Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nick Hogan, also known in the creative spaces as Distal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Distal, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
It has taken me a long time to develop the confidence and self-esteem I have today. I’ve spent a lot of time hyping myself up, believing in myself, and being willing to take chances to prove my worth – not just to others but to myself. It’s what has helped me become the person I am today, and I believe I am worth the value in the things I want to do.
Content creation is filled with ‘imposter syndrome’ and the feeling of self-doubt, and that you ‘don’t always belong.’ Especially as you start to network with people you recognize who have been role models for your own work. It can be hard to believe you are now creating at the same levels as others you have spent time watching. Suddenly, you find yourself collaborating with people you respect – who are now your creative peers. It becomes surreal – but also makes you ask “Do I really belong here?” You do. And you can’t let that fear of ‘not belonging’ paralyze you or keep you from pushing yourself to keep being creative and improving because it can happen. Putting on your game face that says “Hey, I earned this” and moving forward is something you have to do – because it might feel false to start, you’ll soon learn that you really are worth the work you put in to be here.
On the opposite end – sometimes we fail at things. And that is okay. We all fail, every single person. Not everything we create, plan we make, or idea we have is an instant success. I have tried so many ideas in my life. And whenever something doesn’t work as planned, I try to figure out how to improve it. I never let it stop me from thinking that I am not good enough to have ideas. We learn from our mistakes – and try to improve them to make them better. But you also have to believe in what you create – and be willing to put value into it. If you don’t uplift your own work, you are already hurting it in the eyes of everyone else. SELL YOURSELF! Be proud of what you do, what you make, and of yourself – and people will already be excited to buy into you. And if something you do flops – talk to people about why, but don’t let that feedback discourage you. USE IT. Learn from it, make it better… and then SELL IT AGAIN! Because if you love what you do that much, you should keep a mentality to it that helps look for ways to best care for it and improve it.
You do have to put a lot of work into the trust of yourself that you are worthwhile. And you should value the paths you took to be who you are. Even if you feel like you are ‘faking it’ – keeping a face that shows you believe in yourself helps you learn that the face has really been earned. You are your worst critic – and you shouldn’t let that keep you from feeling like your contributions aren’t valued.
Content creation is not my primary career. I have been an emergency medical services provider, and currently perform community outreach on injury prevention for pediatric emergencies. People look at me for guidance, sometimes in critical and time-sensitive situations. I’ve been in situations that require immediate medical needs. I would be lying if I said I always felt confident – sometimes I don’t know what situation I might be put in. Sometimes I am scared of whether or not I will know what to do. But that doesn’t mean I can’t still provide help or assistance in some way. But what if I were to freeze and not trust in myself – my education, my training, my experience… What would happen? I have to believe in myself and try – because others are trusting in me to also try for them. In moments where it’s just me and the people I am helping, I am the only point of reference they have on if things will be okay. They are looking at me for guidance. And at the same time, it’s okay to not be sure if the guidance you are providing is exactly the right path – but for that moment, it is the right path we know in this moment. Be confident in that – and trust yourself to lead and shine.
I believe in myself. And I believe in my creativity. Because my creativity will reflect me, and if I am not confident in the work I create – it will be reflected to and felt by those I share it with. And that is not selling myself as the best creator I can be.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Distal, an avid gamer, founded “Distal’s Place” as a haven for like-minded TTRPG enthusiasts.
What began as his personal hobby of live-streaming video games grew into a diverse community where gamers, anime and comic lovers, cosplayers, and artists of all backgrounds converged to celebrate their shared passions.
“Distal’s Place” has become a beacon that interconnects communities, and fosters collaborations and unity within the TTRPG content creator landscape.
Distal’s vision is to bring forth the creative spirit of everyone in the community, and leave a lasting mark on the world of gaming and content creation.
His live-streaming community can be found on Twitch, along with his personal shortform content across all social media platforms under the screenname ‘distalsplace’.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first part of content creation was just discovering my own identity in my creativity. I’ve tried many things through my 10 years of live-streaming, but when I started to focus on the community aspects of gaming – and the chaotic nature of just having fun with friends – I found where my strength was. And that’s when people began to buy into me, because I felt like I knew where I also belonged in my journey.
The second big piece of knowledge is the “grind” – that feeling of being obsessed by follower counts, subscribers, and all the numbers that can confuse or overwhelm you. The rest of your content creation life will be spent watching those numbers – and they always move in all directions. Don’t worry. Set little goals. Set achievable goals. But also – just have fun. Don’t let the numbers stop you from trying things. In the end, when you are having fun and doing what you like, people enjoy what you are doing too – and watch, get inspired, and support you. Then you will see the real magic of the numbers. Until then – just find what is fun to YOU first.
Third – sell yourself. SELL YOURSELF! You are NEVER not good enough. If you like what you are doing, sell it. Tell others why. Don’t be scared. Do you think you are good enough to have a sponsorship? Try for it! What is the worst that happens? Ask for an interview. Network with that person who is a role model. But be willing to try and sell yourself that you are GOOD enough to try those things. Of course – be humble and respectful while selling yourself, but don’t be scared to try.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
During our content journey, we had a chance encounter while live-streaming with a well know TTRPG content creator named “OneShotQuesters.” At the current time in my content creation lifecycle with my community, we were still in our own stages of growth. We were enjoying what we were doing, but had yet to really understand the drive to really improve ourselves.
One night, OSQ stopped into our chat while working on some of his own content. And we became some of OSQ’s own content for a project he was working on because of our interaction.
In most cases, things would end there. But someone we looked up to had just stopped in to our own live-stream. There was NO WAY we would let me get away that easy. So we took the chance to reconnect and network. And to just say thank you.
We didn’t know that it was through that interaction, we would build a really great friendship. It would give me someone who had already walked the paths I was learning, and give me someone that I could bounce ideas off. It would give me someone who inspired me to push a little hard, to understand what it takes to really create at higher levels. He became my ‘rabbit’ of the content world, and I learned paths to follow by watching him. At the same time, he would ask me questions about community building – which was uplifting to me to know that someone I was excited to call a friend was also vested into how I do things to improve themselves. And that relationship with OSQ and his team is still something that means a lot to me, and really helped me believe in myself more – and push myself to try and be the best creator I can, even when I don’t always feel like I am worth it. He made me feel worth it.
Since then, I have met so many other role models I look up to in the TTRPG community, and we have made amazing bonds – but that drive to improve all started with just a chance encounter with OSQ.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.twitch.tv/distalsplace
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/distalsplace/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/distalsplace
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/distalsplace
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@distalsplace
