Good afternoon, Steemit. I’m in bed. Yes. Right now. So many of my beloved Steemians are beginning to share their photos from SteemFest and I’m jealous. It looks like such a wonderful occasion. Each year, since the inaugural SteemFest, there have been obstacles that’ve kept me from attending. Usually financial, but in 2017 when I actually had the money […thanks, Steemit], I had shoot commitments in LA that were iron clad. I’m back to the financial constraints, and even though I can’t be at the party, it’s nice to see so many faces I follow, together, celebrating the blockchain.
This is a free write. Normally, I’d be at @caffetto editing from 9:00a.m. - 2:45p.m., then heading back to pick @guthrie up from school. That’s how how days are typically spent if I’m not traveling. Well, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve made a concerted effort to not book more shoots and travel unless they’re in Minneapolis. I’m meditating on an essential career change, and to fully realize that, I have to get off this conveyor belt of travel > shoot > edit > repeat. You can catch up on my current state of mind and existence in my recent blog, “Closing the door!”.
I’m contemplating how disruptive this decision really is, even in the not-so-relevant areas of my life. Typically, I’d be grinding away in the Photoshop mines for hours during the day. Once I finished editing around midnight, I’d share some of those recently completed images in a blog post here on Steemit. You can check the timestamp when most of my blogs are posted and see that. Here I am, now at 1:00p.m., writing and publishing on Steemit. I think afternoon Steemit posts could potentially become my daily warm up. That’s a new idea, and pretty exciting!
I’m thinking a lot about this. It’s scary, but it doesn’t seem impossible. For my friends that work at Wells Fargo, the idea of walking away from that job and deciding to be a professional writer…that must seem impossible. I’ve been a freelancer for a decade now. It’s always hard, but I know it to be realistic as an achievable career. I’m living a free life, I’m just trying to change my medium. Comics is still something I want to do, more than anything, but I’ve distilled what I love about comics down to storytelling. That’s what I want to do the most.
My comic skills are still developing, both in my ability to tell stories in a sequential, visual form, and speed. Speed is the thing that holds me back the most, so I’m conceding that until those stills are polished and I’m a more efficient artist, I’m going to pour these stories in to a novel. One of which, my “baby” so to speak, is entirely based on a near future blockchain-centric world. Near future, meaning five to ten years from now. Some of the ideas I came up with in 2016 are already beginning to happen, so it isn’t something I can afford to sleep on.
So, here I am. Getting my warm up in. Maybe the start to a new routine, which I’m excited about. No idea how it will evolve but I love the idea of a transition from tireless grinding work, editing photos for 12 or more hours straight, to more “thoughtful” work. Creative time spend pretending and imagining entire worlds and the people that inhabit them. Going in to 2020, my two requirements for anything I do is to both own the platform, and spend time on something that’ll bring me passive income. Thanks for reading. I’m off to the Scrivner mines now […for a change]!
Now, you have showed that there is a way for people to start reading again, @kommienezuspadt ;)
HAHA! You mean the photo, @lighteye? I do secretly like that I can post images like that to accompany my blogs and not have to use stock photos. Just dive in to the 20 year archives :P
Yes, photo… I thought you would say: “Just dive into the pages…” @kommienezuspadt :)))
Ah 2017! I could've attended that year too lol but as for you, having an iron clad shooting job then wasn't something you could have easily turned down really. I'm guessing you'll get to attend some day once again you're busy as usual, I hope you get close to 6 hours sleep?
Six hours of sleep is still the usual, @josediccus. Thursday's, @vermillionfox is off work and we have time to sleep in after @guthrie goes to school, but otherwise, it's six or less. One day I'll make Steemfest. Hope to meet you when that happens.
Well 6 hours isn't bad really. It's quite okay. Yeah about steemfest I think it's a matter of when hahaha
The things with changes is that the outcomes are never completely predictable and the knock on effects can be dramatic. It makes change much more exciting than staying comfortable. Small steps to big things, Lars. I wish you the best and looking forward to being a small part of yoir journey, if only as a consumer.
Thanks, @tarazkp. I'm actually taking a lot of inspiration from you, @ericvancewalton and @ezzy. Not just in your style but all of your collective outputs of writing. You're more of this journey than you're probably aware, long before there's a consumer aspect. Have you written any novels yourself? Also, what do you write in? Most of my day was spent setting up the Scrivner sync feature. I work back and forth between my MacBook Pro and iPad Pro, so it was important that I had something that could go between seamlessly.
First Person so far, I have seen pouring out plans for 2020. It gonna be your year, change is always constant. Let your inner voice guide you.
All the best.
Oh, yeah. Definitely making plans already @lemeonna. Most people are planning big things. I'm actually planning small things. Staying at home and writing more. The last ten years have been all the big things. I need a break. I want to stay home and spend more time with friends and family.
Hi Lars, I don't think you need to be disappointed because you can't attend Steemfest because there are still many people who can't attend like me. We can follow it through the actual news. I am happy to be interrupted by your busy schedule, you still have time to deliver and pick up @ guthrie. You are a good father, sir. Have a nice day.
Sup Dork?!? Enjoy the Upvote!!! Keep up with the dorky content for more love!!!
Hello @kommienezuspadt, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!