I can't tell you how much I appreciate your honesty. I feel like such a poor example for a witch: Every time my stress of day to day (work, grad school, family, "obligations") the two things that are immediately neglected are my music practice and my Craft. But then I have those moments where I watch WitchTube as I get ready in the morning or flip through witchy Instagram posts for 5 minutes to feel more connected and instead I berate myself for not making time for it-for me really.
Thank you so much for talking about this, I think it's one of those things that can make us feel really isolated. This is a huge part of the reason I stepped back from UA-cam. It was an unintentional decision, I just sort of just couldn't face turning on the camera again. Since then my practice has felt like my own in a way it didn't before. It's tough to go back and likely lose some of that. I've felt it again in the last few months as I've upped my Insta game. I'm grappling with the "secret" of balancing online presence and joy... in the meantime conversations like this are insanely valuable! Congrats on being done with (what I assume is) the toughest part of your book project. I look forward to picking it up 😊 xx
Glad to see you're still alive and witching. Obviously you don't need my validation, but totally keep your practice your own if it's more valuable to you that way. But yeah, glad to see nothing tragic has befallen you that caused the stop in uploads!
Owlvine Green Thank you! And yes-focusing on Instagram takes so much energy, and I just don’t have it anymore. UA-cam feels more natural-maybe since I’ve been here for so long, way before I was ever writing books. But it all really does *do* something to one’s practice, and I don’t like it.
Congratulations on your book! I can't wait to read it. I'm about to step away from social media myself actually, it's so incredibly draining. I enjoy UA-cam and IG, but I'm on Facebook the most part for marketing reasons. It's definitely grown more toxic this year and I cannot handle the level of misinformation during this election. I know I could just scroll past and unfollow people, I'm just so taken aback at the amount of misinformation that's allowed, and it's causing this country some major issues right now. :(
Keely Stewart Not being on Facebook is huge. I feel like I dodged a bullet. I’ve got the author page just reblogging whatever I post on Instagram, but I don’t interact with it and don’t have a personal page at all! I can’t name a single friend who hasn’t complained of a toxic relationship with the platform and a desire to just get off.
So you ask about internet experience, in the early 90's when my practice was young, the internet seemed to me to be the land of magic itself, an actual kind of place where imagination was the rule and it really helped me live within images and strengthen my relationship with words which was already pretty good. I was a part of a writing circle and several chat room role playing games where I found I could pull off real rituals with a little imagination and willing partners... but, it also did a lot of ego boosting and that lead to several mistakes and burnout and I backed out. Overall it was a great experience but like all of them, it was... "seasonal". In the early 2000's, deaths in my family had me feeling kind of disconnected from a great source of.. I want to say, warmth and comfort and I jumped back online and found myself in an email circle of people who really knew what they were doing magically. Many were unknown but adept at what they did and some were actually well known in certain circles and I found myself welcomed with open arms and what I learned during that period was explosive and brilliant and it seemed like a day didn't go by when I wasn't jumping to a new level of understanding and awareness. However, some of the elders of that group passed away... and trolls found their way in... and flame wars started and that season ended as well... although I still have great friendships with many people from those days... thing about those friendships though is.. when you drift into a circle where everyone agrees with you on everything and has the same ideas that you do... it doesn't really spark a lot of evolution it's nice but it isn't really engaging.. and I drifted back from an online life again except of course for just keeping in touch with loved ones. Around that time any sort of magical group activity in my little area of the world pretty much dried up as well. Last year I realized that I hadn't participated in any sort of group activity in about ten years. That wasn't a bad thing. Group activity has it's negatives and positives and I just wasn't in the mood for dealing with the negatives for a really long time.. however, in that ten years I made what I believe is some tremendous progress and... I really didn't have anyone to talk to about it so, I decided to go back online and look for magical people to chat with. I also found and started going into my local witchy supply store to buy supplies in the hopes of starting up conversations.. but before any of that yielded any fruit... Covid hit... and.. left me with pretty much only the online option. Furthermore... I lost my job and started thinking about Tarot reading as a way to get by while competing for work with thirty million other people and... that has put me sort of in a spot you are talking about. Making money vs making friends. I'm not very good at self promotion... and... I have to say.... while I see that there are nice smart people out there... they are so popular that getting to know them seems unlikely and there are soooooooo many people who are focused entirely on impulse rather than a real understanding of anything that... it's just hard to have a conversation and express an opinion without pissing people off. But... haven't given up yet... until I get a job at least, I've got the time.
@@fernthurman5172 Thanks Imogen. I also thought about spending some of this extra spare time writing and like Thorn says in the Video, I didn't want to write about stuff that's already out there... so I decided.. maybe I would just write stories about how my practice got to where it is because, it's ideas in action rather than just the same old rituals on paper again... as a result I'm kind of reflective these days ha ha ha
i'm excited for your second book, it is much needed as i feel like i'm on a little mini-sabbatical at the moment. my coven area is a hotspot for covid, and i'm not about to traipse halfway across the state during the pandemic. i try to keep up with little workings on my own, but its not the same and i can feel my enthusiasm for all things spiritual draining away as the months drag on. also kind of hating the internet at the moment, though it has nothing to do with marketing. i really think its just a shit time all around, and we just need to trundle forward and get through it.
Congrats for being out of book jail, and looking forward to reading it! So exciting! Sounds like a really valuable topic and there is a hallowed spot ready on my shelf for when it comes out :) On the things you share about social media, I relate so much to a lot of what you've said, and share many of your misgivings. When you scroll endlessly it feels like you're doing it wrong if you're not self promoting constantly. I think your content shines and some of us (definitely me) want this sense of genuine community and exploration, not that nagging guilt or imposter syndrome that is present in other social media communities but it feels particularly weird and icky when it crosses over into the pagan domain. I feel like I could or should be writing more blogs, making more videos, making more art... but am exhausted from full time work, my other committments, and then paralysed by not wanting to 'market' myself when I finally do make something. It's tricky thats for sure. Thank you :)
I for one always appreciate that same down to earth-ness in your videos that I do in Thorn's. Both of you seem very approachable in that way. Would I mind seeing more content, of course not! But what you do now is enough and really inspiring.
