We were lucky to catch up with Christie Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.

Christie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I have always felt that people, in general, are always too afraid to take risks. The are too afraid to step out of their comfort zone and live the lives they are truly meant to. During Covid lockdowns I took a look around myself and saw the world that I lived in and I knew it made me miserable. In that moment I decided to take the leap and live the life I always wanted. I sold everything I own and began the adventure of living on the road. I started my paranormal event company which lead to spo many opportunities. I have travels the country and gone to some of the most haunted locations in America. I have also experienced many things like swimming with manatees, bioluminescent kayaking and so much more. I have ventured into so many lost and beautiful places that this country has to offer. The risk is always the need to still be able to make that car payment, phone bill and just being able to feed yourself. The security of being financial stable is still the greatest risk I face but the payoff of living a life I love it well worth it.

Christie , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As all of our journeys begin the day we are born so did mine. At a young age I was looking for an escape from a, not so good, home life. I found myself getting involved with a man who was 21 when I was just 15. When I was 16 I was pregnant with our first if four children. The ten years I spent with him were, for lack of a better word, hell. Not only was he abusive but so was his mother. When I first became pregnant we ended up living in homeless shelters until the baby was born. We would end up homeless several times throughout the relationship. The abuse and his drug use really picked up after our first was born and it would just continually get worse. Due to his terrible drug use we would live with his mother on and off. It was discovered some time later that, it is believed, his mother tried to poison me.
The relationship finally ended when he took his like in 2003 leaving me a widow with for young children at the age of 23 years old. This meant a lot of therapy and self healing.
The entire story is very long but this bit of background information, that i have given, is very important to how I ended up where I have. The healing is the part of my journey that I cherish the most. That is where I found I have a calling to help others heal. I remember laying on the couch a few days after his death contemplating why we bother to do anything when we all just eventually die. I contemplated the point of all of it. That day I gave myself a choice. I could lay there and die, and that meant my kids would suffer, or I could get up and fight and do something good for this world. I like to believe that I chose the latter.
During my time of healing I decided to go to college. I would earn my bachelors degree, from the University of South Carolina, in media arts focusing on film production and sound design. I also spent those years as a professional musician and had a song air on the radio. Over time I discovered my immense love of film and was lead into the paranormal field.
There were many times during all of these steps that I struggled to keep my own trauma at bay. It was tough to be so young with so many kids and primarily on my own. I fought it anyways. I spent many nights in meditation, prayer, tears and everything I could to find my soul again. Finding your true spirit is tough for anyone but with such immense trauma it can be a lot harder but I did it. I did it at least enough for me to continue fighting and finding my way.
I spent a long time questioning why I ended up where I have. One day I finally understood. During one of my events I found myself in a dark haunted basement with a stranger and he was pouring his heart out to me. In tears he was asking for guidance and help healing. This is what I have been doing ever since. This is my motivation for everything I do. It is to pass love and healing to anyone and everyone that I can. It has given me the motivation to contuinue to push forward as much as I can.
Many people come to me daily for words of encouragement and healing. I am now at a point where I get paid and receive invites to come and speak. It sometimes seems strange to me that this is where my journey has lead me but it also makes the most sense. My career still continues to grow.
My event company began because I wanted to live on the road and travel and this was a way to make money and it was something I greatly enjoyed. Turning my hobby into my job was the best decision I ever made and the impact is even greater. I am now starting to have sold out events and I have also created a line of products that fit my profession. When we are in slow season I make custom hand etched ouija boards, design t-shirts, do graphic design for my clients (most of which are haunted locations and historical societies) and so much more. I also have a unique style so people began asking to buy my handmade hair pieces, fragrant creations and other little things that I wear.
I have also found that people take a great interest in my lifestyle choices. This pushed me to make a patreon, write a book (that will soon be released) and film everything that I do. While filming I decided to put together some episodes of the paranormal investigations that I had done. These episodes ended up getting picked up by a big name in the paranormal field and placed on his streaming service as well as Amazon Prime. They also landed me TV spots on Destination Fear as well as Most Terrifying Places in America, both have aired on TravelChannel. They also encouraged me to start my own series, My Life With Ghosts, that is currently in post production phases.
The list of opportunities has been endless and continues to get larger every day. It came with great sacrifice. I initially worked 10 hour work days and came home to work another 6 or more if I could. It is a constant push every single day. My focus has always been to show my kids that you can live tour dreams and the need to help others. I have been giving myself a voice after not being allowed to have on for the first half of my life. the sky truly is the limit if you are willing to step out of your box and take the risks. It is tough but, in the words of a spirit as told to me, NEVER GIVE UP!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is a great tool for growing your business. The entire basis of my career and life is all about creating the deep human connection that we are meant to have. I have used social media to make so many connections but there is one more step that is the most important. You must meet people in person. Social media is a stepping stone to that but the connection you gain in person goes so much further. When you meet people in person they then tell others what they think of you. When meeting people you must be genuine. Without people we have nothing. They all drive us forward and they all buy our products. If you do not genuinely care about them they will know and your followers will suffer. People crave that connection.
People also talk. I can not express how many times I gained a new follower, costumer or friend because someone else valued me and told others how much the appreciated me. That, in fact, is how I am here right now in this article. I met a fellow artist online and I am a huge fan of his work. We have become friends through facebook and have helped each other through so much. I have written some things for him and in turn he creates my logos. It is a perfect working relationship and friendship. We help each other grow each others fan base.
It is always very important to engage your people in everything. People find great joy in talking about themselves. So help them. Ask daily questions about who they are and what their likes and dislikes are. Let them know you care about who they are and what they do. Let them know they are appreciated. Value every single person who gives you any bit of their time. Time is our most precious commodity so never waste a second of any ones. Be thankful they chose to share some of yours with you.

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.

So many people struggle with the idea of becoming a creative. The term “starving artist” is no joke. There is something to be said about people who would rather live their dreams instead of the mundane life that society offers. I see so many people in their offices working the same job doing the same thing day in and day out. I do not understand how that is doable. I simply can not handle it. the further I have removed myself from society the harder it is for me to understand it anymore. I feel like people who live that sort of life, and no judgement, don’t understand the internal struggle that creative people go through. It is a deep seeded feeling of needing peace. It is finding the healing that a bandaid could never fix. I have many people ask me why I chose to live the way I do and tell me how much they wish they could do the same. They can do the same, we all can.
One time I had a friend ask me why I chose to live VanLife. I explained it like this. “You can not understand the feeling of needing to be able to leave society at any given moment. The thought that you are no longer wanted, the fear that someone will suddenly turn on you and the heartache that is caused by society. I need to be able to go at any point and this is how I do it.” The creative parts of me want nothing but to create joy, love and peace for everyone, sadly, that is not always possible.
Art is beauty and creativity is freedom. Freedom is the reason I do all that I do. The freedom to express myself in a way that brings healing to others. It gives people hope and inspiration. Yes, I do all this for myself but i also do it for others. If it was only for me then it would all be worthless.

Contact Info:

• Website: patreon.com/ParaGypsy
• Instagram: @The_ParaGypsy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Athena2956/
• Twitter: ParaGypsy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9pkaqC3tNQNrvRzDJULDKA
• Other: Find me by searching ParaGypsy on any social media platform