Yesterday, @hitmeasap wrote a great article about seeking out whale votes and how that’s a bit silly. It, apparently, hasn’t yet gotten a big whale vote itself, although it is deserving, because the earnings are at about $40, but it has 207 votes! Something obviously resonated with a bunch of integrity-focused minnows. I hope it does really well, because it’s an important message for us all here, especially those just starting out.

It got me thinking again about this platform and gratefulness again in a big way.

Here’s the thing: I had a slow week compared to my first couple of weeks on here.

And you know what? Even though as an artist my financial situation is always precarious and so I feel it in a direct way maybe some others don’t, I’m really and truly not disappointed. I don't feel entitled to automatic earnings.

Somehow, early on, I was able to get in the right frame of mind with Steemit, which is one of gratefulness for a great platform where the earnings are certainly motivating, but primarily icing on what is substantively a very good cake.

Wanting to do well is a good thing. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, and it’s one of the reasons the content on here is worlds above every other social media option. Competition to a large degree can encourage betterment and excellence. Frankly, I feel the very real pressure here to produce consistent, good content--and it’s hard! But that’s GOOD, because otherwise it would be quite easy to start putting less effort into my posts. But I know that won’t fly here. And that’s refreshing. Giving people an authentic way to “do well” in a concrete way like earnings has certainly caused a hike in quality, as we see every day on Steemit.

However, we have to see “doing well” on a broader spectrum.

The simple fact that there is a place where a person who is working hard can build an authentic following is incredible.

Do you know how valuable that actually is??

I can’t tell you how much time I have likely wasted trying to curate content on other platforms for an audience that emphatically was not listening. Many of you have had the same experience. It is so discouraging.

But your time never feels wasted on Steemit, because you are always able to be building something and making progress.

Every day, you have the chance to make new friendships, support people in their ideas and dreams, get people interested in your work, produce good content that people will actually take time with, be fascinated by cryptocurrencies, and engage in interesting, intelligent, respectful conversation. Like, with paragraph breaks and capitalization and everything.

And you get to do that with relative anonymity (less so for me, obviously, but it’s at least free of the immediate realm of what I call the “small town experience” of social media—all of those people who think they know you but don’t!).

For an artist, it’s a dream I have to pinch myself about every day:

"You mean there is really a place on the internet where I can actually be myself, share what I actually care about even if it’s challenging, and not capitulate to shallow tripe?”

"Where people actually care about my lyrics and my thoughts and not whether I pepper my feed with bikini shots?”

"Where people have both critiques and encouragement to offer me, but always in sincerity and respect?”

I don’t know about everyone else, but I am thriving here. That is beyond whale votes.

It’s cliche to say, but it really is priceless. The encouragement I am finding here, more than a little extra cash, is the most life-changing aspect for me.



So, today, I want to encourage you all in gratefulness for a meaningful platform where we all are really given a fair shot at doing well in our craft. If you look only at the earnings subject, there is a huge element of "unfairness" and unpredictability here, especially when you discuss something like the whale vote dynamic—but far more than that there is the reality of that “fair shot.” There is a level of consistency here such that you see people respond authentically to good content, and you can have real hope of doing well in the long run, in a bunch of different ways.

So.. today? Please don’t take Steemit for granted! There is a bigger picture at work. Join me in being as grateful as you can and seeing yourself on the ground floor of building something truly worthwhile! Keep giving real value, and let’s see where this takes us all in the coming months and years.






Xx, Kay