I love seeing posts that encourage engagement on the blockchain while the crypto-market roller coaster does its thing. @anomadsoul is being awesome, as usual, and offering up a month scholarship from @blocktrades! Count me in on this contest!

But first, a couple of pics that show why I'm here: the people.

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I’m choosing this photo from Steemfest because it’s one of my favourite moments, jamming outside with musicians like @steembirds, @steevc, @coruscate, and @luzcypher (not pictured) who kept rocking out killer rock riffs. What a special feeling of belonging!

I also met @camuel at the same time, who won me over with his music and heart.

Community and Engagement Make Steem Amazing!

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I’m supposed to pick a recent post and explain why this makes me a role model Steemian...

Let’s use my Steemfest-Inspired Poem, We Are Family, We Are Free.

I think this post exemplifies my love of community, and my joy to be a part of this global family. It also shows my gratitude for individual friendships I’ve made through the blockchain.

I got a face full of smile, a head full of happy,
A belly full of laughter and a heart full of love.
Walked many miles, feet and soul flyin’,
Free to be me in a sea of full of hugs.

Poetry and music are the things I seem to share most often, and what’s amazing to me is how frequently people resonate with the words I publish. The engagement on this platform is like nothing I’ve found anywhere else. It encourages me as an artist and as a human being.

I always try to offer something positive in my posts and my comments, and make a point to curate and comment as widely as possible given the time I have. Why? Because there are so many amazing people on this platform, and I have genuine love for so many of them!

Each meaningful interaction is a gift to me.

This is one of the reasons I stick around, and don’t really care what the current price is: I’m in this for the long haul, and for the community.

Here I am with @soyrosa. I hope you can feel the love. This is what it’s all about to me. Thanks to @enginewitty for this lovely pic!

Witnesses Rock!

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One more thing:

Since I first discovered @anomadsoul’s contests ten months ago, when I’d just joined Steem and applied as a Role Model super minnow, I’ve been turned on to the importance of voting for witnesses.

I’ve written a handful of posts to contribute to raising witness awareness among users, and on some of my regular posts I put a shout out to favourite witnesses (I try to rotate the names on this, but the list gets too long every time).

I did this in my We Are Family, We Are Free post, especially highlighting witnesses I met at Steemfest. I’m sorry I didn’t meet @blocktrades there, but I’m grateful for each witness who secures the blockchain and contributes to the evolution of this grand vision we all share.

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Here I am with @derangedvisions (@c0ff33a on the witness list) and @gtg, who liked my dragon. You can see @yidneth and her hat in the background. Big shout out to witness @enginewitty for taking the pic and being overall awesome.

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I have a bunch more photos from Steemfest with some favourite witnesses, but I promised myself I’d move on to other subjects, and this is supposed to be a short post! So I’ll leave you with this playful photo.

If you don’t vote for witnesses yet, or don’t know what that’s about, check out this post by @drakos.

Gratitude to @anomadsoul and @blocktrades for offering up this contest.

Thanks for reading! Steem on!

Whatever happens, keep singing your song!

Peace. @katrina-ariel

Photos mine unless otherwise credited.

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Author bio: Katrina Ariel is an old-soul rebel, musician, tree-hugging yogini, and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders (non-fiction) and Wild Horse Heart (romance), she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steem.

dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne

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