Summer is for the Hobbies

Hello lovelies! In this episode of the chaotic cozy diaries, I talk about my summer through hobbing along through cozy games, finding my passion, and failing multiple times.

The Goal

My goal when I was coming off the 2025-2026 school year was to be the cozy gamer I wanted to be. I wanted to take the less than two months and really dive deep into my hobbies that I have been putting off during the school year. I wanted to grow and share with others what I was passionate about.

The Hobbies:

The cozy hobbies included things like posting on tik tok, getting my blog in better shape, and reading books. It was a great plan, I even had books ready to read... a TBR as long as the summer was.

Update I have added youtube to my many hobbies!

Add a Little Spice

Little did I know that my workaholic self would change these cozy hobbies into a chaos full of learning experiences and challenges.

Tik Tok:

Started out as just posting about my life, the games I was enjoying, and just little snippets of my life. Then I was intentional being consistent with my posting and looking at the data that came with it. Yet, I started making content I really enjoyed! Sharing my love of horse games and the streaming the cozy games I was playing started opening doors for me. Doors that I thought I would never be able to open, I have gotten an email from a horse game creator to share their game content and get a beta code to play their game. Streaming still scares me to no end, because I don't like seeing myself on the camera! One thing Tik Tok has taught me is that I cannot compare myself to others, which is something I have struggled with since I was a teenager. Why couldn't I keep the followers that everyone else had?

Once these thoughts started happening I took a step back and reminded myself that progress is slow. Since then I have steadily gained followers and have been posting more of my gameplay. This took the pressure off of looking at myself in the camera, and I was having way more fun sharing my games.

I started streaming on Tik Tok a couple of months ago, and I still struggle with this. One my computer will not allow me to use an animated avatar. Secondly, Tik Tok Studio takes so much away from my CPU. This causes my stream to lose it's quality and it doesn't look as crisp as it could. Lastly, since I compare myself to others I was constantly looking at the numbers. I would be upset that I wasn't making any traction and it felt like I had to be hyped all the time. That's just not the person I am... I have a major RBF face.

Tips for new users:

1. Create authentic content.

2. Be yourself. Be silly. Be serious. Be whatever you're trying to achieve.

3. Don't compare yourself. Growth is growth, no matter how slow.

4. Find your people. The Cozy Creator Clubhouse has gotten through quitting multiple times!!

5. Find what you're passionate about posting.

Blogging

I have loved writing since I was in second grade and told I could write creatively! I have tried blogging before and it never stuck. Once again, comparison killed my dream and I just didn't think I was good enough to share my thoughts with others. "Who cares what I have to say?," is something I would think on loop. Yet, this time around I felt like the blog isn't just for others, but for me. For me to share my thoughts aloud. For me to show people they are not alone in struggles, and for me to share games that I enjoy and why. It was like a shift for me this time, I just wanted to write. Write out my recent health problems with my gallbladder, write out my feelings about being betrayed by another best friend, and write about the games I am playing.

It wasn't easy though, blogging can be so difficult. Especially when I have so many ideas or my brain is just too tired from the day to compose a whole written piece. Sometimes I almost gave up, but I challenged myself to reach 10 blog post! Ten blog post about gaming or life things, and I recently reached this goal!! I am still moving at what feels like a turtle's pace, but I am still trying!

Tips:

1. Prepare to learn how to design.

2. Canva or any program like that is your best friend.

3. No AI- Google won't push you out.

4. Write, write, write.

5. Reach 10 blog posts and set new goals. (Mine is 20 blog posts).

YouTube

This one is still pretty fresh on my mind! I am making shorts and streaming currently. Yet, YouTube is so much more than that! I have to create thumbnails, banners, engaging shorts, and videos. Streaming is so much more comfortable here. There is no pressure to have the most views, receive the most gifts, or reach certain live goals. It is just me and my community as I play games, and I feel like myself the most here. I'm not staring at the people who are watching. The community is full of different people, who don't see my videos on TikTok. People call me a bot player and I'm ok with that ( I don't claim to be pro). It feels like the restrictions to be performative are not there and I am really enjoying myself.

Tips:

1. Be prepared to create, create, create. (Videos, Thumbnails, and Trailers)

2. Enjoy the process.

3. Start Posting Shorts

4. Canva helps making thumbnails.

5. Be consistent with images!

In the end, it is all about learning and finding yourself through the progress. I never thought I would be creating content for others, so my biggest advice is to try it! Find your community of people who are going to support you! I am going to attach my beacons, there is a link for The Cozy Creator Clubhouse, come join us, we will support you on this journey!!

As always be chaotic, be cozy, be you,

restoringhope5

https://beacons.ai/restoringhope5