500 followers and almost a year of using Steemit. My experience.

So, I noticed I now have 500 followers and it made me reflect on the past almost 11 months I have been on Steemit.

How I learned about Steemit and my first blog experiences:

Firstly, I knew nothing about steemit going in and I knew nothing about crypto-currency other than that it existed. I did have a BTC wallet with like $3 in it that a friend sent me just so I could say I had some BTC. That's how mysterious it was to me. I felt like awesome just having $3 in a BTC wallet. HAHA

So, what happened is I was like hey @kaylinart, what is this steemit blog you are posting on? It seems like you are making money to post there. Are you really making that much money!?

And then Lin pretty much talked Steemit up enough that I signed up immediately. I started blogging about pretty personal stuff off the bat which lead to some trolls and some nay-sayers accusing me of lying. In the end, even that experience was valuable. I would say my skin is thicker.

However, when I really started enjoying Steemit for the awesome community it is was when my trolls eventually tapered off and I could have meaningful dialogue with like-minded people. I became quickly hooked. Discovering that there are many intelligent, passionate, creative minds here on Steemit.

How Steemit helped me financially:

Steemit also funded my move from FL to MN which I desperately needed and furnished my entire room. It kept me on my feet while I got reestablished. I happened to get in early and it was a crucial time in my life where the steem I made went to an important cause in my life. I do wish I was able to stay all in and invest but I am still investing and here for the long-run even if I had to cash out and start over.

How I have grown intellectually and creatively due to Steemit:

The fact that I am always thinking of what to share and blog about makes me think more in general, and think critically. I now explore my dreams, share more art, and research so many topics that I want to share with people in this community. It has unrusted my passion for writing and seems to have my brain working more sharply in general.

It's also really neat looking back on my blogs and seeing how far I have come in the past year. Since, I am an over-sharer I can definitely see the change in my mental state. While I cringe a bit at some of the mentally unstable blogs I posted here at my worst I am glad they are there and like being able to reflect on them. The fact that I can say "Gosh, why would I post my black out drunk face injury publicly like that?" and notice it is mentally unstable behavior and see that I was living dangerously is a good thing. I might have buried and forgotten that stuff had I not blogged about it.

My budding passion for crypto-currency:

Though I am still a newb when it comes to crypto-currency I am now looking into how to start trading and am keeping on an eye on the world of crypto currency. I really enjoy this new hobby and the potential it has for the future. I feel like I am slowly growing more and more passionate about it which is really awesome. I think the fact that Steemit is user-friendly and has appeal to complete newbs in the crypto world was key to me even becoming invested. I needed that slow introduction. It didn't even feel like I was getting invested and here I am a year later completely fascinated by this world. I think Steemit is an important platform in bringing in people like me, who know nothing about it. I have already started jabbing at a few of my intelligent, creative friends to get them to join. They are caving in spite of their reservations.

So yeah, I just wanted to reflect on my experience here on Steemit.

I have met so many awesome people here and really enjoy interacting with you guys, following you to distant locations, seeing your exotic food, looking at your art, exploring your dreams, and everything else shared here. :)