Jumping in on STEEM!

Hi STEEM users!

My name is Dan Stone and I’m a long-time animation and games industry professional. After several years of observing and keeping up with the crypto-verse, seeing the never-ending gains crypto has made, the innovations, the way it’s been slowly but surely changing the world and how we maintain control of our financial futures, I’m finally at the point where I must participate or miss out.

Here’s my story. As a professional artist, I spend a majority of my time working on projects, writing stories, and picking up new skills, but that doesn’t mean things have been easy. I grew in LA, right in the shadow of the Hollywood Hills, worked as a storyboard artist for animated TV shows and still found myself running on a treadmill, barely staying ahead of bills and rent. Eventually, I took a risk at starting my own business, successfully delivered a product that surpassed my client’s expectations… and I wound up homeless as a result.

That’s when I learned that hard work, keeping your nose clean, and promises made in good faith just weren’t enough to secure yourself in the real world. People can and will use the law and their financial leverage against you if you’re low on the totem-pole. I had already known about bitcoin before then, but the experience made me stand up and pay attention to what was happening in the world of money. I had to start coming up with answers to how to get myself out of a financial hole, gain some real-world business sense, and secure my ability to continue to be an artist.

After several years where I slept in my car, slept in a trailer in someone’s driveway, managed a pizza hut, washed dishes, all while freelancing, writing and drawing a webcomic (pinchcomic.tumblr.com), and teaching myself more and more about finance, I finally find myself in a relatively stable position, ready to get back on track.

Then I discovered STEEM.

A platform that rewards content-creation, which asks only that you invest your time and energy, that can then be shared with others and traded across other currency platforms just seems like a no-brainer. I have to jump in.

I intend to focus on tutorials for various software packages that I’ve gained over a decade’s worth of experience in such as Photoshop, Adobe Animate, After Effects, Blender, Clip Studio, and others. I’m an adept storyboard artist well versed in composing shots, anatomy, character design, environment design, and creative writing. My experience as a team lead within creative studios also allows me to speak on production, maintaining motivation and discipline in creative pursuits, and also hard-earned knowledge of the business side of being creative.

From what I’ve experienced of the STEEM community so far, I can tell that it’s a platform that’s full of enthusiasm, ambition, and fearlessness. This is the exact kind of community I’ve been looking for that I’d be absolutely grateful to be a part of. If you’ll welcome me, I’ll work hard to participate and be a benefit.

Thank you!