Belated Life Update | chitty chat about getting back into it

So glad to see you again!

Happy to see you again!! ❤

welcome back!

Welcome back, I feel sorry for your subconscious - coming up with all these ideas and not seeing anything come to fruition 😢

Welcome back! Glad I’m not the only one who had a funky year this year. Creative ruts are so hard. Hopefully you’ll get some relief soon 😊

Welcome back! Glad I’m not the only one who had a funky year this year. Creative ruts are so hard. Hopefully you’ll get some relief soon 😊

So happy you're back!!

I feel the artist struggle. But I have a few (?) things to say!

I definitely think about the impact art makes on the world. Ultimately, to exist without affecting our environment is to not exist. So we try to make meaningful marks, even if it is only meaningful to our species. Eventually it will all be meaningless when the sun swallows up the planet, but this is not to say that none of it matters now or in the future. It's worth thinking about the timescale between certain stages of material culture. What amount of time seperates it from beloved art/ utility/ harmful trash/ artifact/ cosmic clutter/ ... , if it even meets any of these stages?

I work in an arcade, and for a long time we had paper tickets to be cashed in for cheap junk. On the busiest days we shreaded over a million tickets a night, only to be thrown in the trash because the resort stopped letting us throw it in the recycling dumpster. All that wasted paper; all the plastic junk made just to shift some money around a few hands. The constant growth for the sake of growth; the cheapest quality materials for the sake of convenience. That's the cancer. Art is the tattoo. It's put there with purpose. It might only mean something to us, but we shouldn't deny our own existence. Be aware of the things we might damage and create responsibly, but we are a part of the planet too. I love objects and the stories they tell and the power they hold, especially if they are hand made or have been handled for a long time. I like to pretend it's because I have the spirit of a dragon for a discerning eye for treasure, but really I think it's one of our defining human traits. We have evolved to get those good brain juices when using our hands and we love stories.

I haven't done much physical media in a while, but I am making games for old consoles, specifically the Gameboy. I had a long conversation with myself about making physical cartridges. I think that, since it's a niche art, production runs are limited and these are objects meant to be cherished and collected, not just thrown away when someone is done with it. I think about old computer games that used to come with a lot of stuff in the box and it all just oozes enthusiasm and excitement for the world you are about to visit. A digital version will always be available too, so this will not be the only way my art can be experienced, even for free. On a personal level, there is true magic in seeing something I've made presented in a way that was mysterious and impossible as a kid. :D

For art block: I've learned not to worry too much about ideas that never work out. I'm constantly coming up with crazy ideas. A project will let you know if it has legs, but only if you work with it. If it fizzles out, don't consider it a waste of time. You probably had fun exploring something and you almost certainly learned something or perhaps another idea spawned from it!

There are paragraphs to be written about AI generated art eating up electricity and all that but I think I made my point that human made art is Good Actually.

I was juuuuuust thinking about this YT 🧙‍♀️ yesterday. Up she popped.

Yay welcome back! Feeling you on a rough year, especially creatively and witchy wise. Happens to the best of us. Take care!

<3

Welcome back! I love the witch hats for tea mugs so much!! As an herbalist I cover my tea when it steeps to keep the volatile oils in and the mug hat is absolutely perfect for doing that haha

It's nice to see you! In terms of the artistic process that you were speaking of, I like to think of myself as a steward for my ideas, projects, and objects - that for the time they're in my care, it's my responsibility to give them what they need to thrive. But eventually, I will have to relinquish my role, and if they end up in someone else's hands then I've passed the torch. There was a viral audio clip about Hawaiians referring to themselves as the "Kahu" for their pets instead of the term "Owner" which catches a similar spirit to this principle, but I'm not 100% sure how reliable that info is.

Hello again! This has definitely been a funky year in terms of creativity. I really felt your discussion of letting "bad ideas" come to the surface and actually making something from them before deciding their worthiness. As a writer, I sympathize so hard with that process, having thought up a bunch of story drabble ideas that still haven't been put to the page. And also creating something that will eventually take up space and resources...so glad I'm not the only one who thinks about that lol! Wishing you only the best in your creative endeavors--here's to crawling out of the grave rut!

Glad to see you posting! I can totally relate to blink and you miss it years. Yes, I was there, but why don't I have any sense of having made any progress at all toward my goals? Sept. 1 was a bit of a reset day for me, and this video is a perfect followup. :) I've modified how I plan to keep my bullet journal going forward, so that I don't get lost in the weeds. Keeping it super simple, just the most basic ideas and structures, with the general goal of identifying the major things I need and want to do and the next tiny step I can actually take towards each project. I'm in recovery from a lifelong depression, so for a while I spent a lot of journaling time tracking the steps in my daily self care so I didn't get distracted and wander away at every turn. Better now, ready to figure out what interests me now (because my tastes, wants and goals have shifted). One step at a time, right?

So happy to see you posting again 🎉🎉🎉

You are such an asset to our SASS community. Self-label placebos have now been such a standard way of approaching rituals since you first mentioned them. You have & do bring such a quality of new perspectives & have contributed so much to the evolution of rational witchcraft. Thank you so much! I miss you but hope your life will be as rewarding as you deserved. <l:^)

I’m glad to see this video! Thanks for coming back! The question of art and waste is personal for me too as I am a knitter and it always hurts to see handmade items tossed aside. But I think as humans one of our main purposes is to share stories and create art. Like that is our function so generating art is life-affirming. You see handmade items in museums from millennia ago. It’s very possible their creators also thought what’s the point here? They lived, they made art, some of that art was lost, but some of it survived.