If it matters, to me, I find that fact you're not a "full-time witch" inspiring. I see you and think "hey, I can be really practiced and well-versed AND have it not be my entire life." Thanks for your videos!
Your candor is amazing and I always look forward to your videos. I am a crappy marketer (hate it) but I have found the pressure is less when I separate my “regular” self from my business/witchy self by focusing differently on my business page vs my personal page. These still overlap a lot because I am a witch to the bone, but identifying some things as work and others as my own personal nerdy bullshit (mostly dogs and gardening and politics) allows me to escape the need to constantly market or look for opportunities to promote my work. ❤️
I really appreciate your videos talking about not devoting your total time and energy to marketing. We're told too much that our hobbies and creative outlets have to monetized or else we aren't "living an authentic life" or some bs. Let me have my day job to pay for stuff and my creative outlets for just me to enjoy.
I had to take a break from social media and youtube this year, i started a tarot instagram and posted consistently for 80 days and i noticed my phone time went up so much as well, i was averaging about 4/5 hours daily too, constantly checking to see how many likes i got. I didn't even get any clients from instagram. I bought loads of decks after only using RWS for years as everyone else had multiple decks and felt inadequate as a reader. When i took a break for a month, i read 4 books, felt calmer, and never even touched those other decks and got booked for a few private readings from my own IRL connections. The pressure to make my spirituality a business and post consistently has tainted it for me and its took the pleasure and passion out of it, ITS LIKE YOU READ MY MIND! You really are a witch Thorn! I read a book called Digital Minimalism and it's really changed my outlook on our relationship with social media and tech in general, check it out if you get a chance!
Sean R ooo that sounds good! I’ll look for it! Yes, I’ve noticed that there’s a correlation between the amount of time I spend on Instagram and the money I spend. And that’s what social media is *really* for.
On social media, you are the product for advertisers nowadays. I love hearing you talk about early UA-cam. When I was growing up, UA-cam was already on track to becoming what it is now. Ads were introduced in my teen years, and people's videos were becoming more and more refined with higher production value. I watched ring lights come into style, ads double up and become un-skippable... And UA-cam got bought by Google and made deals with other media companies, driving it to become more and more like a combination television/streaming service/educational video library controlled by corporations and ad revenue. It is harder for people around my age (early 20's) and ESPECIALLY teenagers now to have healthy relationships with social media. I went to school for film, and even in a supposedly "un-edited" video the person capturing it has to make two editorial cut decisions: When to start the shot, and when to finish the shot. And every edit, even if it's just the bare minimum of the two "cuts" is a choice that manipulates the viewer. But nowadays, specialized editing tools are designed for the average consumer. Teenagers know exactly how to pose to look thin, and how to crop, color-correct, and manipulate their images. Even videos that purport to be sincere, like the famous UA-camr "apology videos" are carefully composed to evoke sympathy, from the washed out de-saturated color, post-cry, zero or ruined makeup, and messy hair... It is a conscious decision to appear on camera that way for people who regularly conventionally edit their videos. Even if they appear unedited, every conscious choice to not edit IS an editing choice. It doesn't necessarily mean all content is lies, fabricated, or disingenuous... But knowing what I know, I can tell when lots of people are disingenuous, trying to sell/self-promote, or projecting a false image. It doesn't spoil the content for me, but I end up breaking down the motive behind every choice. The best lesson for us to learn is when to power down or walk away.
Congratulations on finishing your manuscript and being out of book jail! I know exactly what you mean about social media. It's fun until it's not and then I have to take a break so it doesn't run me down. It's hard to know where that line is sometimes, though.
I also loved the candle video. I can’t find the silicone molds anywhere! Anyway, I binged all of your videos (yup 10 years worth) at the beginning of shut down in March. I wish UA-cam would go back to that. I don’t have a community and now that most people on social media are promoting something, it is difficult to make those friendships. I just really love the fact that you keep it real!
Shannan McCleese I’ll look for them! I haven’t bought molds in ages. Yes, that’s been my experience too! I respect folks who need to market themselves-I do too-but I *do* miss that feeling that we were all just hanging out.
Congrats on finishing the book! I can't wait to read it. :) You bring up some great points about UA-cam. There's a ton of pressure to make videos and content that look a certain way and that really takes the fun out of it sometimes. It's definitely a double edged sword. Feel free to send me an email if you want to zoom sometime about marketing or if you just want to chat. :)
Just found this channel and actually sad that I had not been pointed in your direction already. All your videos thus far have been both reassuring and motivational. My own path has seemed similar to a lot of the stuff you're talking about and I just love your overall tone here. Much love.
@@drawingKenaz You didn't come across as goofy to me. You came across as real. I enjoy your videos because you AREN'T trying to impress people. You are just you and that is refreshing.
Social media can be a headache. It's such a struggle - I'm not someone who makes my income off being online (thank the gods for that) but I could totally see it as stressful. It's honestly one of the reasons I'm kind of leaning to "typical" jobs - it's secure and it doesn't put me up against all my friends/make me try to sell to them online... Well, at least not in the same way. It seems everyone struggles with social media so if you find a good answer - I'd also love to hear about it for a friend haha
Hi Thorn! So I wanted to drop in and say that I'm a baby Witch from a pretty conservative mostly Christian town, and the only book available in my library on witchcraft was Traditional Wicca, and I just wanted to tell you amazing it was, and I am really grateful for all the information I have gained about Wicca, so thank you!
Thank you, Kay! I'm so glad to hear that! But I hope your library can get some more variety soon! There are lots of other perspectives out there. I hope you're finding lots of good stuff on UA-cam, too!
I feel like sometimes as crafters, we are expected nowadays to find a way to make that craft a "side hustle". Example, I love to cross stitch. When people find that out, suddenly everyone wants me to do things for them. It sometimes makes in very un-enjoyable. Love your videos & am about to read your book
Feeling you so deeply on these reflections. Social media also always kinds of makes me feel shitty, but it feels like a double edged sword because it's how I make my money. Such a good point about refueling. Miss you!!
