Check Out Krystal Caldwell’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Krystal Caldwell

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in a small country town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I grew up playing video games, sports and being in the arts all throughout my childhood. At 19 I was cast in the traveling theatre show of My Little Pony Live! And then I went on to do Sesame Street Live as a professional dancer and puppeteer. My time as a professional dancer took me all over the country and also the world which was amazing. I did promotion work with radio, print and tv station as a live spokesperson during my time with these shows. The memories and lessons I got from those experiences are invaluable and I will carry them forever. After touring, my best friend who I met on tour, told me of her plans to move to LA to further her professional dancing career. I had nothing to do after tour and asked to join her. I was only suppose to be in Los Angeles for 6 months to “check it out” and 6 months turned into over 15 years as I fell in love with the city. I have gotten to do so many things here including small webisode roles, national commercials, some martial arts and theatre work. One thing I got to connect back with while living here in Los Angeles is playing video games again. This is going to sound funny but I remember reading a comment from Lady Gaga on Twitter about playing a game called Bayonetta. I don’t know what prompted me to do this but I went to my local game shop and asked for the game. They had it and I took it home. That was all it took! My passion for gaming was reignited as I finished the whole game in one sitting. Thank you Lady Gaga! I started buying games again and playing a lot after work. Then Bayonetta 3 was set to be released and I thought, what if I stream myself playing it? I was looking for another creative outlet to get into. I knew nothing of the gaming or streaming world but I got a mini pc for cheap and ran it off my tv. I created my streamer name in honor of the game that got me back into playing video games again. KayonettaMaat was born. I streamed the game but it was a mess. The audio was off and the game stuttered on stream but despite the technical difficulties, I had so much fun and a few people actually joined in to watch me play! Janky stream and all! That was it! The streaming bug bit me and I started learning about streaming and how to improve. I upgraded my set up and built a computer for streaming. I wanted to create a space for older black women, women of color and lgbtqia+ to pick gaming back up or try gaming in general. Now, I’m not old but gaming can be intimidating now a days if you are just getting into it especially for women and lgbtqia+ people. I encourage everyone to play! One thing that is proudly on my streaming page is that I play on easy mode. I play for fun. I play for the vibes. Some video games have the best stories and I want everyone to feel welcome to get back into or try gaming to see these beautiful stories. If you don’t want to actually play, I encourage everyone to find a great streamer to watch. Seriously, some of the story lines in these video games are so beautifully written. From quiet cozy streamers to spooky horror streamers to loud crazy streamers like myself, there is room for everyone and that is why I enjoy it so much. Starting to build an online community has been so much fun and unexpectedly rewarding.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been super smooth along the way. It was really hard to find time or get inspiration to be creative when I was at my previous job. It was a super stressful and time consuming position that actually put a serious strain on my mental and physical health. Shout out to my amazing therapist, doctors, irl friends and online community for getting me back in a good place. It could have been life threatening. I will never let a job put me in that position again. It’s not worth it. In the black community I feel there is a big stigma around mental health help. Get a therapist ya’ll! It will change your life.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a video game streamer. I play a variety of games. My streamer name is KayonettaMaat and you can find me on Twitch. If I don’t know what to play, I will default back to my favorite game Bayonetta with the second being my favorite so I’ll probably play that. I’m known for being loud and bubbly. Think princess voice with the mouth of a sailor. My streams are 18+ as I don’t want to have to control what I say. I’m so proud of myself for figuring out how to stream and get my channel off the ground. I have a small group that I’m starting to grow and I’m proud of that. Creating a community where people can come and be themselves is my goal. With that being said I am protective of my community and do not tolerate people being rude. I know my community has my back as well as they will tell me when they think a bot or scammer is in chat. I appreciate it!

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
A big lesson I have and am still learning is to trust my intuition and take care of myself. I shouldn’t try to force things to work if they clearly aren’t working. There is a difference between grinding it out for a gain and forcing something that is never going to produce anything. Life is short. Trust yourself. What is for you is for you and what is not is not. If you try to keep what is not for you you’ll miss what is. Does that make sense? Also, ask for help when you need it. I have a lot of pride and I had to learn I can’t do everything alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://twitch.tv/kayonettamaat
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayonettamaat?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Twitter: https://bsky.app/profile/kayonettamaat.bsky.social
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kayonettamaat?_t=ZP-8uzxS1xRf9L&_r=1