The very first video I posted to YouTube was in October, 2014. It’s been 9 years. And I assumed I’d take a pause from usually scheduled programming to replicate on these 9 years.
To take action, I’m combining a number of TarotTube or Pagan Youtube (Occult Tube?) neighborhood tags on the topic. In the event you loiter in any of these networks then you could have seen some. I’m going to do my response as a weblog submit. And I believe that in and of itself in all probability says one thing.
The place Do I Belong?
I don’t consider I’ve seen any tags/prompts with this specific query, so it is perhaps my very own. However in case you’re an creator or content material creator like me who’s form of in every single place, then this query does come up.
I nonetheless consider myself as being a part of TarotTube, for example, however in case you’ve seen any of my current video shares, then you definitely’ll have seen that it’s truly been some time since I’ve achieved something on level concerning the tarot.
I don’t consider you want to submit tarot topical content material to be a part of the tarot neighborhood. I contemplate myself a part of the tarot neighborhood as a result of most of my associates are tarot folks and who additionally occur to be tarot authors, deck creators, or skilled tarot readers.
PaganTube is broad sufficient of a class that I believe I typically get tucked in there. However do I belong there? Am I a pagan? My stance is, I’m cool with no matter you wish to name me. In the event you wouldn’t label me as pagan, I’m cool with that. If you wish to embrace me beneath the pagan label, I’m cool with that, too.
I’ve been sharing lots of culturally East Asian content material as of late, and but I’m not likely a part of the designated Asian American YouTube neighborhood. Which means I doubt I’m being related particularly as an Asian YouTuber, though factually that’s an correct description of my identification.
Typically it might probably really feel like regardless of which area of interest we’re speaking about, I’m positioned on the fringes of that area of interest.
What Kind of Content material to Create
Particular to YouTube video content material, I battle with this, so much. As a result of I attempt to ask myself, “Why am I sharing my ideas on this topic publicly in video kind? What’s my true goal for placing this on the market?”
And if I can’t give you a not-vapid response, then I speak myself out of constructing the video. Just a few instances I’ve failed at that line of inquiry, not being sincere with myself, after which got here to remorse the add. So I’m making an attempt to be taught the lesson of realizing simply how vital that line of inquiry is.
After I first began out, my intent was to make voiceover + b-roll footage instructional movies solely. I wasn’t planning on displaying my face on digicam. Voiceover + b-roll footage movies take up so much of effort and time to make, and so sooner or later I assume I gave up on that and went for the speaking head. =P
Sharing culture- and tradition-specific content material with an viewers that’s primarily not from that tradition or who may not have any prior familiarity with that custom is a fragile balancing act.
When one thing could be very valuable to you, and sacred no much less, the very last thing you have an interest in doing is sharing that which is valuable and sacred to you with somebody who’s going to be disrespectful. It leaves you feeling worse than impartial about your return on funding– as a result of it leaves you feeling like they don’t even deserve to learn about this, and right here I simply wasted my time, effort, and conscientiousness for it to – not simply go un-appreciated – however spat on. So now for every tradition-specific video, there’s simply this paranoia-level quantity of thought that has to enter processing whether or not I ought to be making that video.
One factor that does give me lots of consolation is my rising viewers of Asian People (or Diasporic Asians/abroad Asians) who don’t really feel like they’re related to their heritage however wish to be. Typically if I’ve a hang-up over posting on a selected material and am hesitating, however I believe it is perhaps helpful to Asian People for reconnecting to their heritage, I’ll submit it.
Sharing tarot content material, I discover, is simpler on me. Although these days it’s onerous to give you a subject I wish to make a video about. I do my deck and e book opinions right here on the weblog, not on my YouTube channel.
I’ll say that my private favorites to do are commentary movies, however these days it’s simply not the suitable local weather anymore to be making commentary movies willy-nilly. We’re well beyond the harmless neolithic instances when you would put out an opinion sound chew on a subject you don’t know very a lot about. Additionally, folks on the web don’t truly wish to be challenged; they wish to be validated. Individuals go on social media to proselytize and to get on the spot highs on emotional extremes; they’re not on this unbelievable numerous platform to be taught, to develop their horizons, and to realize a higher sense of collective unity with the numerous and manifold entire.
I wish to hear from you, although, particularly in case you’ve watched at the least a handful of my YouTube movies earlier than: What would you prefer to see extra of from me?
