in me from living in poverty – “veterinary technician” is what I answered at the time because of my love of animals but we’ll fast-forward to late 20s Jess. She is no longer a Veterinary Technician, still in healthcare though, handling pharmaceuticals instead.
When everyone was quarantined in March 2020, the isolation and cabin fever were making me hungry for social interaction, I may be introverted but people can be energizing in the right setting. I turned to streaming, adopting my gaming handle from early 2000s MMOs: TehTig3r.
It used to simply be Tig3r when I played Ragnarok Online in 2004 but the expansion of online gaming made Tig3r harder and harder to claim at launch. My littlest brother’s mispronunciation of The with Teh sparked the addition of the prefix (for context, he’s 19 years younger than me).
I play a lot of story-driven games with heavy amounts of dialogue, mainly because I love story telling through videogames, but also because I wanted to channel little elementary school Jess’ creative dream to be a character.
A few chatters asked if I thought of pursuing voice acting and that’s when the flame lit back up. I DID want to do that once upon a time didn’t I? I’m financially stable now, why not pursue that creative path? So I am!
I’ve been taking a number of Screen Acting classes, a couple Commercial Voice-Over classes and continuing to learn and grow while I wait for a callback

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started streaming on Twitch in February 2021.
My channel usually covers playthroughs of story-driven games but also promoting self-love, self-care and being kind to one another in a safe space.
I remind my chat daily that self-care is healthcare and that they are the most important person, always listen to your body and you never know what someone else is going through.
I utilize the platform to practice my voice-over but also meet new people with similar tastes in media.
Though I’m not a therapist, if I have the mental spoons to listen to my community’s hardships, sometimes I’ll receive a thank you to say I had a positive impact on their day and they are so glad I was willing to lend an ear. That also lifts my heart and makes me think I did in fact make a difference in the world today.
Additionally, I’ve been fundraising for the canadian cancer society twice a year and challenging myself to run in tandem with the campaigns

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal/mission driving my creative journey is being able to sign for a voice-over role, even if it’s for “Woman at Intersection #2”, then I’ll know my hard work paid off. Once I get there, I’ll have to find a new mission/goal!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

As someone who grew up with a creative that went that route directly and a creative that had a spark lit a lot later I can speak on both choices.
To the creative that went the route directly, ignoring the cookie-cut social norms in regards to having a career, I admire your courage to be freer to dedicate to the craft. You ran the risk of sizzling, burning out and struggling to get back on your feet but you do what you love and are contributing to cultural growth. Your words or works had a lot more time to make an impact in the world.
To the creative that started a little later in life, out of fear to be trapped in a financial vicious cycle. How are you doing? Are you able to feed your creative side and break free from your mundane day to day? How wild is it that by doing that [feed your creative side], you can gift something to your inner child? Maybe even refill your cup? Not sure what creative output to channel? Try different community based classes. Did you love it? Hate it? Can you contribute something to a craft or utilize a certain craft? What silly things would you do growing up? What hobbies stuck with you? These are all questions you can ask yourself on your journey to find it.
It took me a while to realize I can do something creative. We’re not at a chapter where we can quit our fulltime job (which I still find fulfilling sometimes!) but boy does it feel good after I’ve taken a workshop, gotten a request for a self-tape or received praise or appreciation from my audience.

Contact Info:

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tehtig3r261
• Other: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tehtig3r.bsky.social

  Twitch:
  https://twitch.tv/tehtig3r

Image Credits

Professional headshots by Alex Henkelman
https://www.alexhenkelmanphotography.com/

Selfies by myself on my streaming journey.