This morning I received a notification that I have been on the blockchain for 5 years. I did not plan on making a post about it. I did not write something last year. But being half a decade old on here I think it is worth making even the slightest mention.
I still remember the day I received the email that my account was accepted and created. I was standing in the golf club's bar, ordering a beer when the notification popped up on my cellphone. I hear about the platform from a YouTuber. I took the dive and jumped into the best time of my life.
But it all slowed down when the previous platform did what it did and I thought that that was the end. I stopped posting. But someone commented on my latest post that everyone moved to Hive. I hope he is fine with me mentioning him in this post. I have stated this many times to him and I have thanked him so many times, but 
And this led to two things: my creative work continuing and my writing improving to such a point that I do not think my academic work would have been where it is now if it was not for this platform.
At first, I did not even take photographs anymore when the other platform became less active. I put away the camera and it gathered dust. But due to Hive and the many communities dedicated to creative work, especially photography, I actually took some of the best photographs of my life.
| Source: Screenshot of my Portfolio on Peakd.com |
A lot of people come to Hive for the money. I still see so many people on my feed complain and ask for money and votes. Yet they miss the powerful point this platform offers: the drive to be better, to inspire, to become who you really want to be. Many days I found myself having the urge to go outside and take the best photographs of my life. I set out to become a better writer. And these things did not just happen. In fact, it took five years. And I am still a novice. I am only starting my life now.
Without this platform, my life would have continued. I might have picked up the camera from time to time. But the platform gave me a purpose to better myself and my skills. It gave me a sense of purpose.
But for me, if not the most important part of this platform was the betterment of my writing. It gave me the platform to write. My academic writing and articles would not have emerged as it did if not for Hive. So many times I hit a stumbling block or a hurdle in my writing, I came to Hive just to express myself in simple words, to express my argument in words that the general public can understand. And this inspired me to continue, to write. It rekindled the fire, the spark. Even now, last week I posted a simplified version of what I wanted to argue for one of my academic articles. I will send it in for peer reviews in two or three weeks, but I would not have been able to write the article if not for Hive.
As someone stated so beautifully today in their post, it is not about the money but sometimes life just throws you curveballs when you need some money. And someone also said, I cannot remember where I read it, that if you do something for money, it becomes a regular job.
Hive to me is not a job.
Hive is a creative outlet in which I can express myself in simple terms.
And this is what Hive has been for me for the last couple of years. It has been a way of expressing myself. To improve my skills. To improve my writing. To be the creative person I always was in school.
And I guess I just wanted to say thank you to whoever, capture this half-decade moment, and make it a bit more concrete. I really look forward to staying here to make even better content, express myself better, and create new works of art. And now that I have a girlfriend, I also share with her this journey. She is also now a big inspiration to be better and more creative. I still have so much to learn and so much to create. Life looks good from this side, even with all the challenges out there.
What a journey these five years have been. What a journey the next five will be. I hope to see you there as well. Stay safe. And I hope inspiration knocks on your door soon.
