How did @papa-pepper get where he is today? What hardships and adversity has he faced and overcome?

I had the distinct pleasure to interview Steemit’s very own humble icon this week.  

@papa-pepper immediately captured my attention when I joined Steemit mid June.  His humble and genuine persona shines brightly through his posts, and reading his work is like talking with a cherished old friend who's always there for you.  A seriously happy man, @papa-pepper coaxes smiles and laughter as easily as a candy store coaxes the inner child.

Best known on Steemit for his wildly popular Steempocalypse Survival Game, his original book which is being released here chapter by chapter and in audio form, the Wild and Strange contest, and his Wild Man Series- where he introduces us to critters and their unique and interesting qualities, @papa-pepper brings a consistent and refreshingly compelling presence to the blockchain.  

But who is Papa, and what drives him?

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Without further ado, a conversation with @papa-pepper 

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@ArbitraryKitten :  You are an inspiration to many here on Steemit.  How do you feel about that?

@Papa-Pepper : I've heard that before, that I am an inspiration to many. While some appreciate my love for animals or the way that I try to be the best husband and father that I can be, others just see that I frequently get good payouts. I try to live a wholesome, honest, intentional life, so I certainly don't mind inspiring others when it comes to integrity or character.

@ArbitraryKitten : What do you attribute to your success on this platform?  

@Papa-Pepper : My payouts have not come without a lot of effort on my part. For over a year now I have been posting every day, often up to four times every day. Those who have supported my work (as far as whales go) have varied a lot in that time, but it seems that someone is always willing to vote for my material. When I post, I try to be original and authentic, and generate almost all of my own images too. However, like everyone else, I have never had any guarantee that any of posts would get a good payout, and there certainly have been those did not over the course of my time on Steemit. It is a risk that we all take when posting. The possibility and potential though was too much for me not to at least try. So, when it comes to inspiring others to work hard on a consistent basis to produce interesting, original posts to share with the community, I'm all for it and glad to hear it. I think that each excellent post is another contribution to the Steemit community and platform and each time we improve what we are doing as individuals, it improves the community as a whole.

I think that some of what I shared already has contributed to my success on Steemit, but there is more to the story than that. 

Five months ago, my reputation reached a 74. At that point my reputation was one of the highest in the community, so I thought that it would be a good idea to ask others why they supported me so much, since they would have a better idea of it than I would. Even though the post I made asking that question got a total payout of less than $4 USD, I offered up 74 STEEM to the person who made the best reply. @avarice listed some insightful characteristics that included the following: Original Content, Interesting Content, Generally Nice Guy, & Generous. I think that he hit on a few key things there, so he won the 74 STEEM.

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@ArbitraryKitten : You have a humble and real "everyman" feel about you which shines through in your articles. I believe that also is a reason for your success on Steemit- in part.  Have you ever blogged or written before? If so, what platform?

@Papa-Pepper : I certainly never blogged before Steemit, and very rarely used the internet previously. When I did it was mostly a little YouTube or Craigslist, and I may have sent a few emails.

@ArbitraryKitten : Why did you choose to build your presence on Steemit?

@Papa-Pepper : One of the amazing things that impressed me about Steemit was the people here. Sure some money hungry spammers will periodically show up, but there is a real community being built.

Also, Steemit gave me the outlet for my creativity that I longed for. I never knew how to go about sharing my artwork, writing, jokes, or information before. Now we all have an incredible outlet and a supportive community there to encourage us along. 

One small example of how amazing Steemit is would be my book "Love, Like His." I started writing it years ago, and I still have a few chapters left to finish. Steemit gave me the outlet to release it chapter by chapter. Though it is still not done being written, it is currently being recorded as an audio-book, and translated into both Spanish and Portuguese. How amazing is that?

Though I have written some things before, I never really had an outlet, so Steemit has been amazing for that!

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@ArbitraryKitten :  Is the encouraging and supportive community of Steemit what motivated you to turn your book into episodes and publish it here?

@Papa-Pepper : Yeah, I thought that it would be a great place to start releasing the chapters that I had written which would then encourage me to finish it. Some have been supporting me on that project for over a year now!

@ArbitraryKitten :Do you find that the support and encouragement here allows you to experiment with being yourself more?

@Papa-Pepper : I'm an interesting mix of extreme seriousness, wild adventure, and peculiar humor, which seems to be what I always bring to the table. I usually just be who I am and let whatever will happen happen. Here, people don't always open us at show their true selves at first, but I think that the community encourages people to just that.


... to be continued...

Part 2 https://steemit.com/steemit/@arbitrarykitten/a-conversation-with-papa-pepper-part-2-from-hedonist-addict-to-inspired-family-man


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***@Papa-Pepper : Now that is an interesting thing to ask someone about, overcoming a lifestyle that was preventing me from living a better life..  Here goes...***


**Part 1 of 2.**
**The second half of my interview with 
Papa-Pepper [is here- CLICK HERE!](https://steemit.com/steemit/@arbitrarykitten/a-conversation-with-papa-pepper-part-2-from-hedonist-addict-to-inspired-family-man)**



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I appreciate your support!  Follow @ArbitraryKitten for more :)

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