Congratulations on finishing the (initial?) writing of your second book. I can easily understand the need/desire to pull away from social media. I agree that it now often almost seems designed to cause people to feel as if they are lacking if they are not doing things "this" or "that" way. I hope that you are able to find the balance that works best for you. I enjoy watching your videos, perhaps most especially your less planned ones. I believe that you are honest in your opinions without being judgmental in a negative sense. Thank you for that. Abundant blessings to you and yours. 😊
Well said! It’s really tough when you are an artist, writer, musician etc. I had to step back a bit with my art posts on social media, because I was becoming more preoccupied by trying to promote my work, instead of just enjoying the process of creating, and enjoying what interactions I had on there. Balance is definitely difficult. As an artist / witch who sells their work, I like getting a broader audience (it definitely helps pay the bills) but that can’t be the sole reason. What’s been helping me , is limiting my time on the Internet more than I have been in the past. Been dedicating a little more time to reading the new books I ordered, and working on new projects. Meditation has been a big help. Great video! Thanks for the honesty!
I appreciate this video so much! I thank you for sharing this!! I love how honest, insightful, and real you are. Take the time you need. I am new to creating on UA-cam so i don’t feel that struggle yet. I am just sharing my views and opinions with my channel. Blessings!
I second the candle making vid. I loved it. But I just want to hop on and say that I wonder how much of your insecurities/uncomfortable feelings/whatever you want to call them are rooted not in your perceived inadequacy (e.g. I’m not doing enough) but in your staunch integrity. I’m one of your patrons, too, so I really feel like I know you, and I have to say that you are a pure soul and maybe even “too pure” for this (social media) world. I mean it’s your incredibly high standards that make a third book less of an eventuality and more of a possibility. You care so much about the quality of what you offer, and I see so much generosity and selflessness in that. So, I think you’re doing just enough, and I’m inspired by your experiment of doing less online.
Your next project: "From 'Teen Witch' to Traditional Wicca: One Witch's Story". You've unabashedley shared some of your growing pains inside witchcraft over the years, offering the grounded personal perspective as well as the academic point of view. You might consider summarizing some of those cringey moments from your old BoS. As for marketing, it's definitely a keystone for the next generation. Basically all the students that cross my path are busy selling themselves online, to one degree or another. Everyone's doing selfies, practicing poses or dances, and monitoring their online presence. Followers and likes are more important than class work. And these are the casuals. The growing number who are convinced they can make a career as an influencer (which seems to be less and less about influencing and more about taking orders from your fanbase) are aggressive about their online presence, disrupting class and irritating the people around them. As you said, UA-cam looked way different a decade ago. I was so impressed with the conversations occurring. It was like being able to sit in on the correspondence exchanged by great thinkers during the time of snail mail. (I wish I had been able to bring myself to participate.) Today, people live and breathe the marketing drive, and it comes as naturally to the younger generation as email and Google searches comes to us, and as natural as, I don't know, churning butter comes to our parents. *tongue in cheek* I just wonder if all those likes provides the same enchantment as we experienced following a conversation thread between two, or a dozen, folk for sometimes even weeks at a time. Or maybe I'm old and I just can't get with the times. *cue tiny violin*
I totally understand how you view youtube. It is really cool how you view it. I really enjoy your videos because you make me think too, I question myself about certain things you pointed and see whether we have same opinion.
I definitely think being on social media too much can be damaging to your psyche. I like to do this thing where I log out of accounts when I’m done to kind of prevent myself from staying on it all day long. Instagram, especially. I also deleted other apps from my phone and try to minimize the extent to which I’m on my phone which is kind of tough. I work in social media marketing and I think it can be both a great and terrible thing. It’s certainly a mixed bag.
I can definitely feel you on the struggle to not have social media start subsuming everything. Balancing UA-cam social media and real life obligations has started to be a struggle for me, but ultimately real life is always going to win. Initially when I started earlier this year it was just a fun thing, a teaching tool that people in my Trad and the occasional internet stranger could use for their herbcraft work. But now that the weather has turned and my kids are in (virtual) school I'm finding it hard to just casually throw a video together because the whim strikes me- for example right now I'm planning to make a video about a tea blend I've made for Mabon but my younger child is using that space for chorus class online (which tbh I'd rather listen to them sing than make a video right now anyway). I've never had an interest in slick video editing and I absolutely refuse to put anything more than the barest effort into "marketing". I never had any interest in money or "fame" whatever that means, I just figured that I'd put some of my learned experience out there and the people who needed it would find it? But now that people have found me, and I'm getting requests for stuff, it's starting to feel less fun and more of an obligation. It's taking a lot of self-reflection to keep myself in the right balance.
I think you spoke about this very well. Other than my UA-cam account as a viewer, not as a content creator, and the little bit that I participate on NextDoor for my neighborhood, I'm not on social media anymore (left Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ about 4 years ago)... and I feel so much better and have so much more time and energy for other things.
I actually journaled about this because of your last video on "professional witchcraft". Funny how you are now asking the questions your video raised in me last time. I've been off of social media for a while and have just begun to come back to it. I'm an artist who makes pagan art and have a blog about (amongst other things) witchcraft. I find it very hard to navigate as well, I want to find community, I want to share knowledge and insights beyond the "basics" so to speak. But there are so many voices out there, it is hard to be seen or heard, and therefore hard to make new connections. I did find that the things that I made in my time off of social media, were much more profound, much more personal and empowered than anything I'd made in a long while. That was an eye opener for me. To make things for me again, instead of focussing if something is "likeable" or "shareable". So unfortunately, I don't have any answers for you, except that I, and many with me, especially appreciate that your channel is more about connection and your personal thoughts and path.
You're so amazing dear heart. New moon blessings to you and your family, and coven. Infinite blessings and love. Can't wait to read your next book! 🌛⭐🌜
Your next book sounds so interesting. I cannot wait to pre-order it. I love your rambling videos. 😊 I left FB in 2016. I joined Insta earlier this year. I do not miss FB at all. And I am thinking about leaving Insta. Back in the yahoo group days and various other message boards, I used those sites to find other witchy folk and build relationships. I was hoping FB and Insta and even YT would be similar and I am finding they are not. So I have been backing away from them again. There is so much harshness in the world and I need a break from it. I feel a longing though to find kindred souls again. I do not have hardly any witchy people in my life. After years of therapy, I realized the people I had surrounded myself with were not good for me. So now, in the age of covid, I am feeling that longing again and trying to figure out how to build this relationships without using YT or Insta too much. Lol
Nica Tee This has been largely my experience too! I go through phases where I feel like I need to connect, and by then the online platforms have changed so much. It’s easier in some ways, and much harder I’m others.
