Becoming a Folklorist #1

An unconventional apprenticeship

I started this Substack at the beginning of 2025 with the below statement:

[Folklore is] an interest of mine that has laid somewhat dormant for the past few years due to the hectic nature of managing/wrangling a young family and the mundanities of life. Since moving to Norfolk five years ago this slumbering enthusiasm has been awakening and, just recently, roaring for my attention! So here I am, armed with notepad, wellies and a pile of folklore books in an attempt to unearth mysteries of the bygone, satiate my curiosity and share my findings along the way.

At first I thought that sharing on here would encourage me to read a bit more about my interests and help improve my writing. However since then my previously slumbering enthusiasm has developed into something more. A vocation perhaps? And this year I have realised that I don’t want it to be ‘just a hobby’.

Which led to the question, how does one become a folklorist?

The standard route is through academia. A master’s degree, followed by a PhD, peer-reviewed research papers, academic conferences, writing and perhaps teaching. However, this is not feasible for me at the moment. I’m a busy, self-employed mum of two with a husband that works away and a pretty tight budget. Funding postgraduate education is not an option (and there aren’t even any majorly relevant courses available near where I live).

Googling ‘How to become a folklorist without a degree’ reveals a succinct list of activities.

• Reading extensively

• Researching in local libraries/archives

• Interviewing family/members of the local community

• Attending events

• Taking short courses

• Publish and share your work

As it turns out, simply by following my nose, I was doing most of those things already!

I’ve spent the last 18 months or so: reading (a lot), I’ve visited local archives and libraries, I’ve spoken to people about folk beliefs, attended events (online & in person), taken a short online course on recording oral history and shared my writing here on Substack and in several articles for a handful of publications.

I wouldn’t currently class myself as a folklorist and I’m still not entirely sure how the role can be defined without formal qualifications. Most of my articles focus on a particular subject (fairies in the main) or a location where something folkish may or may not have taken place. But this new Substack series will be an attempt to document more of the processes behind the research (I did start with a mini TikTok series earlier in the year but there’s only so much you can say in a 60-second video). In this series I’m going to explore my journey and I’m hoping that this will:

A) Help me to be more intentional by creating accountability.

B) Help others who might be wondering the same thing and encourage them to also pursue their passions.

C) To stick my oar in and contribute, however modestly, to the folklore field.

Every third Sunday of the month, I will be sharing where I am on my journey, what I’ve been reading, learning and thinking, places I’ve been, conversations I’ve had, mistakes I’ve made and whatever else might be relevant in my attempt to become a folklorist.

This first article is free to read but I am going to paywall the series going forward as it is more personal and will contain ongoing research, unfinished thoughts and maybe even my innermost feelings 😅 (plus, as mentioned above, I’m on a tight budget and my book habit is insatiable!) My regular folklore investigation articles will remain free to read.