Favourite Video You’ve Made
I can’t choose one single video I’ve made on my channel that’s my favourite, however my Introduction to Taoist and Buddhist Mysticism is my favourite collection, although I’ve but to finish the ultimate installment, Video 6.
I’ve outlined and gathered the b-roll footage, photographs, and many others. I need for Video 6, however simply haven’t gotten round to organizing it into one thing cohesive but concise. And likewise, what do I wish to focus my protection on and what do I wish to omit?
The Sightsee the Tarot collection is one I’m actually happy with. I like the way it showcases many alternative tarot views and practices, displaying how numerous the sector is. For individuals who don’t have the funds to pay for tarot workshops, I hope this video collection is the subsequent smartest thing.
Really, I’d like to show the query on you, expensive reader! =) What’s your favourite video I’ve made, or video collection?
Likes and Dislikes about YouTubing
What I like and dislike essentially the most is identical factor. That which brings you the sunshine may also be that which burns you.
I like the camaraderie when it’s there. I like connecting with kindred spirits. In our actual life communities, it might probably typically really feel such as you’re alone, you’re within the minority, you’re within the margins, so I like that social networks give us this chance to attach with kindred spirits.
My entire mission is to advocate for entry, however what I dislike is when it turns into entitlement, when the folks making an attempt to interact with me appear to be encroaching into my private house– and to be honest, I don’t ever assume it’s intentional. I don’t blame anybody. I believe it’s the character of the platform. It blurs boundary strains.
In actual life, whenever you learn a e book and get to a passage you’re confused about, it might by no means happen to you to drive over to the creator’s home, ring the doorbell, and request a sit-down dialog so you’ll be able to ask all of your questions and get clarification. However with the Web, most individuals do really feel prefer it’s okay to e mail, direct-message, and pursue each contact methodology they will consider to ask their inquiries to the creator.
I don’t all the time love that. It’s not that I don’t wish to reply the query. Really, I do. However I don’t wish to reply 100 questions. And that’s what occurs. It isn’t one query from one particular person. It’s 100 questions from 100 completely different folks coming at me from a number of channels requesting private one-on-one time. When it will get that overwhelming, it feels simpler to only ignore everybody.
This non-responsiveness from an creator then irritates and frustrates readers, and I get it. From their perspective, their query solely takes a minute to reply, possibly even lower than that. So why received’t the creator simply reply?
From the creator’s perspective, it’s 100 completely different folks tagging you and asking questions all on the identical time, each time you log in, to the purpose the place logging in turns into a daunting expertise. (I’ve all social media notifications turned off on my telephone, so the one manner for me to see tags is to manually log in.)
I additionally love the democratization of {the marketplace} of concepts that an internet discussion board like TarotTube or PaganTube facilitates. The platforms imply that extra marginalized views and personal voices are given alternatives for visibility, one thing that basically didn’t occur earlier than. Not each practitioner has the means for writing and publishing a e book, however most can begin a YouTube channel or weblog. PaganTube helped to make main sources — content material created by native practitioners from a variety of cultural traditions — extra straight accessible than ever.
Maybe my greatest dislike is a situation that doesn’t essentially stem from YouTubing per se; it’s simply the inevitable new hazard anybody who publishes a e book within the twenty first century or has any public presence to any diploma on the Web has to take care of. Individuals don’t have any issues spreading factual inaccuracies about you. Or they put out defamatory statements and supply zero receipts. Let’s not even get into the impersonators and all of the faux accounts on the market of individuals pretending to be you.
One other dislike about YouTubing is one which spotlights a universally acknowledged human trait that each civilization all through historical past has a phrase for, has an entire system of beliefs round, and that’s the evil eye. It would perplex the mild soul how correct and the way true, how sensible the precept of the evil eye is. When folks see you doing one thing they need that they themselves may do, they are going to forged the evil eye at you. It’s not the consequences of it that hassle me; it’s having to confront this ugly facet of humanity that’s indigestible. I wish to protect my perception within the good of individuals, and witnessing the activated evil eye makes it actually onerous to try this.
Tech Used
Let’s lighten this dialog up, we could? Okay, so one of many prompts you typically see within the reflections-on-YouTubing tags is to speak concerning the tech you employ, the way you movie and edit your movies.
I used to be recording my movies with my 16-year-old laptop computer, the one I had since regulation faculty, up till 2019/2020. This was the laptop computer I took my bar examination on. It’s that outdated! It was state-of-the-art tech after I first bought it – touchscreen monitor, super-thin and light-weight, had its personal webcam, did a number of cool tips – however because it goes with tech, it turned a relic actual quick. Therefore the shoddy high quality of my movies for the longest time.