@@drawingKenaz I hope we are both able to find that good balance. Once we are able to mingle in groups again I am going to start a new search for like minded folks. Thanks again for sharing your wisdom with the world here. And thank you for replying. 😊
Hey Thorn! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I was talking about how to manage my social media with my therapist just the other day, in that I come to them to find inspiration and challenging ideas and often end up not being able to share my content in a way that is beneficial to my grouth - feeling like nobody gives a shit about my writing or art because I don’t fake or market it “well enough”. But OMG the pressure I get from trying to sell myself! Anyways, just some thoughts over a beer, no solution so far, but I decided to stop putting out content for a while and just find one thing on the tube that is worth writing about in my diary. I always appreciate your down to earth chats, good food for thoughts! :)
Also the line between what is 'personal' and what is 'public' is hard for me, and I find myself thinking about how I can monetize so much of my creativity, ahhhhhh.
A couple years ago we shared a cabin at a gathering and I never met a person I just watched off the internet before so I got a little weird, my bad, but I was pretty excited to meet you. Your book was about to come out and I guessed you were invited to talk about it and I noticed you spent a lot of time on your phone while everyone was sitting around chatting. I thought, “Damn she really doesn’t want to be here,” but after watching this video, maybe you were doing stuff to promote your book...Or maybe you just really didn’t want to be there, lol. For what it’s worth, you were fun when you weren’t on your phone! P.S. My crazy ass former high priestess kept saying you were constantly trying to seek her approval and I had no idea what the fuck she was talking about. That shit show of an outer court group was a whole fucking story in and of itself that I’m hoping to upload on my channel soon.
Thorn, this is not just your fault for feeling that way. If you have the chance, please watch The Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix. It’s eye opening regarding how social media works. Take care 💜
I stepped away from social media about two years ago. I found myself depressed and comparing myself to others constantly. So I just logged off and haven’t been back on. I can say that, overall, I am happier now then before. On another note, I am getting ready begin student teaching. Any advice for balancing the craft with being a teacher?
One of my favorite aspects of your channel is that you AREN’T a full time/ professional witch. I think it’s much more relatable to a lot of audience members. I’d rather be able to see the authentic inner workings of an everyday witch that a highly curated spectacle that a lot of those very aesthetic witchy influencers admit is not even reflective of their own craft
yes we have a niche market in the pagan world I am a non dualistic solitarian druid and I tolerate the fantasy mock of our ways but in a niche area you know we know real
here in the philippines there is only eclectic correlian wiccan. when the covid pandemic is over I will travel may be to your country and get initiated by a coven of gardnerian. and even travel just to attend the sabbats. are you a priestess? thanks for knowing you as a gardnerian wiccan.
I'm feeling disconnected from the Pagan community, especially since the pandemic started. Online isn't feeling as connected for me as it has in the past.
i guess you get this question pretty often, but how do you manage to do so many things while having a fulltime job :0 ? Especially since you have also spoken about your depression before. Edit: never mind, i found your video on productivity :)
UA-cam actually kills opportunity for spiritual teachers, guides, or whatever you want to call us to support ourselves through donations and funding of those who want spiritual services, because they somehow believe they can find an instructional video on UA-cam to do it themselves or to get the information they are looking for. In many ways, this is absolutely true. And of course I’m happy to see more people interested in witchcraft and metaphysical stuff. However, many of us have been doing this for quite a long time and have built up a high level of skill. Yes, spiritual truth should be free of charge, but, services derived from skills we have worked so hard to achieve, should not. I am really not so sure people take the mystical arts seriously any more. I think they conflate it with religion - eg something that is just meant to make them feel emotionally better about themselves, and at the same time seeing it as something that really doesn’t have an effect in the real world. It’s a shame really. If they actually understood just how powerful authentic magick was, they would feel differently and might consider support the mystics that are trying to help them.
@@thewitcheslilypad Yes indeed, you can find a lot of the basics here on YT. But, the thing is, witchcraft... or magick, is much more than this. The problem is, because of the way the results of magick manifest themselves, it is difficult to demonstrate or prove -- because most, if not all results look totally natural and can be written off as just coincidence. Modern people are used to relying on technology, which they can see produces uniform outcomes on a consistent basis. Therefore, an invisible force, that modifies and directs probability, is often times overlooked, ignored and ultimately disbelieved. With that said, I have adopted the attitude that, if we expect to be taken seriously by society (which would be highly beneficial), we need to create and promote a type of magick that is more than just another religion. That magick aught to work. Then and only then can we expect people to seek us out for our expertise. Then and only then can any of us expect to be "professional witches." This is my life-long goal. This is what my practice is about, and this is why I wrote my book "Unlocking the Secrets of Sorcery." Now all I have to do is find people like myself who want to practice a results-based magick and help further develop it. What I have is a good start.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your honesty. I feel like such a poor example for a witch: Every time my stress of day to day (work, grad school, family, "obligations") the two things that are immediately neglected are my music practice and my Craft. But then I have those moments where I watch WitchTube as I get ready in the morning or flip through witchy Instagram posts for 5 minutes to feel more connected and instead I berate myself for not making time for it-for me really.
I love how many of us remember the candle video and are still lusting after your silicone molds. 😂
Practically Mystic lol I had no idea! I need to check in and see who sells them these days and for how much.
Thank you so much for talking about this, I think it's one of those things that can make us feel really isolated. This is a huge part of the reason I stepped back from UA-cam. It was an unintentional decision, I just sort of just couldn't face turning on the camera again. Since then my practice has felt like my own in a way it didn't before. It's tough to go back and likely lose some of that. I've felt it again in the last few months as I've upped my Insta game. I'm grappling with the "secret" of balancing online presence and joy... in the meantime conversations like this are insanely valuable!
