Today marks the first birthday for me on Steemit, counting from my first post, the official joining date was a week ago. I never really celebrate my real birthday but this Steemit birthday is important to me and I want to reflect on some of the things that have happened on my first year in here. It’s hard to know what to write, because my life has changed so drastically, and only for the better. I’ve been a full time Steemian for six months now, and I guess I will go in a somewhat chronological order. I warn you, this post is a going to be a long one.

A little over year ago

I wasn’t happy. A year ago I was in a job I hated, which payed me minimum wage, and I was some 5000€ in depth. Every day I was this close to stepping on a nail in order to not have to go to work. I have literally had my bare foot hovering over a rusty nail, thinking ”if I step on this, I won’t have to go to work for at least few weeks.” I have had my hand between a heavy door and frame, ready to push on it with all my weight. That is how bad it was. I slept only a couple hours at night, and napped for few hours after work, always tired, always feeling bad. I had no desire for anything, I was in search of a way out but I had no idea what to do. I was in limbo.

The start

Fast forward to being introduced to Steemit. ”Hey, you like to take pictures of yourself, maybe you should try if you can monetize on it!” Whaaaat, get money from doing something I have done as a hobby on and off for ten years, “that's a scam!”, as @celestal would say. I had no idea about crypto currencies, I was highly sceptical, but I was willing to give it a try. I joined, did some research, lurked and had an idea for an introduction post. I still think I was pretty damn clever with it. I first thought that okay maybe I can earn a few extra bucks from doing something that I like, and only in the wildest of dreams did I think that I could earn a living by blogging.

Even with being very sceptical and not knowing if anyone would pay attention to me, I decided that if I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do this right. Every post I would make, would have a reason and a story told with pictures. I let go of all the restrains, which was easy partly because no one knew me, and no one I knew was here. From day one, I acted like I had always belonged here and I was determent to leave a mark.

I had done semi nude pictures to Instagram for a long time, but obviously the quality doesn’t matter in there, and likes without any real interaction or getting money for them, is kinda useless. My time is valuable, and I hate wasting it on something that doesn’t bring me anything, money or relationships. For the first time ever, I had a way to get something out of the time I put into my images, other than someone sliding in to my DMs. I was excited and I felt alive again, after being dead inside for so long.

Along the way

After the first payout and learning how to convert the rewards to fiat, I realised that okay, this shit is real. I started to post about five times a week, along with having a full time job. What first started as only self portraits, slowly grew into something bigger. I was first a little hesitant on posting anything else, because I thought that nerd boys only like me because I do nudes, and that if I do anything else, people would loose interest. I love photography and I was so happy to notice that there were new people coming in daily and wanting to see more of me and my photographs.

I got pretty okay rewards right from the start, and when months went by, I started to work harder and harder, because I saw a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. I saw a change, a little possibility, that I might be able to quit the job I hate and is killing me slowly, and live a more free life, doing what I like.

Turning point

I didn’t cash out much in the first half a year, because I wanted to grow my Steem Power, and my crypto portfolio. I did use the money I earned here to help pay off my debt, and pay for my trip to Lisbon for Steemfest 2.

After that trip, the connections and friends I made, I decided that this is it. This is what I need to do in order to be happy. I started working even harder, every day. I did my real job well, but couldn’t care less about it, and for the remaining hours in a day, I worked on creating content to Steemit. Every day, taking steps toward my goal. It was tiring, hard and I was scared. Then came the all time highs, I cashed out a lot, secured myself a little cushioning in fiat, paid all my bills and payed my rent in advance for six months.

I was pretty much ready to quit, just waiting for the right time. Then I got sick, well my hands did. Right before Christmas, my atopic skin had had enough of the kitchen life, and they were bleeding every day. I went to the doctor and she wrote me a three week leave off work and said that I need to change careers. It was a sign that even my body can’t take the cooking job anymore, I need to go. _{Sidenote, took me 5 months to get my hands back to looking normal, though they are still not fully healed.}

I played a full time Steemian for a couple weeks over the Christmas break, and then finally went in to give my notice. From my real life my bff @escapist and @bellum, were both a huge support for me and gave me the final courage to pull the plug on the hamsterwheel job I hated. It was at the same time the scariest and happiest moment of my life.

I was free. I was free to work when I want and sleep when I want. I could wear and say what I wanted, and I was my own boss now. I have a problem with authority and finally I didn’t have to give a shit anymore and act like a good little girl that I am not.

That being said, I work harder, and smarter, than ever before.