I exploit Home windows MovieMaker to edit my movies, and I do lots of modifying as a result of I don’t wish to submit hour lengthy movies. Each 20-minute video you see on my channel begins with 40 to 60 minutes of uncooked footage. Then after I go to edit, I notice generally I get manner too granular into the weeds of the topic and it’s not needed, or it’s manner an excessive amount of of a tangent, or I didn’t flesh out the thought nicely sufficient so both I take out the sub-topic completely or I’ve to re-record supplemental chatting to flesh it out (and all the time choose to only delete than to re-record), or — and that is frequent — I notice I’m simply repeating myself time and again with completely different phrases. =P
I don’t movie with my digicam telephone as a result of it’s manner an excessive amount of bother to determine learn how to migrate the recorded movies onto a desktop to then edit and publish. So I movie with the webcam perched atop my desktop monitor.
Btw, simply two weeks in the past I discovered a coupon code for this audio/video modifying program so I’ve signed up for a short-term subscription. To this point I’ve solely made one video utilizing that program, the most recent one on my channel. We’ll see how that goes. =) I’ll or could not renew the subscription after the discounted interval.
Private Opinions on Monetization
I’m glad that choices like patreon, paid membership providers, and pay partitions can be found to content material creators who wish to monetize their content material or situation chosen content material on pay-to-play.
These are needed, welcomed income streams that present unbelievable alternatives.
We do reside in a capitalist society, and monetization is an incentive for creators to repeatedly put out high-quality content material. If you don’t help monetization, then you’re going to lose lots of unbelievable creators to burn-out.
And but… It’s my opinion that bringing monetization and alternatives for revenue into the realm of spirituality turns what should be consecrated floor right into a minefield.
But when there isn’t monetization and alternatives for revenue, then we might be disadvantaged of accessibility.
We flip cultivation of non secular apply into potential for private profiteering and we threat tainting your complete sea. It’s a type of air pollution of what had been so pristine and pure. It’s corrupting.
And but simply take into consideration how we, as people on this society, even get entry to our favourite assets on non secular apply. If it weren’t for capitalism, we wouldn’t get the wealth of numerous assets we’ve got at our fingertips proper now.
I attempt to steadiness between having to realistically navigate dwelling in a capitalist society and dwelling by democratic socialist beliefs. So I do attempt to hold lots of my content material free and accessible.
However I don’t assume my method is for everyone, nor do I want it upon others, nor do I believe, if applied as a normal coverage, it’d be sustainable. So I might by no means, ever impose my mind-set onto others.
I simply assume that monetization is a minefield upon which we have to tread with care.
Have You Thought About Quitting?
It intrigued me {that a} variation on this query confirmed up in a number of tags. It goes to point out how frequent the burnout downside is.
No less than as soon as each quarter, I significantly ponder quitting. And that’s as a result of by way of the balancing between likes and dislikes, execs and cons, the dislikes and the cons outweigh the constructive. YouTubing seems like a private sacrifice, not a private acquire.
For anybody who needs to maintain separate in-person skilled life from metaphysical and occult philosophy content material you create beneath a pen identify — having a YouTube channel the place you present your face and movie unfiltered and not using a inexperienced display from your property is totally silly. Right here I’m, the idiot.
Participating publicly and creating content material publicly on social media is like enjoying with fireplace. Visibility paints a goal on you. Some folks have the thick pores and skin it takes to take care of that, and settle for it as a consequence of attending to do what they like to do. I do know I don’t have the thick pores and skin for it and I’m continually questioning the so-called “return on funding.” Not from a enterprise monetary sense. However from the continually questioning of “what precisely am I getting out of all my time and labors spent on this” sense.
It’s a continuing inside tug-of-war. The second I begin to really feel the pull towards being a hermit, shutting down all social media and returning to in-person contacts solely, one thing evokes me again towards staying on-line and making an attempt to be useful, staying engaged with neighborhood. The second I begin to really feel the pull towards on-line neighborhood engagement, one thing drives me again towards detonating all of it and turning into a hermit.
Talking of the quantity 9, well-known closing assertion from Verse 9 of the Tao de Jing: Withdrawing upon completion is the Manner of Heaven (功遂身退天之道). The passage is usually translated to “retreat after success.” After you’ve achieved what you had got down to obtain, it’s time to retire. That is the divine knowledge of the Tao.
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