We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Claire Weaver a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Claire thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I’ve always been a fan of horror movies, ghost stories and all things spooky. For a long time, I wanted to try my hand at paranormal investigating – going into haunted places at midnight, headlong into danger, to seek out the things that go bump in the night. Call me weird, but that kind of adventure is 100% my cup of tea!

I’d always subconsciously assumed, however, that being a paranormal investigator is something one has to be “qualified” for, or somehow need permission to do. So for years I had this longing, this desire, to pursue my dream, but I was waiting for someone to tell me it was ok to go ahead and actually START DOING IT. I was locked in my comfort zone, and I needed to challenge myself to break out.

One day, I had a mental shift. I realized, no one was going to come along and tell me I had permission to do this. No one was going to invite me onto their team. No one even knew that this was a dream of mine! The only thing in my way was myself – and the answer to moving forward was also within me. I gave myself permission, figured out the details, and launched myself forward into those dark and scary places on my own personal quest.

One thing led to another, and soon I found myself running a documentary series about the paranormal, working with producers to develop TV shows, and writing a book about my experiences. I auditioned for reality shows and even ended up getting a degree in Demonology! One small mental leap led directly to so much success.

Most importantly, I gained confidence in myself and my abilities, and I learned how to recognize when I’m holding myself back. I can feel the edges of my comfort zone, and I know from experience that the real rewards lie beyond its boundaries.

Claire, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a creative person, I wear a lot of hats! I’m primarily a screenwriter, journalist and author – I’ve written movies and TV shows, articles about travel and nerd culture, comic books and short stories, a non-fiction memoir, and so much more. I run two successful YouTube channels (8-BitTerror and SpawnicusRex), where I livestream video game playthroughs, write and edit tips & tricks videos, and manage a fantastic community. I’ve run three podcasts – most recently a niche podcast about the video game Days Gone, which is at over 50 episodes and counting! I hunt ghosts, cryptids, UFOs and demons as a paranormal investigator, and I collect vintage Ouija boards and oracle cards.

I guess you could say I’ve never wanted to be “normal” by traditional standards. I love being creative, and I’m passionate about encouraging others to follow their own creative dreams.

One of the things I am most proud of is the Days Gone Podcast. My first few episodes were pretty rough – the sound quality was terrible because I had the wrong mic input selected, and I hadn’t scripted anything in particular to say. It was just me talking to the microphone, expecting maybe 10 people to ever listen to it… But it was driven 100% by passion, and that came through in spades. People gravitated toward the passion behind my words and my dedication to the game. I was able to interview bigger and bigger names associated with the game, including the game director, the writer, and the lead actor! Most importantly, what grew from that passion is a thriving community of gamers, nerds and fans, who support each other’s dreams and creative endeavors.

The community I’ve built for my gaming livestreams shares the same sentiment. I’ve seen a lot of gaming communities filled with toxicity and negativity, but we have a different kind of attitude in my little corner of the internet. I’m proud to have built a welcoming, supportive and fun place to hang out!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Being artistic, in whatever capacity, can be a lot of fun – but it’s mostly a lot of WORK. Writing, editing and even playing video games for a living is a job, and to be successful, it has to be treated that way.

I often work 12+ hour days, and in all honesty, my brain is never off the clock. Creativity takes a toll, and if I’m not careful, it can take over my entire life. Having multiple projects on the go at once is a rewarding endeavor, but I have to remind myself to take time to relax!

I often think about how I will look back on my life when I’m, say, 80 years old. Will I look back and remember the times I worked really hard on a project to get it in by the deadline? Or will I remember the times I smiled, laughed with friends, and watched a beautiful sunset?

How did you build your audience on social media?

To tell the truth, I’m not on a lot of social media platforms! For the channels I run, we don’t see a lot of crossover from Instagram and Twitter bringing viewers to YouTube. What we’ve found success in, however, is Discord.

One of the main pillars of success on YouTube is community, and as I talked about above, I’m proud to have built a thriving, welcoming community around our channels. The live chat on our gaming streams is one of the core reasons we have returning viewers (who often transition into paying members, thus supporting the channel further). By providing an “offline” space for conversation, we’ve created a hub where viewers can continue conversations with each other, build friendships and interact on a more personal level with the streamers. This feeds back into the channels by boosting that sense of community, and we’ve seen a lot of fantastic growth because of this.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: My video game & podcast Instagram can be found @8_bitterror and my paranormal investigating account is @eeriecalifornia
• Youtube: My channel is https://www.youtube.com/@8bitterror I also manage content at https://www.youtube.com/@spawnicusrex Please drop in on a livestream sometime and say hi!
• Other: Listen to the Days Gone Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0i1nAhbGusr4Cv7YCIuxRL Check out my book, Chasing Ghosts, at https://amzn.to/454QCkA