Now

I am happy. Not happy go lucky sunshine and rainbows everything is always fantastic, but I am happy most of the time. I stress, I overthink and worry at times, because it’s not like Steemit and crypto currencies are the most stable of incomes.

I am not financially free and I live off the crypto and I am quite dependent on the upvotes I get. But compared to a year ago, I’m doing so much better. I am no longer in debt, and I have a pretty nice portfolio of different cryptos. Even with the market all red, I’m still doing better than I would working in the kitchen, both mentally and financially.

I get to work when I feel like it. I can run around the world if I feel like it, taking pictures and posting them as I wish. I can go out on the weekend because I don’t have to be at work 5.30am on a Saturday, and I can go to spend time with my family on the countryside, when ever I want.

I’m so grateful that I get to share what ever I feel like, and there is an audience for it all. Some like the sexy stuff, others enjoy the nature and travel pictures, some even like when I write and rant, you weirdos.

I have gained support, and I have lost support, but that is the name of the game. I will always be grateful for people who have given me huge upvotes, no matter what their motives might have been. You have helped me to get a better life.

I have a reputation of 70.956 (really wanted to reach 71 before this but couldn’t!) and I have 5920 (really wanted that 6000 before this also) followers, though like we all know, only a fraction of those are real active users, but few have, I’m happy to say, become real life friends.

The Community

I will never say that I don’t care about the money, and that I’m here only for the community, because I’m not. I don’t lie. I am here for both the money and the people. And surprisingly even though I find most people despicable, I am warming up to new people in my life more and more.

I have talked a lot about money in this post, and it’s important, because it has allowed me to do the things I like, it’s a tool to get me where I want. I get to move around a lot more, be on the countryside with my family, run around with my camera on odd hours, travel across half the world to meet new friends.

My first Steemit related gathering was of course Steemfest 2, and even though it was very scary for a shy introvert like me, because I was going alone and still felt very much a newbie after 5 months on Steemit, I am so happy I went. I only knew a few people by name, but wasn’t very close to anyone. I arrived a day earlier to Lisbon but didn’t make any contact to other Steemians until just before the opening drinks. Gladly @jeffjagoe had accommodation close to me and we decided to walk there together, I think I would have bailed out without him figuratively holding my hand. After the initial shyness, _{and after the alcohol kicked in,} I had a blast! Met so many awesome people and we had so much fun all weekend.

Another Steemit related trip was our little Danger Zone meet up two weeks ago, which was so amazing and really warmed my cold little heart to be with people whom I connected with on a real personal level and felt like old friends after only a few minutes. Something like that is rare to me and I can’t wait to explore this side of life more. It was funny that me and @m31 were both on Steemfest 2 but never met until in DZone meet up in Tallinn. Another Steemfest 2 attendee, my favourite Mexican @anomadsoul was going to be there too but couldn’t make it, but we’ll see each other soon when you come to Europe!

I was going through some of my oldest posts and I was happy to notice that some of the people here have been with me right from my early days, @jeffjagoe, the first person I met through Steemit, @sean-king and @steemed-open, who have supported me right from the start and connected with me about being comfortable with nudity, @reinhard-schmid, my favourite painter on Steemit, second favourite in real life because my sister is obviously my favourite. The amazing and kind, dark pin up photographer @kommienezuspadt, @apsu,a fellow Finn, with his horribly good jokes, and @gtg who I had the pleasure of meeting briefly in Lisbon, to name a few. I really hope that during the next year, I will get to meet you all, and many more Steemians I have already connected with but haven’t had the chance to meet yet.

The future

Steemit is still in beta, and I’m still in beta. Steemit is unstable, cryptocurrensies are unstable, I’m a little unstable.

There are powers in play that I can not effect on, this is all a rollercoaster, and I’m just trying to stay on it. I work hard on the things I can have an effect on, aka me and my work, and try to not overthink about the things I can not have an impact on.

I’m interested to see where we go, and where the next year will take me. I’m going to be working hard to achieve my dreams. I want to travel more, meet new people and stay in touch with the old ones, improve my photography and writing skills, and I want to secure myself a more stable future.

My sentence on Steemit continues, and I don't mind at all.

Thank you for the past year, and I hope the next one is even more awesome!

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_{I know it’s a bitch to scroll down to some old posts from a year ago, so if you weren’t following me then, but are interested in how my journey started here, here are links to some of my earliest posts, which many are still relevant and my personal favourites.}

My Introduction Post

Why I'm giving up with other social media sites and sticking with Steemit

Comfortable in my skin

To Free the Nipple, or Not to Free the Nipple

Shameless

Sex Sells, But What are You Selling Baby?

I Think Smoking is Sexy