⛤ April Q&A (Patreon)

I gave up on sleep for the night. The cat awoke me at 2 in the morning and by 4 I knew I wasn't going back to sleep. So I made coffee and a pot of tea for later and as soon as it's light out I'm going to the park. May aswell commit to working out since I'm already eating like I work out. I'm starting to get this strange nostalgia for Germany - not because I miss my family or anything I want is in Germany - but because I miss walking at night and feeling completely safe. It was just me and the dark, dimly lit streets and convenience store coffee if I happened to pass a gas station before 11PM. I can't just up and walk at all hours of the day here. There's no sidewalks, nothing is lit past this neighborhood and the closest thing to our house is a liquor store. Not to mention people probably thinking you're trying to burgle them if you just walk in the middle of the night. But I have been taking the cat for walks and she loves it. She loves it so much she begs me to go outside every day it's even remotely decent weather. She will meow at me and not get in my lap, but sit in the window and watch the robins building houses for their ladies, then meow repeatedly. Even though she doesn't like wearing a harness, as soon as that door opens she's practically outside. I do not exaggerate one bit when I say we give her everything. It's like a full service senior kitizen hotel for her. Now that I've answered questions nobody asked, we can finally move on to questions you did ask.

How long did it take to record and edit The Epic Chocolate Spa video? It's been a while since that one came out. I think it's about 4 hours long so probably 8 hours of filming, including breaks and preparing the different sets. And then editing must have been another 12-16 hours if I actually listened to all of it. Mind you, this is just hours of uninterrupted work, not the total time it took to complete the video. But a good rule of thumb for guesstimating how long a video took to create is 3-4 times the video length for a simple production. The minute you add multiple sets, dubbing, scripts and sound effects, all bets are off.

Do you usually write the scripts for your videos by hand or on your computer? By hand. I have a notebook where I write down all of my projects. I've just always found computers to be highly inconvenient for writing, especially if inspiration strikes. Imagine if everytime I wanted to write something down, I had to wait for a laptop to boot up. I would never get anything done! Especially if your laptop is over a year old, it'll take a good 5-10 minutes to fully boot. More than enough time for me to go off and do something else and forget I ever wanted to write. And the few times I have written anything on a computer, I just forgot I ever did because that's not what I use computers for, ever.

Have you seen a Netflix show called Atypical? No.

How long did it take to record and edit your most recent hypnotherapy video? If we're talking just the audio, I did have nearly 2 hours of footage for what turned out to be a 45 minute video. I think I worked on this for like 5 days because you can only listen to your own voice for so long before you just can't focus anymore. The spacing was the most time consuming part. I think viewers just assume we record things the exact way they hear it which couldn't be further from the truth. Every number you heard was individually edited and spaced, meaning the "silence" was manually added and edited between each number to create the right pace and rhythm. I spent several hours just going 99 - two three four - 98 - two three four - 97 - two three four... and with each round of adjustments I made changes to each of the numbers that sounded slightly off. Seventy-seven takes longer to say aloud than twenty-two so you have to account for that difference and just kinda play by ear. The panning was done manually, aswell as during the recording so it took an extra few hours to do that. If only attention to detail was rewarded by the algorithm lol. 

Do you like Celtic music? Yes, love it. It has an enchanting, nostalgic sound to it that's really unique.

Do you like penguins? I do not feel strongly about penguins. 

Do you like garlic bread? I feel strongly about garlic bread. (Yes)

Do you like spicy food? I love spicy food but I usually go for a medium spice here in the US. I still want to be able to taste other flavors. They do not fuck around with spice in these parts. 