Congrats on being done with (what I assume is) the toughest part of your book project. I look forward to picking it up 😊 xx
Hi
Glad to see you're still alive and witching. Obviously you don't need my validation, but totally keep your practice your own if it's more valuable to you that way. But yeah, glad to see nothing tragic has befallen you that caused the stop in uploads!
Owlvine Green Thank you! And yes-focusing on Instagram takes so much energy, and I just don’t have it anymore. UA-cam feels more natural-maybe since I’ve been here for so long, way before I was ever writing books. But it all really does *do* something to one’s practice, and I don’t like it.
Congratulations on your book! I can't wait to read it. I'm about to step away from social media myself actually, it's so incredibly draining. I enjoy UA-cam and IG, but I'm on Facebook the most part for marketing reasons. It's definitely grown more toxic this year and I cannot handle the level of misinformation during this election. I know I could just scroll past and unfollow people, I'm just so taken aback at the amount of misinformation that's allowed, and it's causing this country some major issues right now. :(
Keely Stewart Not being on Facebook is huge. I feel like I dodged a bullet. I’ve got the author page just reblogging whatever I post on Instagram, but I don’t interact with it and don’t have a personal page at all! I can’t name a single friend who hasn’t complained of a toxic relationship with the platform and a desire to just get off.
So you ask about internet experience, in the early 90's when my practice was young, the internet seemed to me to be the land of magic itself, an actual kind of place where imagination was the rule and it really helped me live within images and strengthen my relationship with words which was already pretty good. I was a part of a writing circle and several chat room role playing games where I found I could pull off real rituals with a little imagination and willing partners... but, it also did a lot of ego boosting and that lead to several mistakes and burnout and I backed out. Overall it was a great experience but like all of them, it was... "seasonal".
In the early 2000's, deaths in my family had me feeling kind of disconnected from a great source of.. I want to say, warmth and comfort and I jumped back online and found myself in an email circle of people who really knew what they were doing magically. Many were unknown but adept at what they did and some were actually well known in certain circles and I found myself welcomed with open arms and what I learned during that period was explosive and brilliant and it seemed like a day didn't go by when I wasn't jumping to a new level of understanding and awareness. However, some of the elders of that group passed away... and trolls found their way in... and flame wars started and that season ended as well... although I still have great friendships with many people from those days... thing about those friendships though is.. when you drift into a circle where everyone agrees with you on everything and has the same ideas that you do... it doesn't really spark a lot of evolution it's nice but it isn't really engaging.. and I drifted back from an online life again except of course for just keeping in touch with loved ones. Around that time any sort of magical group activity in my little area of the world pretty much dried up as well.
Last year I realized that I hadn't participated in any sort of group activity in about ten years. That wasn't a bad thing. Group activity has it's negatives and positives and I just wasn't in the mood for dealing with the negatives for a really long time.. however, in that ten years I made what I believe is some tremendous progress and... I really didn't have anyone to talk to about it so, I decided to go back online and look for magical people to chat with. I also found and started going into my local witchy supply store to buy supplies in the hopes of starting up conversations.. but before any of that yielded any fruit... Covid hit... and.. left me with pretty much only the online option. Furthermore... I lost my job and started thinking about Tarot reading as a way to get by while competing for work with thirty million other people and... that has put me sort of in a spot you are talking about. Making money vs making friends. I'm not very good at self promotion... and... I have to say.... while I see that there are nice smart people out there... they are so popular that getting to know them seems unlikely and there are soooooooo many people who are focused entirely on impulse rather than a real understanding of anything that... it's just hard to have a conversation and express an opinion without pissing people off. But... haven't given up yet... until I get a job at least, I've got the time.
@@fernthurman5172 Thanks Imogen. I also thought about spending some of this extra spare time writing and like Thorn says in the Video, I didn't want to write about stuff that's already out there... so I decided.. maybe I would just write stories about how my practice got to where it is because, it's ideas in action rather than just the same old rituals on paper again... as a result I'm kind of reflective these days ha ha ha
i'm excited for your second book, it is much needed as i feel like i'm on a little mini-sabbatical at the moment. my coven area is a hotspot for covid, and i'm not about to traipse halfway across the state during the pandemic. i try to keep up with little workings on my own, but its not the same and i can feel my enthusiasm for all things spiritual draining away as the months drag on. also kind of hating the internet at the moment, though it has nothing to do with marketing. i really think its just a shit time all around, and we just need to trundle forward and get through it.
liquid quick yeah, that’s a good point: I don’t know how much of what I’m feeling is just COVID-related!
Congrats for being out of book jail, and looking forward to reading it! So exciting! Sounds like a really valuable topic and there is a hallowed spot ready on my shelf for when it comes out :)
On the things you share about social media, I relate so much to a lot of what you've said, and share many of your misgivings. When you scroll endlessly it feels like you're doing it wrong if you're not self promoting constantly. I think your content shines and some of us (definitely me) want this sense of genuine community and exploration, not that nagging guilt or imposter syndrome that is present in other social media communities but it feels particularly weird and icky when it crosses over into the pagan domain. I feel like I could or should be writing more blogs, making more videos, making more art... but am exhausted from full time work, my other committments, and then paralysed by not wanting to 'market' myself when I finally do make something. It's tricky thats for sure.
Thank you :)
I for one always appreciate that same down to earth-ness in your videos that I do in Thorn's. Both of you seem very approachable in that way. Would I mind seeing more content, of course not! But what you do now is enough and really inspiring.
If it matters, to me, I find that fact you're not a "full-time witch" inspiring.
I see you and think "hey, I can be really practiced and well-versed AND have it not be my entire life."
Thanks for your videos!
Lucas Skjaret Thank you! That’s very good to hear and is super encouraging. 💙
Your candor is amazing and I always look forward to your videos. I am a crappy marketer (hate it) but I have found the pressure is less when I separate my “regular” self from my business/witchy self by focusing differently on my business page vs my personal page. These still overlap a lot because I am a witch to the bone, but identifying some things as work and others as my own personal nerdy bullshit (mostly dogs and gardening and politics) allows me to escape the need to constantly market or look for opportunities to promote my work. ❤️
I really appreciate your videos talking about not devoting your total time and energy to marketing. We're told too much that our hobbies and creative outlets have to monetized or else we aren't "living an authentic life" or some bs. Let me have my day job to pay for stuff and my creative outlets for just me to enjoy.
