CT Plays: From Art Teacher to Full-Time Creator

After finishing art school, CT went straight into teaching, and for a while that was the plan, but somewhere in between lesson plans and art classes, something kept pulling him in a different direction.

He had loved games his whole life, especially as an art form. It was the kind of love that made him think about the themes, the artstyles, and the soundtracks long after he had finished a game. And while CT enjoyed teaching, that's not where his passion was.

CT's Aesthetic

The aesthetic that CT is known for is an accumulation of his favourite games growing up. The idea of turning himself into a PS2-era character and making that the face of his channel felt true to him. The 6th generation of gaming, like PS2, GameCube, Xbox, and Dreamcast, is his favourite era. It shaped how he thinks about games and what he loves about them. Using that visual identity was a statement about what his content would be and who it was for.

When I asked CT what his favourite games from that era are, he said:

Honestly it's so hard to pick just one, but Kingdom Hearts and Legend of Zelda are the two that stuck with me the most. I've been playing them for years and they're a big part of why I still love games and still love making stuff. They kind of remind me why I do this in the first place.

What Keeps CT Going

When he finally resigned from teaching and went all in on content creation, he committed to the whole thing fully. His entire approach was treating his videos with the same care and intention that developers put into the games he covers.That audience, who cares about every artistic detail in video games, found him, and in a year he grew to 70,000 followers across all platforms.

Going from art teacher to full-time gaming creator isn't an obvious path. Obviously, it comes with an immense risk compared to a stable teacher job, so there has to be a driving factor keeping CT going.

When I asked CT what keeps him going, he said:

My family, honestly. Wanting to support them keeps me going. But also I just love video games and making videos more than anything else I've ever done. Nothing else has matched how much I love this.

And one thing worth mentioning is that CT didn't risk his livelihood instantly to make content. He gradually transitioned from his job to content, and once he found his footing, that is when he committed.

It was gradual, not instant at all. I've been making videos for myself since I was like 8 years old. I always knew it would come down to practice and learning over time, I just didn't know exactly what that would look like. I was scared to actually start, but it really came down to taking the leap and refining as I went.

Turning Passion Into a Paycheck

CT's style is obviously very desirable. From the first second of his videos, he forces you to watch the entire thing. One day while scrolling on Instagram, he saw a video talking about Jestr, a platform that connects game studios and content creators, which piqued his interest. He decided to apply and shoot his shot.

To be honest, it was a no-brainer for the Jestr Team to accept him because his passion shows through every single aspect of his content. CT even got featured in April's Jestr's Choice Award, which is an award founded by the Jestr Team to celebrate creators who clearly put love into their content.

The Bigger Picture

If you should take anything away from this blog, it is that the love you put into your content will always show. People will see it, and will appreciate it. With enough time, you will build a fanbase that genuinely cares about everything you do because you cared.