Yay, I'm so happy to see a new video by you! I love chatty videos like this and it was great hearing your updates and your thoughts about making art! Also, OMG that mug hat (and the mug!) looks amazing!!!!!!!!! And now I want a tarot gum machine too!

happy to see you again! I was actually thinking about you recently, because I mentioned witchcraft to someone, who didn't get why I'd be into that and I explained the 'open label placebo' concept :)

About art: I've been in a funk for maaaaany years, and one reason is what you mentioned about junk. So I'm happy to hear I'm not alone ♥

What a wonderful treat to see your name pop up in my feed! I hope you and yours have been well 💗

Synchronous that you posted this video because I had just referenced your gumball machine tarot project to my spouse this weekend!

Happy to see you back! I was watching some of your old videos just the other day.
I've started listening to the Placebo Magick podcast, and like the description of some of the things witchy rituals out spells are good for. Would love to see a series like that from you 💚
Good luck with venturing out!

Congrats on grad school! I'm also in grad school (and I think the secret is that we all think we're the stupidest one there; dont let imposter syndrome win)

It's definitely been a weird year! I'm also in grad school and I'm ready to have my life back. Having no free time puts a real damper on creativity.
I wanted to share something that's either very fitting or very weird, but I've been meaning to write a poem or a vignette about a guy who collects all those handmade things in thrift stores, or stuff addressed to specific people. A framed photo of a middle-aged guy smiling with Donald Duck signed to someone's papaw, a champagne flute that reads "best bridesbabes 1998," stuff like that. I just love the idea of someone gathering all these abandoned treasures and living vicariously through them.

Happy to see you again! ♡
Is it okay to ask what your career is? I study art but it sounded like you study something else but art is a part of it.

Totally love your opener to the vid! The tarot gumball machine is also inspiring and kids also love things in mini size! It may help you to use a guillotine paper cutter to save on time you can use an acrylic stamp block for pressing grip and a visual guide. I find your off the cuff vids artistic because it is thought bubbling up to the surface. Perhaps that would help with the idea blockage for art? It's asking a lot to do because we each can be our own worst critic but maybe that's what you need. To hear yourself and to see if you are being too critical or missing an opportunity to turn a nugget of an idea into something more.

OMG I love the gumball idea!! I would love to do a project like that!

Standards of quality be damned! There are some people out there who I just like to listen to, and you are one of them!

You're back! So much as changed in my life since your last video but I've still kept a space for you in my attention! Thank you for making a new video~

YAAAAY so happy to see you!!

I'm so happy to see you back!

It's kind of interesting - as a lesser-known or anonymous artist, your art is open to interpretation and essentially owned by the masses who observe it. The only time you're in control of your art is when people can recognize your human association with it, or when you make a name for yourself. Oddly though, the more recognizable you are next to your art, the less you can distance yourself from it.

I actually went to an art fair today and a good deal of what I saw was bland and soulless, the kind that's neutral and inoffensive enough to put up in an office break room; nothing about it made you want to ask the artist what inspired them to make it, or inquire as to their techniques. Then again, I'm not an artist myself, so I had the unfortunate position of viewing everything with a layman's eye.

Art's weird, man. But it's important. Glad to see an upload to this channel. 💚💚

ahh I 100% know what you mean about trying to justify bringing art into the world. Ieft art school and went on a different path partly for that reason. I feel like a good approach is making art with either natural/biodegradable stuff or stuff that is already garbage so you don't have the 'own' bringing that into the world?? It's a tough one! I also laughed at the idea that second-hand stuff doesn't count, story of my life. So much junk. But it was someone elses junk first so it doesn't count ;) Also I saw a double size hand-sewn patch-work quilt in a second had shop for £34 and it made me die inside a little as an aspiring quilter haha

YAY! So happy to see you again!

This is the first video of yours I have watched, and I liked it 😊

Glad to see a new video. Love your perspective on things and knowledge.

As someone who failed out of grad school years ago despite being "an intelligent person" my hat goes off to you for making the attempt, and I wish you success and fulfillment.

So happy to see you're back! You were the first person who described my beliefs exactly as I saw them, and as an atheist that has been interested in witchcraft for a long time but always felt like there was no space for people like me in the community, you've really opened up my eyes to many possibilities! Just so you know, we certainly don't need polished videos every single time, it's just nice to hear from you and see your gorgeous aesthetics haha! By the way, as an artist, I totally feel your struggles. Be patient with yourself <3

I'm glad I randomly thought of you today and decided to check in with your channel!

Great. So... I guess, see you in two years? (LOL just kidding.)

I had a few minor projects. I organized my garden a bit to grow stuff I needed, and finally removed clutter by getting rid of so much stuff that I didn't need or want anymore, which made me feel so much better in my own space inside the house. Otherwise, out of interest I got to know some people in my local SCA community and found out when they get together. I ordered a traditional Slavic smock on Etsy that I might use for the meets, but also comfy and practical enough to wear around the house. I'll make a video of my own when I get it to talk about it. 2024 might have seemed uneventful, but things happened that were necessary to enjoy my 2025. :)