Traci Ashbe Dark Epic Fantasy Author

This post originally appeared in my Mindfulness Monday column on the Vermont College of Fine Arts WCYA blog.

I’ve known for ages that social media is a black hole of death that is killing the artist’s soul.

I will go to my grave saying that. You can carve it on my tombstone.

Just to get it out of the way, and because many of us have been academics who are good at acknowledging all sides of an argument: yes, I recognize the myriad ways in which social media has created a global community, fostered social justice movements, created safe spaces for marginalized groups—it is still a black hole of death that is killing the artist’s soul.

I had the privilege of hearing Eckhart Tolle speak and, all hobbitness aside, he is the real deal, with mind-blowing insights (many culled from Buddhism) that strike true. I’m paraphrasing, but…