My Steemit Introduction... many layers of me...

Image by Ryan Smith from Smith-Gauthier Productions

Hello. I’m Crystal, aka DesertRat. Pleased to meet you.

So...here’s my intro.

I’m a documentary photographer, writer, lapidary artist & comms expert. That’s a mouthful, eh?

I guess, in a sense, I’m a renaissance woman-- although I find the term a little grandiose, even if it’s applicable. I have many interest, passions and endeavors.

Photo by me, while on assignment in Indonesia.

One morning, I wake up and want to only work with healing crystals making jewelry to help people embrace a little more consciousness and divine energy as they travel through our chaotic world.

The next morning, I wake up and want to think of nothing but cryptocurrency, cybersecurity and how shitty my personal opsec is that day.

A few days later, I’ll spend 3 hours on the yoga mat and a few hours contemplating the commons, living off grid and my role in the Voluntary Simplicity movement-- or lack there of, depending on the day.

Image created by me, while working on a documentary project in Nepal.

And, to make a living, I help small businesses tell an authentic story online, I’m the director of communications for a tech firm specializing in NEO Smart Economy, distributed ledger technology and smart contracts. (We just rolled out $MCT and are building HashPuppies right now). I also sell healing crystals and handcrafted jewelry on my etsy store, http://www.etsy.com/shop/NomadicCrystals.

In my former “work life” I produced television commercials for shitty (and not so shitty) corporations-- like Pizza Hut and Whole Foods (pre-Bezos). I love producing, but the corporate work almost broke me. I also used those funds to travel to distant lands and document life in displaced populations and chaotic countries-- that all walk a paradox of chaos and beauty. It's how I kept my sanity.

Also taken by me while working in Nepal. I was invited to document a Maoist cadre in rural Nepal and pulled aside female soldiers and did a mini-series of these beautiful young soldiers.

Hence my body of documentary work called Beauty in Chaos. It’s an ongoing exploration of the tension between beautiful slices of humanity found in chaotic places of conflict and violence. While I haven’t touched the project in a few years, you will see some of the work here on my Steemit.

Photograph by yours truly while returning to the West Bank from Ramallah. I was working on a documentary project that summer in the West Bank.

I’m also a perpetual nomad. About 10 years ago, I started a travel blog and discovered a way to generate income using this crazy thing called the internet. So, I did. This year, I’m on track to completely cut the cord and go full digital nomad. And I couldn’t be more excited.

So, that’s the short version of me. There’s a long version-- that could fill a novel-- and will someday. My professional photography can be seen at http://www.crystalstreetphotography.com (sorry, I need to learn markup-- I'm an html gal)

An entire adult life devoted to embracing unconventional and rebellious living tends to spawn an archive of stories.

I’m not exactly sure what I’ll write about here-- probably a little bit of everything. So please follow me and let’s take this little journey together.