Hello from Jan: A Thriving Writer's Journey to Finding the Hive

Here's the scoop on me: I'm a writer with a side of web design. Been buttering my bread with pixels and codes for 14 years.

Mom to a fantastic 10-year-old, part of the vibrant 🌈 LGBT community, and a buffet of hobbies – waveboarding, hoarding VHS tapes (yes, they still exist), puzzling, art, and practicing the Filipino martial art Yaw-Yan.

I've been postponing this intro for days. But here it is...

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MY NAME IS JAN_{✨ And I've Been Writing Since I was 8 Years Old ✨}

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I started writing for myself, in a locked "diary" with the key kept securely under my pillow. But let's be real, it was as secure as a chocolate bar at a kids' party.

That same lock 🔒 can be easily pried open by the less-than-ninja skills of my privy big brother. There he found out about my crush, and how I'd like to marry and have a family with him someday.

All the cringe paid off when I learned that no secret is safe in this world.

So, why hide my words? My writings should be out there!

Like a true millennial, I jumped onto the Blogspot bandwagon in the late 2000s. Bought a domain later, chatted to imaginary friends in my twenties, and embraced the echo of my own voice.

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THEN CAME MEDIUM_{✨ Loved the people, but the platform won't love me back ✨}

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I adored the readership. Loved the people, not so much the platform that denied me of their partnership program after almost 2 years with them.

I stopped writing for months and was looking for a new shelter. I want to read about people's experiences, and wish to be heard as well.

And then I got a referral from @itravelrox to check out Hive. Like me, Rox has started writing on Blogspot in the early 2010s. In the beginning, we were both our top readers.

So Hive 🐝 it is... and I got hooked! Not only because of my ADHD geeking over (or hyperfixating) on Blockchain apps, but I love the communities so far.

I love that there's a clear sign of reciprocity in this platform.

My voice has found its hive. I can buzz my way to making a connection.

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MY MANTRA?_{✨ Give us time and money, and we'd all be creating or soaking in art.✨}

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If being asked the popular question "If money is not an issue, what would you be doing?"

Creating or consuming art. With passion. In more ways than one, I'd be the creator I'm meant to be. Whether it's conservative self-expression to full-blown nudity, man, I'd consume every bit this world has to offer.

Thanks for having me here.

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