I know how that sounds. “@kommienezuspadt is an asshole!”. I’m won't try and defend that as a general sentiment, but I’m not an asshole because I’m admitting to making Steemit a better place. I know, there’s not a shortage of internet egomania, even here in our little community, but I stand by that statement as a matter of principle! I’ll go one further and point out that you should all be asking yourself if you do as well!
We are all ground floor level right now. The contributions we’re making to the community, the platform and currency will determine Steemit’s future. So, what are you bringing to the table?
I found out about Steemit on a whim. @mada had posted on Facebook an excerpt from his dystopian story "H-17 [part one: an event that might change everything]". As a friend and fan of @mada’s writings, I clicked the link, which took me to this weird portal of www.steemit.com. To be quite honest, I only joined to upvote his story. I started poking around, seeing the unfamiliar term “blockchain”, and attempted to read the Steemit white papers which reminded me of my attempt to finish Greg Graffin’s college doctorate dissertation, “Evolution, Monism, Atheism and the Naturalist World-view”. My head hurt.
During this time, my son had just started Kindergarten. I’d been a single dad for over four years and suddenly, I had six hours a day to myself. The timing was perfect. I decided to make a well thought out, well written introduction post on Steemit […I saw dollar amounts under each post; honestly, my initial thought was this community was smilier to Simbi, which I also joined around the same time and haven’t logged back in to since].
My introduction post, “Kommienezuspadt here on Steemit and I’m bringing 15K pinup girls w/ me!” made $1609 in rewards, which, I’m not afraid to admit now, I suspected to be bullshit. Turned out to be pretty damn real, as @mada walked me through the arduous process of getting SBD to my bank account […upside to being a poor freelance artists is I’ll jump through as many arduous hoops as necessary if it means making money from my art]. I’ve told this story, so I digress, but since then…Steemit has won and kept my heart.
Coming up on a year of being here, I’ve contemplated this phenomenon […and I use that word as a reference to Steemit, even above the phenomenon of broad blockchain technology]. As a working, traveling photographer I’ve made many 4 hour drives between LA and Las Vegas, thinking about Steemit, it’s future, it’s potential, it’s impact on my life, and the impact it will surely have on the lives of those a world away from me. I make notes in my phone; hundreds of worthwhile potential posts yet to come […and I’m not a notes-taking kind of guy]. One of the long drives, I downloaded the audiobook “The Age Of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging The Global Economic Order”.
My short […relatively speaking] tenure with Steemit and cryptocurrency has paid bills, credit cards […once even half of my mortgage]. It’s inspired me to write some 80,000 words in 10 months. Steemit has been the catalyst for an entire new comic book project I’ve been working on between photography and freelance illustration. My work has reached audiences that never would have known I existed. The list goes on and on, and it got me thinking, “…what have I given back to it?”.
I’m going to get a little philosophical on you. One cornerstone of a healthy relationship is the mutually beneficial support and exchange of the partners involved. The “give and take”, that enriches the relationship and strengthens it. Why shouldn’t that apply to my relationship with a social network? Well, I’ve outlined how I benefit, but I’m also happy to proclaim that I do feel I give back fair amount to this unique crypto-partnership.
I might not go down the list of contributions, one at a time. The title of this blog post was meant to be provocative enough to make you read it, but I’m not looking to be overtly “back patty”. My career is, without a doubt, my biggest asset to offer. I have sacrificed for a painstaking 17 years to get where I am now, and the photos I’ve made over the last 5 years will most certainly be the legacy I leave behind when I’m gone. Everything about Steemit, from the platform, to the community, to the rewards architecture, to the transparency, has convinced me that of all the places that “deserve” my most valued time, effort and art, this is it. I have, and will continue to post work here that doesn’t see the light of day anywhere else on the internet, like my recent blog “Exclusive Steemit set w/ Inkmaster winner Ryan Ashley!”.
Personal projects like the Steemit inspired graphic novel/comic book project I’m working on, will eventually reach a new audience, while providing some entertainment for those of us already here. I’m exploring some funding options such as @bitshares and the upcoming tipping feature to make more time, allow me less shooting, so that I can finish the first issue of Cryptopia. Eventually, my hope is to get the comic zine printed and shipped to friends I have in LA, NYC and Germany. Tell the story of the imminent market collapse of traditional currencies and how crypto will surpass the dollar and Sterling, and where Steemit falls in this near future dystopian world. Plenty of literature about Steemit, QR codes to get the readers to the site. That would be a tremendous achievement for me as a comic book artist, and a suiting debt paid to all the positive changes that’ve come in to my life this last year because of Steemit.
9 months ago, I wrote a blog titled “I’ve officially become a Steemit ambassador!”, and since that post I’ve introduced a trove of talented, thoughtful and interesting new users to Steemit. @moony, @vermillionfox, @lonniedi @jezebeljones @kellifury @mtbmondo @vintagevandalizm @velveteendream @ghostfish @britleigh @customnature @mterrisphoto @tarotbyfergus and @scopriodragoness have all joined our quaint corner of the internet […as I recall laughing at @pfunk’s comment “Gooble gobble, one of us! One of us!]. I can rest easy knowing my time here has been spent growing the platform and the community. What a harmonious relationship we’ve cultivated.
You should be able to say “I make this place better.”, and mean it. You might come across as an arrogant prick, but we need people that DO bring something to the table. Folks that move the needle forward continuing the momentum that has pushed the price of STEEM back up over $1.00 […I’m praying to the forces of the universe I can have a hearty laugh at that value when I re-read this in five years]. I know I’m one of those people. As @lovejoy said to me during the days when STEEM was at $0.08, “…the patriot Steemian would continue to post now more than ever. What you do here will leave your mark on the blockchain.”. That stuck with me. When this place party hits the masses and “Steemit” is a word heard daily, in the wild, I’ll know my STEEM POWER, reputation and contributions will have been made with sweat equity.
Thanks for reading. Follow me here @kommienezuspadt.