Steemit - The Addiction.
Are you addicted to Steemit or Busy; are you a writer stricken with fever and the desire to write more? I’m feeling that I am suffering from both, and when I say suffering that’s not necessarily in a negative perspective.
I consider myself a creative person. Not in the sense that I can create art (though I try sometimes) or compose music, but that I can create unique things, such as this article that you are now reading.
My job entails creativity or frankly it would drive me insane. To think is to keep the grey matter stirring and to have to think outside the box is even better.
If my career involved moving a pile of bricks from one stack to another, I would quit within a day.
I’m paid to improvise and use my experience to make something unique that is fit for purpose. It pays well but still does not create enough of an outlet for my creative streak.
This brings me back to the addiction of Steemit and writing. I love doing it but for what cause?
My ‘real’ job pays the bills and keeps the debt collectors away from my doorstep and yet recently I find myself focusing so much of my attention on writing, so much I feel that I’m pushing myself.
A couple of high profile Steemian's that I won't name have some debt problems. Maybe to them Steemit is a souce of income, but I don't see them powering down.
I don't have that problem, and the heavy crew are not going to come banging down on my door.
'You don't need to do this', one voice says. 'Take a break', it emphasizes.
‘You must post something everyday’, the other voice tells me. I don’t do things by halves and writing 500 words every day takes time; a very precious commodity in my world.
Why do I do this? (1) I don’t get any financial gain from it, (2) it takes way too much of my time and I am neglecting my wife and daughter by doing it.
Because I am addicted and I am finding it hard to derail myself from a daily activity that has become the mainstream in my world.
I mentioned point (1) here as I have not taken a single STEEM out of my account since I started in early March 2018.
Why do I keep feeding this account, shelling out £100 here and there just to make my influence larger? Is it all worth it. I really hope I’m doing the right thing.
Most of my SP is available for voting as I want that big vote to cast upon others. Is it because I crave some kind of attention and with that bigger than average vote I can gain me some kind of following?
I have to admit that is part of it. It feels nice to be respected and I value this above any financial reward. It also feels great to give back something to the community especially those I find that I feel are not getting that respect and the rewards that they deserve.
I keep saying I’m going to tone it down, not post every day, and forget STEEM exists even for a single day but it’s hard to resist the urge.
If you can say, 'I can resist the urge', then congratulations, you’re not as far gone down the black hole as I have ventured down yet.
If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, resteem, engage me or all of these things.
Are you having fun? Is it relaxing? This is what I go by when I think about Steem(it). This is my happy place and a place I can use my brain and try new things. Some work and some not so much but here this is okay.
Does finally finding a place I can be me and creative and not be made fun of addicting? Yes, of course, it would but I too have had to be very careful with how much time I spend here. If I do too much I get too tired and my real life suffers which in turn makes me suffer too.
But life is always about balance and finding the right balance......but then again we are only human too.
Great post!!! I really loved reading it!!
Thank You!
Thanks for the visit @snook. I do enjoy it, but feel guilty as I have many other things I need to do in the time I have. @steemflagrewards is also another addiction. It's kind of the anti-creation of content and everyday I spend some time on there fighting abuse.
I'm going to get off now and do something non-steem related!
Ugggghhhh. I get it. Like you, I try every day to increase my steem. I've not powered down any, though I have bought a (very good) book with steem and have given some away. Seemed the thing to do at the time.
I took a year's challenge some time back. To write 500 good words per day, every day. It often wasn't pretty, but I did it. When I did my assessment of that year that every day wasn't a really good option. I published some junk to get the deal done.
The other part is, I published some really good work in that year. Writing regularly seems to beget writing for me.
I have quit beating myself up either way. I know what I want to get done, but if I don't, the sun will come up tomorrow (later today, actually :).
It's a balancing act. I have to have some balance or I'm not good to either side.
Thanks for a thoughtful and honest post. I appreciate it.
I hope your not writing while cascading through valleys on that bike of yours. It should be great weather where you are now, cooling down a little and not the inferno of high summer.
Drive up through Jerome and see Sedona. There's some good views for you. I wish I had taken some while I was there years back. Lovely place.
