Who?
Maybe Sarisa or maybe it is not but either way you can call me Rice, it’s my nickname.
I have a couple of nationalities but to simplify I am a Black Caribbean Lady from the lovely island of Saint-Martin.
I bring up a variety of topics, stream gameplay, sometimes art while having discussions mixed with personal stories or simply talk and make videos on the internet which people summarise in a few words as content creation.
Read further to learn more about me and how I got started with all this.
Why?
Looking for a space to exchange about different topics while still being a place where people could laugh and be respectful even when not taking everything seriously.
Watching content on Twitch that I enjoyed but not easily finding many Caribbean people with a heavy accent like mine or even tri/bilingual also pushed me to start a channel in order to share stories, knowledge and culture.
My straightforwardness can be too direct but it also permits for real conversations no matter the content made or the platform it is hosted on.
What?
The focus is on interaction so I am regularly streaming on Twitch where live discussions and communities are the base of the platform.
I focus on chill gameplay, various lifestyle videos accompanied by visiting and travel vlogs. My content is like a day at the beach without the sea, sand and sun but keeping all the fun where people can leisurely choose how they spend their time. I share all of this elegantly during my leisure time also known as free time on my blog and social platforms. I describe it as Elegant Leisure. You can see what I share regularly on my Youtube as well.
Where you’ve maybe seen me
How it started?
Back in the Caribbean, the Lady with beads is hanging peacefully on a wall.
Live streaming is a way to view in real time a painting taking form and see how much time it takes to bring an art piece to life.
I go by Maybe Sarisa because Sarisa is maybe not my name. I would like to keep some form of privacy so I don’t share my full name. I go by my nickname, Rice, as well as it is easier to remember and say.
I am from the island of Saint-Martin / Sint-Maarten located in the Caribbean and I have been painting since I was 7 years old. But if you listen to my parents I have been drawing even before then. I used to draw on the walls of our home when I ran out of paper. I got in trouble!
So I started drawing under the bed on the wooden frame and ran out of space. My mother found out. I got in trouble again!
She then asked a lovely lady who was a self taught artist if she could take me off her hands for an hour to paint because she had no other ideas to stop the drawing monster I was becoming. Luckily she agreed. I still believe that I wasn’t that bad though.
I left my island at 17 after graduating high school so I can study architecture in France. There was no possibility to major in that on my island. I quickly started less and less painting for 5 years due to various things that happened while studying and living abroad (teachers’ bad critiques, comparing myself to others, low confidence etc.).
After getting my diploma in architecture while applying to a new school to further my studies, I decided to go back to the activities that I love and try to stop self doubting everything. I started playing video games (I had also stopped games for 5 years to focus on my studies) and decided to try streaming on twitch since I am fond of the interactive live exchange. I loved it!
One day, while playing, someone in chat asked what were my hobbies and I started talking about painting. They suggested that I do some creative streams, that it could not hurt. I am super shy (even though on the outside it doesn’t look it) and very sensitive about my art so I was hesitant. Nevertheless, I missed making art just liked I missed playing video games. So I streamed one painting session. I loved it!
I was enjoying more and more making art while getting more and more confident about it. Even this website was the result of many people that found me on twitch interested in my art and encouraging me to showcase it. As I no longer paint as often, the website has since developed to include a blog and a way to contact me concerning my content online.
A big thank you to God, my close family, friends, my followers and subscribers for all the support and to all who visits this website.
It is never too late to start something you love again!