What do you need to know to be able to do a tarot card reading? Well, honestly, surprisingly little. You basically need to own a tarot deck and be able to read words because most of them come with a pamphlet explaining what all the cards mean. With that, you can very well do a tarot reading without going indepth into suits, elements, zodiac, imagery and symbolism. Anyone can get started very easily, really. Over time you will learn if you lean more technical or intuitive while doing readings. This might not surprise you but I'm an intuitive reader so I rely a lot on the energy of each card and the symbolism of what I see in the pictures. It helps that my deck (thoth) is very easy to read, visually. Technical readers just memorize the meaning and associations of each card and apply it to the question, though there is always some amount of intuition involved. I know tarot can look intimidating to get into, but really, if you don't understand something you can just "google it".

How much do you know about referred pain? I know before I received chiropractic adjustments, I had crippling back pain every day from jammed nerves and the pain often came up in a different place than my doctor explained the nerve interference was at. A big problem for me was the region of my spine opposite my breast bone that led to frequent stomach aches. That has been my whole experience with referred pain so far. My nervous system was all kinds of fucked. 

Any advice on how to recall dreams better? Dream journal. No way around it. Buy a notebook and keep it by your bed and when you first wake up, write down everything you remember. Because if you wait too long, it's gone. You have to catch it right as you're shifting consciousness back into the physical. Memory is a muscle you have to train and none of us do it enough these days. Why would we if we can just "google it" anytime we think of or need something? We are relying so much on modern conveniences that we don't remember anything anymore. If you want to relearn how to remember your dreams, give them space in your everyday life. By physically writing them down you are saying to your brain "this is important, this is something you should pay attention to" and after a while, it will come naturally. 

What are some production aspects of making ASMR pieces that are unexpectedly tricky or time-consuming? It'd be nice to get some insight into the unique challenges BTS, as ASMR production is known to have a lot of particular hiccups & impediments that the viewer wouldn't assume initially. Oh good gods, where do I start. ASMR is 1000x more difficult than regular sound recording because of the volume. You're trying to capture the slightest, softest sounds which means the microphone you work with is more sensitive than the human ear. Not only is it more sensitive than the human ear, it's also painfully indiscriminate and it makes you realize one thing very powerfully: everything makes noise. Noises you didn't realize were there will interfere with your recording. Unless you're working in a professional, 100% sound proofed studio, ambient noise will always be there. Cars, people, appliances, ceiling fans in different rooms, AC units - all these things will make noise and it's hard to draw a clear line in these myriads of tiny sounds which ones really warrant cuts and which ones you just have to live with. It makes audio recording a very high strung activity. And even if you can eliminate all the outside contamination, your own body makes noise. If I eat anything before audio recording, I'll never hear the end of it. Sometimes I'm lucky if I get two syllables in between digestion noises. Your mouth makes noises and once you hear it, you will never ever unhear it. I had to retrain myself to speak to minimize wet mouth sounds for ASMR videos. I know it's kind of a huge selling point for a lot of people, but I hate them. Absolutely cannot stand that distracting smack-smack. There's this one dull noise that appears when I say certain syllables and for the longest time I was like "wtf am I hearing..." y'all - it's the sound of my molars clanking together in my mouth. The things you hear with a microphone like that will astound you. One time I accidentally switched the bass roll-off on while moving the 3dio and suddenly I was listening to the radio in my headphones. It is absurd. Everytime someone in the neighborhood has to go somewhere or comes home, you're on forced break. Everytime some moron with a microscopic dick revvs his engine on the highway, you're on forced break. If that one motherfucker on your street doesn't bring the damn dogs inside all day and night, you're not working. Boom-box guy decides to hang out somewhere in a 10-mile radius, you're not working. Someone decides to mow their lawn on the other street, you're not working. The biggest challenge, therefore, is to get any work done. That's why I have been consistently dubbing my own videos - while it takes a long time to do, it gives me infinitely more control over the finished product. It's so much easier to pull a video together when you don't have to wait for that one in a trillion opportunity where you can get perfect audio and video at the same time. In the cut scenes of Ozark tales, I still use live audio and even though I need less than a minute of footage at a time, it's surprisingly hard to get one uninterrupted minute of recording in, especially while also doing hand movements in back-breaking poses around a camera on a tripod while avoiding any body part touching the tripod whatsoever since you'll be able to hear that and making it look smooth and relaxing while you yourself are the opposite of smooth and relaxed. The mic placement is another issue with live audio. I specialize in roleplays so I cannot have the microphone in the frame at all - that's a surefire way to break the immersion. Those are the most obvious issues I have trying to do my job. Besides editing all the different layers of sounds, one thing that is unusually time consuming is set design. You have to figure out where everything goes and how everything is lit. I don't use chroma screens simply because I'm stupid and never figured out how to account for the lens vignette. So I make a custom set for every single video and it takes a while to pull one together. I only have so much room for props in this house so every new video has a preparation period where I just accumulate stuff that I want to use to decorate my set. Say I want to make a mermaid themed video. I don't exactly keep mermaid themed stuff around the house. So I have to have at least a rough idea of how I'm gonna lay out the video and then I have to try to find the stuff I need to make it a convincing and beautiful set. The reason why I'm making so many witchy videos is because I already conveniently have shit on hand. That's not a set, that's just my house lol. Anything else takes vastly more prep.

