When my introduction post on Steemit began trending, I was so confused I immediately called my friend @mada looking for some clarification on what was happening. @mada introduced me to Steemit a few weeks earlier, but I just approached it as a hopeful alternative to Facebook […which it still is for me]. I knew there was potential to earn revenue, but my unfamiliarity with cryptocurrency kept that from being a motivating factor in my decision to create an account. When I’d visit the site […kind of obsessively that first day], I’d see my introduction hanging at the top of the trending feed […having a lot more perspective on how big of a deal that was now that I’ve been here a couple of weeks], and this curious, fluctuating dollar value at the bottom left. It was big. For a broke-ass freelance artist…really big.
@mada explained to me that this was, in fact, actual money. I couldn’t believe it. We sat down at our usual coffee shop and he gave me a crash course on earnings, and where this revenue goes. Half to Steem Dollars, half to Steem Power. What I’d be able to do with it after the one week hold. I’ll be honest, I was looking at an immediate payout of $634, not knowing where the $350 I was still short on paying my mortgage was going to come from. The following week, I was having anxiety dreams about Steemit […which I actually wrote about in my earlier blog “Am I the only one having stress dreams about Steemit?”], and money in general. The prospect of a $634 payout for writing a blurb about myself would put me at ease, but I still didn’t believe it would ever materialize.
I’d check a few wallets and see authors transferring amounts of Steem that could buy and sell my house to Poloniex. “What the fuck is Poloniex?!”. I’d accepted that this was just something rich guys and trust fundees did as social experiments in cryptocurrency. Something I’d never have a chance to do myself, so I just kept writing because I have a lot to say, and Steemit seems to appreciate that effort a Hell of a lot more than Facebook.
Okay, but then…my week was up. My STEEM DOLLARS cleared and were available to do with whatever I so chose. I, again, met with @mada and started the arduous process of conversion to get this currency in to my checking account where I could spend it on the countless payments I was late on or in danger of missing. I should, again, punctuate, that even as I sat there setting up Coinbase accounts and watching tutorials on Shapeshift, I still never thought this would work in a million years. I was almost going through the steps in spite of the potential success just so I could say “See! it’s all bullshit. This is for rich people!”.
Guess what? It fucking worked! I went STEEM to Bitcoin, Bitcoin to USD and got my notice that my funds should arrive in my Wells Fargo account Wednesday. I’m still kind of reeling from this whole experience. It’s so much more than just money for content creation. The ripple affect goes through so many aspects of my life. It completely changes how I look at other social media platforms […the resentment that is beginning to set in knowing I opted in to those silos with virtually no return or appreciation is going to reverberate with each new Steemit user], and has sparked a renaissance in creative thinking and ideas in myself.
An interesting footnote is that the morning my SBD arrived, I’d gotten a call from a woman in LA that was looking to book a shoot with me in November. She sent her deposit that afternoon which alleviated most of the stress I was shouldering regarding my impending mortgage payment. When it came time, I actually decided to only send 250.000 STEEM […I did a 10.000 test transfer since this was my first time messing with Shapeshift and Coinbase, and 240.000 shortly there after once I was sure it worked], and surprisingly […even to myself], converted the remaining 186.968 STEEM to STEEM POWER for my account.
In that instant, this all became very real for me. I’m a single dad and a freelance artist. When I write these blogs, I do so in bits and pieces between a five year old asking me to buy him magnetic slime and dinosaur toys that he sees on YouTube Kids. I get a paragraph or two done between cooking lunch and folding laundry. To know that the time I’m investing in my blog here on Steemit has value, and that people are upvoting my writing, photography and illustration is not only humbling; it’s liberating! It’s given me a profound sense of self worth that I’m reaching people on a daily basis. Sincerely, thank you all for your upvotes, comments and feedback.
I'm here for the long haul. I post everyday, so you can follow my blog here!
Much of my work is available on my Instagram @Kommienezuspadt.