A TED talk, a Kickstarter campaign and Steemit. You can do anything with the power of the internet.

This is part two of how photographing the quokka changed my life. In part 1 found here we found out about these curious critters and how the internet went crazy for them.

Here is another batch of new quokka photos to excite some smiles.

The story continues below.

The way we spend our time defines who we are.

People were messaging me to say how much joy the quokkas bring them. How it makes there day and puts a smile on their face. Keep the smiles coming they said.

Luckily I took so many quokka photos that I was able to release one new quokka image every week. This started the #HappyQuokkaMonday campaign.

I've been doing this consistently for the last two years. Helping to add a cheer to those difficult Mondays.

This consistency has defined who I am. You become what you create. The hashtag caught on so much that the official Rottnest Island Tourism Board started using it across their social channels. So I'm basically doing there promotion for them for free.

People relate to people. Putting yourself out there is the single most enriching thing you can do.

As I have previously noted in part one my quokka selfies individually gained a lot of media attention. Quokka selfies actually became a thing. But I had been taking selfies with various animals for two and half years.

Photos of animals on there own are funny, but if you put a funny human face beside them it's a connection. My friend looked at my collection of animal selfies and gasped, "the internet will love this, get it out there!"

I tweeted and emailed The Ellen DeGeneres show,

But no response.

The 'Animals Editor' of Buzzfeed never replied either.

Multiple attempts and no interest. (Funny that a different Buzzfeed editor responded 4 months after the trend exploded)

RT.com featured my animal selfie collection and the rest is history. Journalist after journalist called with a million questions. The quokka photo was featured all over the world.

Then @instagram featured my quokka selfie. Cue my phone exploding. In one day I gained 150,000 followers, jaw dropping.

Your knowledge gained is worth a TED talk.

The snowball effect continued into a TED talk. People were perplexed with my journey. This was the single most scariest thing I have ever had to prepare for in my life. Skydiving is far easier.

The story of the quokka selfies feature in my TEDx Queenstown talk. It explains how everything in your life connects together. The focus being on vulnerability through user generated content will lead you to succeed.

Quokkas for TED, awesome!

How do you then turn online hype into something worthwhile?

Create something that gives back to the people while still maintaining authenticity and value. A quokka book Kickstarter campaign perhaps?

That's right, we launched and promoted a Quokka Kickstarter campaign for a month but it failed. We raised $8524 AUD, missing the target of $22000 to be successful. You can see the project for yourself here on Kickstarter.

With all the quokka enthusiasts and media hype I thought it was time to print a high quality limited-edition book.

The Goal: Create the ultimate quokka book surrounded by the message of promoting happiness in your life. The aim is incite you to do more of what makes you happy.

A 96-page full-color hardcover book. To be printed twenty two miles from the quokkas home in Perth, Western Australia making it a genuine Australian product.

Unfortunately an unsuccessful campaign but the knowledge gained was priceless. It's far from over.

I cannot believe how my life turned upside down because of photographing these animals two years on.

Now comes Steemit to positively lift this journey.

Steemit has opened up so many possibilities and opportunities. My goal is to use Steem Dollars to fund creative endeavors as well as wildlife conservation projects in person. A campaign that will outshine our Kickstarter attempts.
It will all be outlined right here on Steemit.

My journey here is only beginning, I just need to create a Steemit t-shirt to start.

I'm going to leave this quokka part series open as the best is yet to come. Steem Dollars will have a beautiful purpose.

Two years on people are still smiling and the continue to circulate the world. I've very proud to have added smiles and joy to peoples lives around the world.

To be continued....