I had to take a break from social media and youtube this year, i started a tarot instagram and posted consistently for 80 days and i noticed my phone time went up so much as well, i was averaging about 4/5 hours daily too, constantly checking to see how many likes i got. I didn't even get any clients from instagram. I bought loads of decks after only using RWS for years as everyone else had multiple decks and felt inadequate as a reader. When i took a break for a month, i read 4 books, felt calmer, and never even touched those other decks and got booked for a few private readings from my own IRL connections. The pressure to make my spirituality a business and post consistently has tainted it for me and its took the pleasure and passion out of it, ITS LIKE YOU READ MY MIND! You really are a witch Thorn! I read a book called Digital Minimalism and it's really changed my outlook on our relationship with social media and tech in general, check it out if you get a chance!
Sean R ooo that sounds good! I’ll look for it! Yes, I’ve noticed that there’s a correlation between the amount of time I spend on Instagram and the money I spend. And that’s what social media is *really* for.
@@drawingKenaz Its by Cal Newport x
I enjoy your ramblings. You should make
More of these
On social media, you are the product for advertisers nowadays. I love hearing you talk about early UA-cam. When I was growing up, UA-cam was already on track to becoming what it is now. Ads were introduced in my teen years, and people's videos were becoming more and more refined with higher production value. I watched ring lights come into style, ads double up and become un-skippable... And UA-cam got bought by Google and made deals with other media companies, driving it to become more and more like a combination television/streaming service/educational video library controlled by corporations and ad revenue. It is harder for people around my age (early 20's) and ESPECIALLY teenagers now to have healthy relationships with social media.
I went to school for film, and even in a supposedly "un-edited" video the person capturing it has to make two editorial cut decisions: When to start the shot, and when to finish the shot. And every edit, even if it's just the bare minimum of the two "cuts" is a choice that manipulates the viewer. But nowadays, specialized editing tools are designed for the average consumer. Teenagers know exactly how to pose to look thin, and how to crop, color-correct, and manipulate their images. Even videos that purport to be sincere, like the famous UA-camr "apology videos" are carefully composed to evoke sympathy, from the washed out de-saturated color, post-cry, zero or ruined makeup, and messy hair... It is a conscious decision to appear on camera that way for people who regularly conventionally edit their videos. Even if they appear unedited, every conscious choice to not edit IS an editing choice. It doesn't necessarily mean all content is lies, fabricated, or disingenuous... But knowing what I know, I can tell when lots of people are disingenuous, trying to sell/self-promote, or projecting a false image. It doesn't spoil the content for me, but I end up breaking down the motive behind every choice.
The best lesson for us to learn is when to power down or walk away.
Congratulations on finishing your manuscript and being out of book jail! I know exactly what you mean about social media. It's fun until it's not and then I have to take a break so it doesn't run me down. It's hard to know where that line is sometimes, though.
I also loved the candle video. I can’t find the silicone molds anywhere! Anyway, I binged all of your videos (yup 10 years worth) at the beginning of shut down in March. I wish UA-cam would go back to that. I don’t have a community and now that most people on social media are promoting something, it is difficult to make those friendships. I just really love the fact that you keep it real!
Shannan McCleese I’ll look for them! I haven’t bought molds in ages. Yes, that’s been my experience too! I respect folks who need to market themselves-I do too-but I *do* miss that feeling that we were all just hanging out.
Congrats on finishing the book! I can't wait to read it. :) You bring up some great points about UA-cam. There's a ton of pressure to make videos and content that look a certain way and that really takes the fun out of it sometimes. It's definitely a double edged sword. Feel free to send me an email if you want to zoom sometime about marketing or if you just want to chat. :)
Just found this channel and actually sad that I had not been pointed in your direction already. All your videos thus far have been both reassuring and motivational. My own path has seemed similar to a lot of the stuff you're talking about and I just love your overall tone here. Much love.
Looking forward to the new book.
Hey! I liked the candle-making video. I'm hoping to be able to afford silicone molds at some point.
Same!
Maggie Fry I’m so glad! I’m so goofy in that video!
@@drawingKenaz You didn't come across as goofy to me. You came across as real. I enjoy your videos because you AREN'T trying to impress people. You are just you and that is refreshing.
Coffee cans and dipping works well too.
Social media can be a headache. It's such a struggle - I'm not someone who makes my income off being online (thank the gods for that) but I could totally see it as stressful. It's honestly one of the reasons I'm kind of leaning to "typical" jobs - it's secure and it doesn't put me up against all my friends/make me try to sell to them online... Well, at least not in the same way. It seems everyone struggles with social media so if you find a good answer - I'd also love to hear about it for a friend haha
I’ll be sure to pass it along 😂
Hi Thorn! So I wanted to drop in and say that I'm a baby Witch from a pretty conservative mostly Christian town, and the only book available in my library on witchcraft was Traditional Wicca, and I just wanted to tell you amazing it was, and I am really grateful for all the information I have gained about Wicca, so thank you!
Thank you, Kay! I'm so glad to hear that! But I hope your library can get some more variety soon! There are lots of other perspectives out there. I hope you're finding lots of good stuff on UA-cam, too!
I feel like sometimes as crafters, we are expected nowadays to find a way to make that craft a "side hustle". Example, I love to cross stitch. When people find that out, suddenly everyone wants me to do things for them. It sometimes makes in very un-enjoyable.
Love your videos & am about to read your book
Feeling you so deeply on these reflections. Social media also always kinds of makes me feel shitty, but it feels like a double edged sword because it's how I make my money. Such a good point about refueling. Miss you!!
Congratulations on finishing the (initial?) writing of your second book.
I can easily understand the need/desire to pull away from social media. I agree that it now often almost seems designed to cause people to feel as if they are lacking if they are not doing things "this" or "that" way.
