Two Years Ago ..

I was thinking about this same question posed here"How Has Steem Impacted My Life" by @theycallmedan.. by the way, a brilliant attempt at building a little Steemit motivation. Last year, same thing.. I think I am noticing a pattern. haha. I'd say that my motivation for being here today, a part of the Steemit community, is no different really... You! Yup, you got it right.. my real motivation is you the reader, the voter and the one who engages. I really don't think I would be here today if it were not for the handful of you whom took me under your wing, told me what to expect, introduced me to some basic code (very very basic), and supported me through the beginning stages of my Steemit life. Kudos to you all!! You know who you are :-)

So, The Big Question ..

This question took me a little time to reflect on. How has it impacted my life.. hmmmm ... Has Steem affected my life at all??? Sure it has, and not all for the good. I can't ignore the fact that Steem and Steemit blogging has taken time away from my life in which I can never get back. When engaged on the chain, I am taking time away from taking photographs, creating art, hanging out with friends, and spending time with my family. When I sit back and think about it for a bit, I realize that many things in my life fill the same role.. taking time away from things I love to do more than what I am doing that particular moment. So I ask myself if the impact is worth the investment and sacrifice?

For Me The Answer Is ... YES! ..

At first I had my doubts, no one knew who I was or even if I was serious about contributing worthwhile material. I persisted, just as my mentors guided me to do, and am slowly seeing the results of my consistency. I can state with 100% truthfulness and accuracy, that Steem and Steemit have both positively impacted my life. If anything it has given me a reason to keep being creative. I want to be creative all that more often. I look forward to the critiques on my art and the self esteem boosting encouragement left as comments. I want to continue posting and interacting with others who share similar visions and not so similar visions. I create more. I am more visually aware. I have found more time to do the things I love to do, so I can post about them. It has given me a reason to give up bad habits like meaningless browsing of the web or television binging. I am more in touch with the WORLD because of Steem! To me, that's not a bad thing at all. God knows, everyone could use an avenue like this in order to find out that we all have common goals and interests. We all eat, we all sleep, we all appreciate what it is that makes us who we are, and we all love to share our experience. So I choose to share mine with you.. my fellow Steemian!

From A Previous Post of Mine ...

...I want to share a Time Lapse Video of a drawing I made a long while back when I was a Steem Virgin. I pulled the image off Steemit advertising but thought I would give my hand a try drawing it out. It's a bit sloppy but I didn't want to take too much of your time perfecting it. The idea here is what's perfect. STEEMIT!!

I hope this is an inspiration to someone out there looking for some. If you are, look us up and join the family! The Steemit Family :-) ...

How has Steem Impacted My Life? For The Better ;-}

Below Is An Excerpt..

From a few posts back. This explains how I found my way here and the experience, for what it was, a year or two ago. I don't think my views have wandered far from these at all. I haven't tried any other crypto-blogging platforms. I am a one platform kind of guy.. A Steemian through and through. I bleed Steem.. okay, that may be a bit of an overkill. I am a lover of Steem and Steemit.. that is undeniable.

... I Recently Read A Post by @acidyo, "Throwback to my old powerup diary"

A Rather Small Post ..

But it made me think. I for one live to think. I love to be challenged and provoked to think. I do NOT consider myself some sort of genius, intelligent prodigy, or anything other than a normal everyday human whom loves to learn and try my hardest to absorb from others and possibly retain information. Everyone has something to teach me, whether it's direct or indirect. This is the cool thing about living life. For the past 8 months, Steemit has been a resource for my learning 'Fix'.

Which Leads Me To @acidyo's Post ..

Here I was as a minnow on the platform counting my posts and comments and seeing how fast I was able to gain SP. Feels like a lifetime ago but it has only been a bit over 2 years, time travels fast in the crypto world or at least it feels that way...so much still happening, so much has happened. I'm looking forward to the future and hoping things will be okay and that we can make the world a much better place with Steem...

I Am Not ..

"From back in the day" but it sure would have been cool. It would have been cool to have known the pioneers from the beginning. Cool to know this existed. Cool to have met more of you and learned from the talents and information you share here. I really just happened across Steemit by accident when Googling something and the result I clicked on just happened to be a Steemit post. From that point I was HOOKED! My inner student wanted to know what this Steemit thing was all about. Is this some sort of scam? YES..My first thought was what are they trying to steal from me?? LOL. Of what benefit could this be to me? How could I implement this into my life? Which lead me to wondering how I could utilize this platform in order to put more of what I know and what I create out there and what can I take away from interacting with others on this platform. Is this going to be another waste of my time..knowing I would be absorbed into sitting at the comp-u-tater and typing away (like I am now .. wink wink). Flash forward 8 months.. Funny how such a small post really makes me think about stuff. Hey @acidyo !!.. Stop making me think about stuff. It's Saturday, I shouldn't be thinking so hard and getting so emotional about stuff.. about Steemit.

I Have Grown To Realize ..

That I am far from a prize blogger. Mediocre at best. I don't let that dissolve my desire to create and to improve. Post after post I am trying to light the fire under my butt. I am a classic procrastinator. "Today I'll just post this..maybe tomorrow I'll actually present something worth while." Yup, that's me. Oh well..just being real I suppose. Today I am reading the post linked above and I think to myself .. "So much HAS happened", @acidyo is right! I have slowly "COLLECTED" a following of a few Steemit friends. I have built relationships. GENUINE individuals who want to see me..us succeed regardless of the upvote value. I now have a support system. A Steemit Family support system that keeps me in line. They lift me up and keep me grounded. They support my 'crap' and my 'brilliance'. A true collection of friendships. That's the COOL thing about Steemit. Regardless of the fluctuations in the price of Steem, I log on to know that my Steemit friends will still be here. Still here posting away, creating, mingling, critiquing, commenting, collaborating, inspiring, and invoking thought. Regardless of how much voting weight I have collected, I have collected sooooo much more. All Of YOU!

Friends and Money ..

Is a weird concept for me to get past. I say to myself, mixing the two can't be good, but somehow it works here. I think it works because we all share a common thread; we love to collect things. Case and point.. @acidyo's log book entries of building his collection of Steem Power. It's a unique common thread we humans have.. We love to collect things. For some its coins, others art, some collect antiques, etc. I have yet to meet a person whom collects nothing. Everyone has a little lint in their pockets. Friendship aside, everyday we are collecting Steem. Together we generate Steem Power. Foremost, TOGETHER we will persevere and prevail in keeping Steemit real, breathing, alive and chugging along into the future. Steem links us all together..without it we wave goodbye and journey apart. I for one am not ready to end my time with all of you fine folks. There is way to much to learn yet.

I hope this inspires all of us to remember that are "Voice" here on Steemit is an important one...

Are voices are not only "Worth" something if we get upvoted, but worth something far more if our content is informative, entertaining, funny, curious, whitey, thought provoking, motivational, or inspiring .. Just to name a few. This platform is growing and I am proud to be apart of such an AWESOME movement. I didn't know a dang thing about Steem or Steemit until I stumbled across an article about this new social blockchain platform taking on the world. Who doesn't want to be apart of that?

Steem on my friend, Steem on :-D

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

About Me ~ The Artist

My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.

Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.

For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit.

If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:

They can be found for sale in

My Facebook Shop

OR

My Etsy Store

If you don't see the piece in either shop, It may still be drying. Let me know and I can upload it as soon as possible to be available. Or you can always make me an offer (in SBD or STEEM) in the comments section of this post. If we agree on a price, I will then ship the painting to you. (shipping costs will be determined by your location).

“It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.” – John Grogan