Seven Years of Hive

Last night, I randomly remembered my Hiveversary was sometime towards the end of summer, and lo and behold it was right the next day. So here we are. Seven years on Hive. Well, not all of them on Hive, but we don't talk about what went before, do we?

I was eighteen when I signed up here. By luck or fate, my mom @ladyrebecca found it first and recommended it to me since she knew I liked to write. And needed a place to do it. It sounded exciting, but from afar, the sort of thing you choose to keep at a distance because

What have I got worth talking about?

I remember that being one of my first thoughts in regards to this place. Seven years on, I still don't know, but I seem to have a hard time shutting up.

For me, Steemit Hive was one of those seemingly small decisions that end up changing everything. And I mean everything. It's fair to say I wouldn't be who I am were it not for this place. Were it not for @mariannewest and her 5-Minute Freewrite Challenge, I would've never worked up the courage or the faith in myself to sit down and write constantly. Continuously.

I've written three books since. Plus a fourth, which was really a collection of my favorite freewrites I did on here and that I called "Grimmest Things". It continues to be my handle on Instagram because I wouldn't be the writer that I am were it not for those tiny grim stories.

I made a living out of writing since, and I don't know if I would've had the courage to do so were it not for this place. For people here seeming to want to read me. I scrolled back through my entire feed (what a trip, man) and caught glimpses along the way of my future blogging self. I saw in titles and clever little intros the skills that would become my bread and butter.

I went back to my first ever posts. The mandatory intro post - what a baby. Cute, though, I'll give her that. I ended my intro post with a quote from Warren Zevon, "Enjoy every sandwich". I actually just got it tattooed on my ribs a few weeks ago. Some things never change, do they?

A couple of fictions I remember being pleased with. Thoughts about education and schooling which haven't changed. Lemmy's still my Bible, largely because he didn't talk bullshit at you. Very wise man. I still wonder by people cheat and hurt one another when they have the option not to.

In many ways, I'm still the same me I was seven years ago, though I went through a lot of things. Experiences and relationships that change you. I grew up some. Which is the better word. I didn't change, I just expanded on what was already there.

This remains one of my favorite posts. I remember I was volunteering at a theater festival while writing it. It's etched in my memory some. My mom still is my best friend :)

The first time I got a hundred bucks for anything. Ever. Remember them big fat Curie votes? Those were the hooks, weren't they? How could you leave after one of those?

Ah. 2017. Before they'd invented decent cameras apparently.

I've often said it was never the money for me, though I sure was in awe when that nice fat BTC spike came that fall. I went to Milan on those money the following year. Fantastic achievement for a kid that age, and gotten from what I dreamed of doing - from writing. That was fucking nuts. But it wasn't the money and still isn't. And that's not modesty, I just have zero head for money. Hell, I had to finger-count three times to make sure it's seven years between 2017 and now and I'm still not convinced.

It was impressive and daunting and exhilarating at first. Having a place to write. Having people read and appreciate what I write. I expanded from that though in the ensuing time. I made a job of it. I write on Medium and have in the past written in a bunch of other places that might've determned me to leave. They didnt.

I like writing here because it's the only place I can be truly myself. I like the connections I've made, the people I know here, some of whom I love better than real-life acquaintances. This is my place. Maybe it was the fact that I found it at such a crucial developmental stage, but at this point, Hive is a part of my life. It feels so natural that it would feel weird not to be here anymore.

There's been ups and downs. Periods of frustration. Times I vanished for some months. But there was always the sense of something missing. It was never "well glad that's over". Always just something I had to get back to.

This place is a weird time distorter, isn't it? I look back and realize I'd only been on the platform a year when I went to Steemfest in Krakow (2019). I couldn't believe that. Had to be wrong. It felt like I had been on here much much longer. The growth in terms of writing alone was immeasurable. But a year it was. Didn't feel like it, just like these seven years also feel insufficient.

It's also weird to me that my liking of this place has only grown and deepened. It's not lost its spark or magic for me, cringe as that may sound. Which is why I'm glad I'm going to Hivefest again after so many years, this time in Croatia.

I'm still here. Because where else would I be? And if you're reading this, chances are I'm glad I know you :)