The Road So Far

---

Feel free to listen to this song while reading (there is a reference hidden). 😎

This post is about how Steemit rekindled my flame to write on a regular basis.

Don't get me wrong, I always admired the well written word, but due to my everyday work (editing and project management for a text agency), I read and correct so much content of others, that there often is not enough energy left to get the own creative juices flowing – or so I thought.

The first time I heard of Steemit was at a house party at the end of last year. I had a discussion with some friends – the topics: crypto currencies, what when to invest, whitepapers, the Internet of Things and passive income. We were overheard and a Steemian joined our talk (sadly, I don't know his handle to this day).

He told us about a social media platform, where your like/upvote really counts – besides being used for targeted ad campaigns by the usual suspects. Where good content is rewarded and practically eternally stored due to Blockchain technology. All around highly attractive features for an "already believer" in the potential of Blockchain technology and smart contracts.

The next days I read the FAQs, the HowTos, guides and all the other material dealing with the Steemit platform, that I could get my hand and eyes on, to get as much right (or to make just as little mistakes) as possible. Security measures were also a thing to wrap my head around first. Then I registered, waited for a few days and got my account verified.

There was a bit of a learning curve, but I think I got the basics around the first weeks and crawled my way up from this point. I worked with Markdown before and already got to like its simplicity and minimalistic approach.

What really piqued my interest in the platform were the #STEM and #De-STEM (the German branch/equivalent of STEM) communities. Dedicated eople researching facts, writing intriguing articles, always with quality in mind. That's one of the places, where you will find the good stuff. Of course, not the only one, but one of them.

And the writing contests. What fun they are! :D In the past, I couldn't be bothered with them pretty much and only entered on a rare basis (radio shows in fact, where stories were read on air). I guess, it's the direct feedback and the more close-knit community that keep ink and feather – or the keyboard, for that matter – alive.

One of the first Steemit contests I entered was @customnature's Abandoned Shit Weekly. As the name suggests it is an ongoing event with a weekly topic about all things abandoned. If you find pleasure in the aesthetics of worn and torn places, you should go look at the great content the competitors create.

---

One of the pictures I took at an abandoned Soviet outpost back in May 2017.

And that's what makes me find (or free) the time to create my own content with ideas, that would have otherwise perished behind my forehead. This platform is a source of creativity and inspiration. It's not that hard to feel energized and fueled by it.

Now

---

87 days and a whole bunch of comments, replies, posts and 204 followers (THANK you!) later:

I am happy that I did not fall for the "follow and I will follow back" mentality for long and didn't solely build everything around it. I have found many intriguing content makers here and am inspired by their good work. And in their example it shows: Authenticity pays off – in more ways than one.

I'm still a red fish, but my next goal: the big 50.

This is a new and a way more attractive way to publish than the usual options you have as a self publishing author.
I am here to stay. To read and to write.

Thanks for reading.

This is my entry for @mermaidvampire's contest Look what Steemit made me do. If you want to participate as well, the rules (not many strict ones) can be found in the link. A little time is still left (midnight of Monday, April 23, 2018 (Philippine Time) (GMT+8)). Have fun and good luck!

---

| From the author:

If you like my work even beyond the Steem 7-day limit, you can support it via the PayPal link below. I appreciate every bit of it. Thanks!

https://paypal.me/ILikeWhatYouDidThere