Twitch has so far catered to the gaming audience with most of its publishers live-streaming gameplays to millions of viewers around the world. The video sharing platform, however, is keen on expanding its audience by introducing a new genre for live broadcast: people working on art.
Twitch's gaming focus did not emerge on day one. When it was founded as Justin.TV, it was a broadcast platform for just about everything from nature to sports video streaming. The creative team only began to shift towards gaming when it became its most popular genre. The same idea underpins the introduction of Twitch for artists.
"A couple years ago I started to notice a new type of stream happening," Bill Moorier, head of Twitch Creative, told the Verge. "People were not just doing game-related art anymore. It was everything from Photoshop to really traditional oil and watercolor, even glass blowing and sculpture."
To jump-start the new creative category, Twitch has created a dedicated directory called Twitch Creative. Twitch's home page will also feature a new Creative tab, which is linked to the Twitch Creative section. "We encourage you to broadcast your creative process on Twitch, be that visual art, woodworking, costume creation, prop building, music composition, or any other process in which you entertain and connect around a creative activity," the company said in an official statement.
Currently, Bob Ross' "Joy of Painting" marathon is airing, running for more than eight days. Other broadcasts include artist streaming 2D drawings, photo retouchings and nail art, among others.
