<p>
I've been on this platform less than a week so far, and already I
find the way I perceive the potential value of my life experiences
is being reshaped dramatically.  The earnings 
on my posts so far have surpassed what I might have guessed they
would earn, though I really had no idea what to expect.  If I were
to translate these earnings into an average hourly wage for the time
I've spent writing them, the pay still doesn't come close to matching
what I can earn in the world of mercinary code plumbing, but it feels
like a far more satisfying way to invest my time and mental energy.
Besides, creating what I enjoy at my own pace is not something
I am accustomed to being paid for at all, so at this point,
being paid anything just to post a few little thoughts feels
like a great boon.
</p>

<p>
The positive feedback in the form of votes I've received so far
has me contemplating possible ways I might be
able to take my game to the next level, both in terms of
writing, and with how I live my life.  Upon reflection, those
initial considerations about <a href="https://steemit.com/blog/@bitscape/art-vs-commerce-and-pandering">pandering or not</a>
as a path to success represent a relatively low form of
survivalistic consciousness born out of fear-based thinking.  
</p>

<p>
Taking a more abundant perspective on how I might enhance the
value of my writing for the benefit of readers, and thus
perhaps, my account balance, brings a far more encouraging
answer.  The best way I can think of to develop a following 
would be to focus my writing on interesting subjects.
I want to put my time and energy into seeking out the most interesting
life experiences I can find, and write about those.  Take
more photographs, give it some polish, treating the art with the love it deserves.  Read more
books, develop thoughts in reaction to what I learn, and write
about that.  Listen to the culture, have more conversations
with people that are likely to stimulate insight, recording and
sharing the results.  Anything I encounter in life has
the potential to spark another new topic.  The better the
source material I have to draw from, the more interesting the
writing can become.
</p>

<p>
<img src="http://bitscape.org/2016/blogimages/belowtheroad.jpg" />
</p>

<p>
I've practiced this pattern in the past.  I just wasn't being paid for it
last time around.  I didn't care about being paid then.  It was just
play.  In the world of simple free sharing, we were all like children
on the playground of a budding Internet.  
</p>

<p>
The shortcoming with that kind of sharing is that it fails to be
self-supporting in a world where everything costs money.  Historically,
to fuel creative projects, I, like so many of us, have diverted
much of my energy into "day jobs", which, while they certainly help
in providing money for hardware and living expenses, tend
to leave less time and energy to carry out creative projects.
</p>

<p>
This reality has taught me that when gifts are given in perpetuity
without receiving some means to replinish the energy which created
them, the well that feeds the creative process slowly dries up,
unless it is fed by another source.  Throwing everything out there
endlessly for free also seems to add to the perception that our
creations have little if any real worth in the world.  Maybe the
great writers of our parents' generation were paid by big publishers
and magazines, but in this era, many of my favorite bloggers and
artists have subsisted on bullshit jobs while receiving virtually
nothing for their most meaningful work that contributes real value
to the culture.
</p>

<p>
Now, with the creation of Steemit, could we be growing beyond that, to a
world where artists and creators can become more self-sustaining?
A world where the financial fuel to create can be derived
from the creations themselves when they are appreciated?
If this could turn into a virtous cycle of
seeking and living more vibrant experiences, deriving from
them content to share, and being rewarded with the
means to continue thriving further, might I reach the point where
the drudgery I had previously assumed necessary for survival
could be dispensed with?  The potential itself
has breathed new life into my conception of which activities
in life could allow the soul to live in a way to truly thrive.
</p>

<p>
Another potential vision begins to take shape out of the mists of possibility.
This could be another road trip, taken with the explicit purpose of
writing about whatever happens, and letting the story, if it
is of interest to readers, pay for the gas money to fuel the
journey with the proceeds off of Steemit.  If told in an entertaining manner, 
living life as freely as possible might even end up becoming more
lucrative than a traditional job which conventional wisdom advises us
is necessary to achieve financial stability.
</p>

<img src="http://bitscape.org/2016/blogimages/theroad.jpg" />

<p>
Right now, this is just contemplating possibilities and dreams,
while adding to this growing pool of collective expressions.
Let abundance reign!
</p>