Steemfest #1 or how to blend rebellious hearts with creative minds

I didn‘t know what to expect from the first Steemfest ever. Would there be like-minded people I could connect with? Would there only be computer geeks? I am not at all from the programmers segment so it might be hard to maintain a conversation in if the last mentioned scenario were to be true. However I felt thrilled ever since I found out about the Steemfest. Maybe it‘s because of my affection for numerology I felt so excited. 11/11. Double master number. On a magical date like this there surely must be magic unfolding. Or maybe I felt so excited because I went back to the roots, back to the country I was born in thirty years ago. Anyway it turned out to be a fantastic experience, not merely because of the sight that Amsterdam offered or the comfort that the Volkshotel provided, but because of the people I met. This post is above all a tribute to those who inspired me during the Festival and therefore deserve a honorable mention. 

Anarchy 

The most committed people aka the ones who sacrifice their time, money and energy for a steemfest are the ones who are fed up with the system. A delight for me to interact with them. One of the first people who I interacted with me was a dutch bloke called Yasien (@yasien). Just the kind of company I dig. Open-minded, warm, communicative and into the only form of government that is morally acceptable namely anarchy. He also helped to set up this amazing event. Respekt, jonge! ;) Maybe we will meet in Anarchopulco in March   

Of course he wasn‘t the only one. Andrew (@Andrarchy) struck me immediately as someone with a strong opinion, well rooted antagonist of the system and besides that he takes care of you if you wander around aimlessly and seemingly lost when you‘re hiiiigh as a kite. Or at least he tries ;) 

Meeting the boss

Until this Steemfest I wasn‘t completely sure whether this whole thing might not be an elaborated scam after all. I mean I saw it working for a lot and I committed to it from the get go but the rumours about the founder (or founders) of Bitcoin being a CIA-operator left my sometimes paranoid me in doubt. Could it be the same with steemit? It was until not only I heard Ned (@ned) talk on stage but experienced his unfiltered passion for this project face to face. So amazing that he made the effort to approach participants individually to get to know them (lucky me, I was one of them). No more doubts about him being genuine, what was left was my gratitude to be part of this and my utter respect for his vision and cojones. Hell, he knows he can be hunted like Satoshi once Steemit reaches the critical mass. In the end you choose love over fear and that's what he does. You simply do what‘s right regardless of the consequences.

Love, love, love 

What has attracted me the most to Steemit is the potential to create a complete paradigm shift. In one word (here it comes again): love. You love what you do, you write about it and potentially earn a living. No more 9 to 5 job you hate in a destructive industry to maintain an existence you consequently despise. On Steemit one lifts the other up. One encourages others for quality posts and gives constructive feedback. After all, all of this gets rewarded. We might not be there yet completely, but it‘s the vision I strongly believe in. In other words: listening, appreciating, learning, love in a wider sense. And some people I met in Amsterdam personify exactly the aforementioned philosophy. Sean Meehan (@seanmeeh42)  had such an amazing aura. The love for life was felt in his presence and he also is a real networker, he has the ability to click instantly with anybody. What better person to be around at the beginning of the Amsterdam Steemfest experience.
To connect with other people who share my passion for spirituality was a hope of mine when I arrived in Amsterdam. I wasn‘t dissapointed. Above all Shellie (@everlove) and Sara (@saramiller) from the Garden of Eden took the concept of „love thy neighbour“ to the next level. In their eco-village they call Garden of Eden they live freedom and, what really impressed me, give away everything they don‘t need for themselves. Besides that they showed me some new yoga moves, jeez I can never get enough of that! From now on the Garden of Eden is far up on my priority list of places to visit. @gardenofeden

Akossia (@ak2020) and Tony (@Nanzo-Scoop). Though very different siblings, a great inspiration to me. Especially Akossia‘s commitment surrounding the social and economical development of the African continent amazed me. And this is what steemit is perfect for too. To disrupt a global economy that only benefits only a few and gives the power back to the people. Check out her projects to achieve self-empowerment of the african countries. https://steemit.com/africa/@ak2020/introducing-ab2020-how-the-uk-diaspora-is-making-africa-its-business

If you haven‘t heard of Neil Strauss (@Neilstrauss) you should definitely check him out. Rarely every I have seen such an open-minded person talk. His attitude that everyone has an interesting story to tell and the willingness to listen, learn and therefore connect is another inspiration to me. Besides that as a life-long passionate writer he had some insightful and useful intel for quite a lot of aspiring authors like myself. Thanks to him I‘m not expecting anyone to read this post :) Seriously it helps. It takes the expectations away and makes you enjoy writing for the sake of the writing process. Like this you can tap into your full authenticity and speak your mind about anything.

 

What a swag!

@Utz and @akareyon cracked me up! They presented their music they generated from a game boy and a calculator. Though they explained how it worked I couldn‘t quite wrap my head around it. I‘m too much of a technology amateur. Nevertheless it freaking blew my mind! This takes creativity to a new level. And in parts it even sounded good! I‘m totally going to book them for my next party. 

The fully conscious young generation 

Over and over again I notice how a lot of people that are a decade younger than me already got shit figured out. They are already aware of what they want and are aware of what needs to be improved. When I was their age I was a selfish, confused and dependent baby. However I had the privilege to get in touch with this courageous young generation.   

@ikigai is one of them. If you want to philosophy and if you want to get a well reflected opinion on life itself he‘s the guy. This is too well documented in his posts. And I only found out after the festival that he was the guy who rejected an internship to write for steemit full time instead. Cojones #2 

Another inspirational personality of the younger generation was Uma (@Mrs.Steemit). With such passion and clarity she revealed her path towards a life as an entrepeneur. With charm and insight she pointed out where the potential and the dangers of Steemit lie. Ten years younger, still a role model to me. 

The moderator of the festival @roelandp would probably add that I should get a room with all of the people I just mentioned. A word about him. Since Roeland begged not to receive anymore compliments I kindly fulfill his wish. However I repeat what I told him: he should totally give stand-up comedy a shot :) 

I‘m wearing the Steemfest scarf eversince (to be honest sometimes I'm not wearing it in bed...) If feel so grateful to have met all these inspirational personalities at the Festival (whether mentioned or not) and I hope I will be able to deepen the relationship with them in the future as well as to get in touch with the other special ones I didn‘t get properly acquainted with. I hope to see all of you guys at the next Steemfest!   

Namaste 

Chaim