I go to Sedona at least a couple times a year and will probably show up there before long. I have a scheduled ride to the area to take pictures of Tuzigoot, Montezuma's Castle and Montezuma's well. I'll probably spend at least one night in Cottonwood, so pretty close. I'll certainly hit Jerome.
I'm also scheduled for one of my favorite places in November. Salton Sea. I just love that area!
I've tried and tried to write a post a day, but it's just not me - I have too many days in the hills. But writing almost a post a day has definitely boosted my account and rep. I see it as a great way to get established - not just to build a following, but to work on your writing style and find out what subject matter works best for you. I definitely see myself reducing the number of posts in the future and maybe working on more detailed ones, and maybe more detailed videos.
I've also developed my Steemit posts into a blog. I've often started blogs in the past, and found it depressing that no one even notices you. Steemit might be like that when you first join, but when you have loads of people regularly commenting on and responding to your posts, that makes it all worthwhile.
@hockney's comment reminded me that the famous Victorian author Anthony Trollope, one of the few fiction writers I love, used to get up every morning at 5am to write before going to work.
This is the first blog I have ever maintained. There seemed no purpose before, but the money aspect makes it different.
I get you about the 'nobody notices you'. It's depressing to start with but it really start rolling after a few months.
Starting this week, I wont be doing a daily post anymore. I'm on a mission to cut-down. I'm sounding like a smoker now... ;)
I think writing a daily post is one of the best ways to get noticed on Steemit, but there are some very successful Steemians who only do one post a week, or less. Also, when you write a daily post you are in danger of burnout. It's great for a while though.
I think if you post less often, but try to schedule your post for the same time of the week, people will look out for them at those times.
One of the blogs I started about three years ago just got no interest, and after a while I just lost interest myself. It was like talking to a blank wall. The other day I had a look at that that blog, and suddenly there were real people signing up to it and posting comments. There were even requests to know what kind of products I was using (which means I could start earning money through affiliate links). It takes so much longer to make an impact on the Google-dominated internet than it does on Steemit. I don't know if I can be bothered getting that blog going again though!
Count me out then! It takes long enough on here to make an impact for my liking.
That got a bit dark in the end mate! I guess I'm with you on this one, but I guess I have the extra boost that this is the only source of income I have while traveling and living in Romania (there's no way im gonna take a job that pays me 150 euro/month) :)
We might be both addicted but also hopeful that it will pay out in the end. The good thing is that also steem power seems to be VERY addictive. That's a good sign for steem:)
hang in there buddy!
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I'm sitting at my desk at it again. STEEM is a bit up today as is Etherium, so I'll hold off sending more ££ to Coinbase for even more of this stuff. It's sad really. I should be doing other things.
It sounds like you are putting pressure on yourself.
Chill. Articles always flow better when the writer is relaxed and enjoying themselves, rather than when they feel they are writing to a deadline, like a journalist. Steemit is meant to be enjoyable!
Sounds to me like you might be addicted to the feeling of helping others. There are far, far worse things you could be shooting up. :)
Yes, Facebook!
I went through a stage when I was posting everyday, but since I don't like to post single photo posts (my photos aren't the best) nor do shit posts, I was practically killing myself to churn out something that was decent everyday. Then I passed through that stage, and some days I don't post if I don't have time, and guess what, I feel a lot better!
Now on the days I don't post, I get a bit more time reading posts and responding to people like I am now.
I'm not there yet but it's good to hear from other recovering addicts and that there's a way out of the black hole, thanks!
Well, it is hard to differentiate such things when you are an artist. What you do for a living is superfluous in the first place. I do know the feeling and I do want to post every day, but somehow I can just say that it is the money (which it obviously isn't).
I have started to keep things low-key on the weekend and that really seems to help me out. My biggest fear isn't being addicted, but burning out. I really like STEEM and everything the blockchain has to offer. I don't want to get sick of it. I am lucky enough to have a real job too. So it isn't that big of a deal for me to pause over the weekend and just focus on the daily things that give me the stories I write about during the week.
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