Sorry if this has already been asked before, but you do ever get creative block? And if so, do you have any tips for overcoming it? Oh, absolutely. First, let's establish. We're talking about creative block, right? Not creative burnout? Because those are different issues that kinda lead to the same outcome. Creative block is when you have the energy to create, you want to create, but it's not coming together. I have isolated some factors that stunt my creative ability so I hope these insights will be useful to you.
1 - low self-worth and devaluation. I struggle a lot with this and this may sound shocking to you, but I devalue myself to the point where I think something is not good enough, inferior, unwanted, ugly and stupid just because I made it. The issue here is that I expect nothing less than brilliance of myself and nothing kills a creative process quite like feeling anxious about not measuring up. I have to remind myself that I have a tendency to be way too hard on myself and that if literally anyone else made the same thing I'm making, I would be able to see the value in it. If you can, learn to separate your creation from yourself. This is easier said than done if your creation directly involves you as a person (because heaven knows all hell will break loose if my face isn't in every single video I post) but I do this for a living so creating literally anything is better than nothing. And while I do have my standards and my principles for what I think is worth my time, whenever I feel overwhelmed with the demands I put on myself, I try to make something real easy. It's easier to do a simple video really well than to constantly try to blow away your audience with complex and intricate videos. Professional dancers become professionals by practicing the same basic steps over and over and building on those. Sometimes you just have to get back to the basics and do something that comes real easy - something you don't have to work hard at - to release resistance to the creative process.
2 - feeling uninspired. The creative process is as much about taking things in as it is about putting things out. You ever hear the expression "you can't pour from an empty cup"? this is very much true for creative work. from my experience, there are usually 3 reasons why your cup is empty.
a - you're fresh out. You already poured everything you had into the creative process and whether or not you're trying to continue what you started or you finished and want move on to the next one pronto - you just don't get around taking time off to fill your cup. It's not always easy. I know when I'm on a roll, I want to keep going until I physically die. But sometimes we get so invested in work, we forget that we have other needs that are going unmet. Ask yourself which areas of your life you have neglected and work on those. Go work out, go on a walk, talk to a friend, play a game, do something just for fun. Most people don't realize that they themselves are an integral part of the process. If you're not happy, healthy and balanced, why do you expect yourself to put out in spite of yourself? A sick doctor can't heal. A tired creator can't create. Self-care is extremely important if you're working with creative energies.
b - you didn't finish what you started. Sometimes when we struggle to start a new project, it's because we don't realize we've been pouring into old projects we never finished. Look around you. How many things did you start and never complete? It's this clutter of half-baked creations that is draining our mental resources to the point where we have nothing left to put into something new. The solution would be to either finish what you started to free up room in the matrix of creation or scrap it and clean up everything involved. You'd be surprised how much energy clutter attracts. Just cleaning up your space can instantly help the energy and inspiration flow again.
c - you're covering your cup and you don't realize it. When we're really absorbed in a project we can become clouded and stuck in a pattern of thinking that doesn't let any new thoughts through. I'm sure you know the feeling when you're so deep into your project that you're not even living life anymore. Well, it can be tricky, but you absolutely must remain open if you want to receive inspired energy. It would be beneficial to distance yourself both physically and mentally from your project, shake off all the stale thoughts and gain some perspective. In this case, any distraction is a good distraction. We must not be so stubborn as to insist on finishing something that still needs to be developed. Sometimes, we really just need to do nothing for a while until all the related thoughts have left. And then we can come back and reevaluate. Because by trying to force creation and continuing to give energy to thoughts that have dead-ended, you're closing yourself off from the input your project needs to become what it wants to become. You ever heard of the expression "you can't see the forest for the trees"? That's the rut we can drive ourselves into mentally if we aren't careful. To remedy that, distract yourself from the issue and don't come back until you stop feeling strongly about it to avoid running into the same dead-ended thoughts again.