I hope that you are able to find the balance that works best for you. I enjoy watching your videos, perhaps most especially your less planned ones. I believe that you are honest in your opinions without being judgmental in a negative sense.
Thank you for that. Abundant blessings to you and yours. 😊
Kimberly Sharp Thank you! 💙
@@drawingKenaz you are so very welcome. 😊 Thank you for all you do to share knowledge with us. 💓
Well said! It’s really tough when you are an artist, writer, musician etc. I had to step back a bit with my art posts on social media, because I was becoming more preoccupied by trying to promote my work, instead of just enjoying the process of creating, and enjoying what interactions I had on there. Balance is definitely difficult. As an artist / witch who sells their work, I like getting a broader audience (it definitely helps pay the bills) but that can’t be the sole reason. What’s been helping me , is limiting my time on the Internet more than I have been in the past. Been dedicating a little more time to reading the new books I ordered, and working on new projects. Meditation has been a big help.
Great video! Thanks for the honesty!
I appreciate this video so much! I thank you for sharing this!! I love how honest, insightful, and real you are. Take the time you need.
I am new to creating on UA-cam so i don’t feel that struggle yet. I am just sharing my views and opinions with my channel.
Blessings!
I second the candle making vid. I loved it. But I just want to hop on and say that I wonder how much of your insecurities/uncomfortable feelings/whatever you want to call them are rooted not in your perceived inadequacy (e.g. I’m not doing enough) but in your staunch integrity. I’m one of your patrons, too, so I really feel like I know you, and I have to say that you are a pure soul and maybe even “too pure” for this (social media) world. I mean it’s your incredibly high standards that make a third book less of an eventuality and more of a possibility. You care so much about the quality of what you offer, and I see so much generosity and selflessness in that. So, I think you’re doing just enough, and I’m inspired by your experiment of doing less online.
I really appreciate and admire your honest videos, its so nice to hear your opinions on things. Thank you for sharing
Oh, I second that! I would love to hear thorn’s take on witchtok!
Your next project: "From 'Teen Witch' to Traditional Wicca: One Witch's Story". You've unabashedley shared some of your growing pains inside witchcraft over the years, offering the grounded personal perspective as well as the academic point of view. You might consider summarizing some of those cringey moments from your old BoS.
As for marketing, it's definitely a keystone for the next generation. Basically all the students that cross my path are busy selling themselves online, to one degree or another. Everyone's doing selfies, practicing poses or dances, and monitoring their online presence. Followers and likes are more important than class work. And these are the casuals. The growing number who are convinced they can make a career as an influencer (which seems to be less and less about influencing and more about taking orders from your fanbase) are aggressive about their online presence, disrupting class and irritating the people around them.
As you said, UA-cam looked way different a decade ago. I was so impressed with the conversations occurring. It was like being able to sit in on the correspondence exchanged by great thinkers during the time of snail mail. (I wish I had been able to bring myself to participate.) Today, people live and breathe the marketing drive, and it comes as naturally to the younger generation as email and Google searches comes to us, and as natural as, I don't know, churning butter comes to our parents. *tongue in cheek* I just wonder if all those likes provides the same enchantment as we experienced following a conversation thread between two, or a dozen, folk for sometimes even weeks at a time. Or maybe I'm old and I just can't get with the times. *cue tiny violin*
I totally understand how you view youtube. It is really cool how you view it. I really enjoy your videos because you make me think too, I question myself about certain things you pointed and see whether we have same opinion.
I liked your candle vid.
I am a Tattoo artist and my focus is Witchy tattoos in a Ritual Sitting. I feel it
It sounds like the kind of book that I need, something I'm eagerly looking forward to!
I definitely think being on social media too much can be damaging to your psyche. I like to do this thing where I log out of accounts when I’m done to kind of prevent myself from staying on it all day long. Instagram, especially. I also deleted other apps from my phone and try to minimize the extent to which I’m on my phone which is kind of tough. I work in social media marketing and I think it can be both a great and terrible thing. It’s certainly a mixed bag.
I can definitely feel you on the struggle to not have social media start subsuming everything. Balancing UA-cam social media and real life obligations has started to be a struggle for me, but ultimately real life is always going to win. Initially when I started earlier this year it was just a fun thing, a teaching tool that people in my Trad and the occasional internet stranger could use for their herbcraft work. But now that the weather has turned and my kids are in (virtual) school I'm finding it hard to just casually throw a video together because the whim strikes me- for example right now I'm planning to make a video about a tea blend I've made for Mabon but my younger child is using that space for chorus class online (which tbh I'd rather listen to them sing than make a video right now anyway). I've never had an interest in slick video editing and I absolutely refuse to put anything more than the barest effort into "marketing". I never had any interest in money or "fame" whatever that means, I just figured that I'd put some of my learned experience out there and the people who needed it would find it? But now that people have found me, and I'm getting requests for stuff, it's starting to feel less fun and more of an obligation. It's taking a lot of self-reflection to keep myself in the right balance.
I look forward to reading it.
I think you spoke about this very well. Other than my UA-cam account as a viewer, not as a content creator, and the little bit that I participate on NextDoor for my neighborhood, I'm not on social media anymore (left Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ about 4 years ago)... and I feel so much better and have so much more time and energy for other things.
I actually journaled about this because of your last video on "professional witchcraft". Funny how you are now asking the questions your video raised in me last time. I've been off of social media for a while and have just begun to come back to it. I'm an artist who makes pagan art and have a blog about (amongst other things) witchcraft. I find it very hard to navigate as well, I want to find community, I want to share knowledge and insights beyond the "basics" so to speak. But there are so many voices out there, it is hard to be seen or heard, and therefore hard to make new connections.
I did find that the things that I made in my time off of social media, were much more profound, much more personal and empowered than anything I'd made in a long while. That was an eye opener for me. To make things for me again, instead of focussing if something is "likeable" or "shareable".
So unfortunately, I don't have any answers for you, except that I, and many with me, especially appreciate that your channel is more about connection and your personal thoughts and path.
You're so amazing dear heart.
New moon blessings to you and your family, and coven.
Infinite blessings and love.
Can't wait to read your next book!
