Life in the Cryptosphere: Market Swings and Mood Swings (Ulog no. 18)

Without a doubt, the recent uptick in the price of Steem seems to have "lifted he mood" of our community. It has been exactly two months since the last time Steem traded at above 10,000 Satoshis vs. Bitcoin.

Whereas it's hard to identify an actual "trigger point" of change, something seems to have changed. It feels a little sunnier...

Sunny skies over our little community...

We Don't Stay Unaffected

Much as I'd like to think otherwise, I have definitely been affected by the moods of the markets, as well. It sits like a heavy wet bear on my head, and even though I shake it off and go about my business, there's still a background shadow there.

I'm not really a "market watcher," but even so... as an active member of this community, I can't escape looking at hundreds of "doom and gloom" posts, created by other people.

And that gloomy subtext affects other things I do, as well. I don't quite have the enthusiasm I otherwise tend to have... whereas I am not that much into the whole woo-woo "We're all connected" thing, this would be an example of where the mood of the many influences people on an individual level.

Don't get me wrong here: I have zero delusions that this is some kind of a long-term turnaround, but I'll be very happy to enjoy a bit of a relief rally for a bit. But you can only be gloomy and miserable for so long before reaching a point of maximum saturation... at which time you say "Oh WHAT-ever! Let's get going again!"

A different KIND of brightness...

Personally Speaking: All the Myriad Ideas

I have never had a shortage of ideas, when it comes to being a blogger.

However, my general mood does affect those ideas in the sense that when I feel "dark," I am less inclined to DO something with those ideas; to develop them and turn them into something. They just end up sitting there, as a bunch of hand-scribbled notes on my desk.

I sat and reflected on these "mood swings" this morning, and was reminded of feeling "moody" in a similar way as we embarked on the 2nd year of the 2007-08 financial crisis. Same was true by early 2002 of the 2000-2002 "Dot Com Bubble."

Pervasive bad news affects even the most positive among us. You can keep saying "Yay! The sun will shine today!" over and over... but after 40 rainy days in a row you start feeling doubt. And then? When the sun finally does shine, you have reached a point where you wonder if it's just an illusion, and it'll resume raining, tomorrow...

Selection of painted stones... open full-size for better detail!

Art and Creativity: Moving Ahead

As some of you might remember, one of my "callings" in life is my creative outlet, "Alchemy Stones" (photo above). It's my meditation, and my place of inner peace. It's also a form of creative expression I enjoy sharing with the world.

The other day, I wrote about giving attention appropriately to what matters; to your "Plan A." And my painted rocks are definitely part of my "Plan A." Whether things are good or bad, they are the one type of creative expression I have returned to, time after time.

To that end, I have finally made good on my occasional "threats" to create a separate "art account," in part encouraged by recent developments in the community to create a crypto/Steem/SBD based goods and services trading platform.

Being able to use cryptocurrencies as an actual means of exchange (not just a fancy "investment") has been my primary interest in this whole gig since I first learned of Bitcoin, 5-6 years ago.

So not only do I have "Alt Art," I want to support "Alt Economies."

Well, I finally did. Stay tuned for more!

Time for things to "take flight" again...

Forging While the Iron is Hot

And so, I am going to head forward with renewed resolve... as I get closer and closer to having poured two years of effort into this community.

And hopefully the "better mood" will last for longer than a couple of days, this time around! Now I need to go "decorate" my new account...

Thanks for reading!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!

As always, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 190118 13:54 PST
0851