Some spiritual ways to help with creative block:

1 - cleanse yourself. a shower, salt bath, smudging, whatever you want, will help shake off the stubborn thoughts you carry around that are accumulating energy around themselves and inhibiting the natural flow.
2 - invite inspiration. find a quiet spot and meditate on your project, then say aloud "I hereby invite all necessary components to enable this project to become everything it wants to be. I call all spirits, energies and resources to find me and come alive through me. I open myself up to be a willing participant in the creation of [your creative project]". don't expect anything, just finish whenever you feel you've got your message across and move on with your day. you'd be surprised how much you can receive just by asking nicely.
3 -  leave offerings. Incense, candles, flowers, tea, coffee, moon water, crystal water, sweets... spirits. love. stuff. Whenever you offer anything, say "I offer this [your offering of choice] to the spirits that aid me in the successful creation of [your project]". You don't even have to have an altar, a windowsill or nightstand or any undisturbed surface will do. Preferably close to where you work, though.

I hope these insights help you to clear yourself and get back into the flow. Best of luck⛥

Have you ever been to the Ozarks? Given that Missouri is literally part of the Ozarks, yes, I kinda live here. 

Do you like cheesecake? I love cheesecake. Still have to visit a cheesecake factory (chain restaurant that specializes in cheesecakes, for my non-US readers) when I get a chance. 

Have you ever seen the northern lights? Not irl. I never had the privilege of traveling far enough north to see them. 

Does Ash have a cat tree? She doesn't have a cat tree and at this point I'm not convinced she would use one. The closest thing she has is a short scratching post play tunnel and she looked at it maybe once before it became a glorified door stop in our bedroom. She has multiple scratching toys downstairs which she happily uses, but mostly she seems to like hanging out with us and using regular furniture. That's not to say I wouldn't absolutely get her a tiny chaise lounge if we saw one. 

Have you ever experienced a tornado season before? Have you been prepared for tornado safety now that you’re in the Midwest? I have not. We don't really get tornadoes in this part of Missouri, though. By the time it makes it to our parts, it's basically just a kinda heavy storm. The only thing I know about tornado/storm safety is find a basement, bring my plants inside and anything beyond that is the landlord's responsibility. 

I hope this was an interesting read for you, thank you for asking so many wonderful questions again. I literally worked so long on this Patreon gave me a captcha in the middle of it to prove I'm not a robot lol. A new post for your questions will be available again next month. Now I must see to my duties as a cat mom and spoil my hairy child to death. She has just made herself comfortable in my lap as I'm finishing this post. It looks like it might rain so we may not go outside today, but I will let her decide if she feels up to it. I hope May treats you beautifully and remember to actually live your life and not just produce. Best wishes⛥