🌛⭐🌜
Your next book sounds so interesting. I cannot wait to pre-order it. I love your rambling videos. 😊
I left FB in 2016. I joined Insta earlier this year. I do not miss FB at all. And I am thinking about leaving Insta. Back in the yahoo group days and various other message boards, I used those sites to find other witchy folk and build relationships. I was hoping FB and Insta and even YT would be similar and I am finding they are not. So I have been backing away from them again. There is so much harshness in the world and I need a break from it.
I feel a longing though to find kindred souls again. I do not have hardly any witchy people in my life. After years of therapy, I realized the people I had surrounded myself with were not good for me. So now, in the age of covid, I am feeling that longing again and trying to figure out how to build this relationships without using YT or Insta too much. Lol
Nica Tee This has been largely my experience too! I go through phases where I feel like I need to connect, and by then the online platforms have changed so much. It’s easier in some ways, and much harder I’m others.
@@drawingKenaz I hope we are both able to find that good balance. Once we are able to mingle in groups again I am going to start a new search for like minded folks. Thanks again for sharing your wisdom with the world here. And thank you for replying. 😊
Hey Thorn! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I was talking about how to manage my social media with my therapist just the other day, in that I come to them to find inspiration and challenging ideas and often end up not being able to share my content in a way that is beneficial to my grouth - feeling like nobody gives a shit about my writing or art because I don’t fake or market it “well enough”. But OMG the pressure I get from trying to sell myself! Anyways, just some thoughts over a beer, no solution so far, but I decided to stop putting out content for a while and just find one thing on the tube that is worth writing about in my diary. I always appreciate your down to earth chats, good food for thoughts! :)
I meant one thing a day.. Maybe the beer and translation wasn’t helping to articulate this well enough!
Love this, love you.
Also the line between what is 'personal' and what is 'public' is hard for me, and I find myself thinking about how I can monetize so much of my creativity, ahhhhhh.
A couple years ago we shared a cabin at a gathering and I never met a person I just watched off the internet before so I got a little weird, my bad, but I was pretty excited to meet you. Your book was about to come out and I guessed you were invited to talk about it and I noticed you spent a lot of time on your phone while everyone was sitting around chatting. I thought, “Damn she really doesn’t want to be here,” but after watching this video, maybe you were doing stuff to promote your book...Or maybe you just really didn’t want to be there, lol. For what it’s worth, you were fun when you weren’t on your phone!
P.S. My crazy ass former high priestess kept saying you were constantly trying to seek her approval and I had no idea what the fuck she was talking about. That shit show of an outer court group was a whole fucking story in and of itself that I’m hoping to upload on my channel soon.
Thorn, this is not just your fault for feeling that way. If you have the chance, please watch The Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix. It’s eye opening regarding how social media works. Take care 💜
I stepped away from social media about two years ago. I found myself depressed and comparing myself to others constantly. So I just logged off and haven’t been back on. I can say that, overall, I am happier now then before. On another note, I am getting ready begin student teaching. Any advice for balancing the craft with being a teacher?
Go easy on yourself! Things will probably be hard at first, but it absolutely gets easier.
congratulations %
Did you hear about "The Craft" remake/sequel?
One of my favorite aspects of your channel is that you AREN’T a full time/ professional witch. I think it’s much more relatable to a lot of audience members. I’d rather be able to see the authentic inner workings of an everyday witch that a highly curated spectacle that a lot of those very aesthetic witchy influencers admit is not even reflective of their own craft
yes we have a niche market in the pagan world I am a non dualistic solitarian druid and I tolerate the fantasy mock of our ways but in a niche area you know we know real
hi thorn. I'd like to ask what type of wiccan are you?
Hi Mico! I’m a Gardnerian.
here in the philippines there is only eclectic correlian wiccan. when the covid pandemic is over I will travel may be to your country and get initiated by a coven of gardnerian. and even travel just to attend the sabbats. are you a priestess? thanks for knowing you as a gardnerian wiccan.
I'm feeling disconnected from the Pagan community, especially since the pandemic started. Online isn't feeling as connected for me as it has in the past.
I had a hard time hearing you... the volume seems to be a bit off.
i guess you get this question pretty often, but how do you manage to do so many things while having a fulltime job :0 ? Especially since you have also spoken about your depression before.
Edit: never mind, i found your video on productivity :)
Hii
UA-cam actually kills opportunity for spiritual teachers, guides, or whatever you want to call us to support ourselves through donations and funding of those who want spiritual services, because they somehow believe they can find an instructional video on UA-cam to do it themselves or to get the information they are looking for. In many ways, this is absolutely true. And of course I’m happy to see more people interested in witchcraft and metaphysical stuff. However, many of us have been doing this for quite a long time and have built up a high level of skill. Yes, spiritual truth should be free of charge, but, services derived from skills we have worked so hard to achieve, should not. I am really not so sure people take the mystical arts seriously any more. I think they conflate it with religion - eg something that is just meant to make them feel emotionally better about themselves, and at the same time seeing it as something that really doesn’t have an effect in the real world. It’s a shame really. If they actually understood just how powerful authentic magick was, they would feel differently and might consider support the mystics that are trying to help them.
@@thewitcheslilypad Yes indeed, you can find a lot of the basics here on YT. But, the thing is, witchcraft... or magick, is much more than this. The problem is, because of the way the results of magick manifest themselves, it is difficult to demonstrate or prove -- because most, if not all results look totally natural and can be written off as just coincidence. Modern people are used to relying on technology, which they can see produces uniform outcomes on a consistent basis. Therefore, an invisible force, that modifies and directs probability, is often times overlooked, ignored and ultimately disbelieved. With that said, I have adopted the attitude that, if we expect to be taken seriously by society (which would be highly beneficial), we need to create and promote a type of magick that is more than just another religion. That magick aught to work. Then and only then can we expect people to seek us out for our expertise. Then and only then can any of us expect to be "professional witches." This is my life-long goal. This is what my practice is about, and this is why I wrote my book "Unlocking the Secrets of Sorcery." Now all I have to do is find people like myself who want to practice a results-based magick and help further develop it. What I have is a good start.
Wouldn't want a witch to challenge the status quo, in any way... Oy vey...
See also: capitalism