raison d'etre, January

The sunlight from my window keeps my room dim yet draws magnificence on the low hanging winter clouds from this view. I fear that the sunset this evening will be one worth the drama, a pity as the family saga will keep me otherwise preoccupied. The flair for life is one that is not lost no matter the activity, so perhaps the sunset will be missed, but moments with loved ones will not. I see that photography is just that, a method to capture, though not every single instance is not up for grabs. I will say this more often because I must accept it. I am quite reluctant.

Curiously, while I feel some chances are fleeting, Nature has a way of persistence I aspire to. After today’s service I caught up with a friend and creator, @bandanaplug and inspired by his recent counsel, I tried yet another social media platform on which to share my creativity. His mention was his younger brother and another close friend of mine, who found some of the long sought after virality of media in these days. A post he shared, a video or another, found its way to half a million views. I did not feign surprise or support, as I noticed this earlier, but my inner skeptic could not help but ask, “So what?”

His adventure and mine are not one and the same, so as he lauds the limelight of a budding platform, I think back to my introduction of STEEM to him. I didn’t pitch its virality, the abundance of thirsty eyes for bonafide harbingers of content, but I succeeded in repeating myself about the rewards. Clearly, I missed the train to his station; why seek eyes, and only eyes on our content? Should not the prospect of value entice one to share their creations? I seem to have forgotten; we do not create for the sake of profit. We are not centralized social media, or anything, making for and making off the backs of people. Desperate to share with him what I see in STEEM, I lost sight of why he wanted to share at all. Maybe I never knew.

While I would certainly be happy if five hundred thousand people saw my photography, I did not capture it for that purpose. I appreciate the added amenity of sharing with the potential to earn, but it’s not the prerequisite. I still think we’d all be much happier if that many eyes meant even a fraction of that number in value given to us, but that’s still just my thinking. I still beam when someone shares a kind word about one of my photos. The engagement must be our pride and glory, but I certainly cannot afford to continue with comments alone. I am at a stage where my work has value, if not, at least merit for the effort, both my subjects and I contribute. I am desirous to share so much; I will gladly post to earn if it means I can post more. Money isn’t everything though, I suppose.