I took a week off from blogging here on Steemit as a kind of creative reset...I guess it was ten days to be exact. Honestly, I’ve been feeling unsatisfied and generally unfulfilled with my blogging lately. This time away was sorely needed and it taught me a few things.
During my first six months writing on this platform in 2016 I published two posts per day religiously while working a full-time job, teaching meditation, and writing books. Eventually, this hectic schedule tapered off to at least one Steemit post per day for the next year or so after that.
Now that I’ve had a week off to reflect, I’ve decided that part of the problem has been a lack of time to devote to blogging. These days life is pulling me in quite a few new and exciting directions, which I love.
The other thing is Steemit is very a different platform than it was a year ago. Steemit has a much larger user base and is changing in countless other exciting ways. I haven’t been changing in that same direction.
Getting to the Root of the Problem
This disconnect I feel from my, once excited and genuinely engaged, readership is something I'd like to find a remedy for. I miss the thoughtful comments, the philosophical debates, the sharing of ideas. I miss exchanges beyond "I love your post, please upvote me."
Over the past two years my interaction with the Steemit community became an important part of my daily routine and I’ve missed it. My blog began in 2016 (a century ago in blockchain time) as this wonderfully experimental space to test new ideas and fiction but somewhere along the line some of that edge was lost and began to feel a little uninspired.
How Can We Make It Fun Again?
The truth is, none of us can follow the same path in a changing world and expect the same results. Life doesn’t work that way, we must evolve. I long for the days that looking at the Steemit feed was one of the first things I wanted to do in the morning. Maybe this is an unrealistic expectation.
During my week long reset I often asked myself How can I make this fun again? Stepping away allowed cognitive dissonance to recede into the background a bit and some new ideas to bubble up from the the well of creativity that is the subconscious mind.
What Will the Reset Entail?
I decided if I didnn't make some sort of drastic change then I would likely be taking increasingly longer breaks from Steemit, which would make me sad. Over the next few weeks I’ll be starting two new blogging projects that I’m really excited about.
The new first project, which was suggested by my wife, will be an interactive series allowing all of us Steemians from different generations to share some of our wisdom and stories with each other.
Another truth the struck me squarely between the eyes during my time away is I really miss teaching meditation classes. My next thought was, “Why not share your knowledge about meditation in some way via Steemit posts?” This is exactly what I plan on doing with the second series.
I invite you all to drop by my blog within the coming weeks to see how this new reset is working out! It will definitely be fun for me to try something a little different.
As always, I thank you for reading.
Yours in the Chain,
Eric
Please follow our official Steemit account for the film series @hardfork-series. Did you miss our last post? If so CLICK HERE to read it!
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Good luck with the new projects, Eric.
I can relate. My feelings toward Steemit have changed over the years (sometimes positively; sometimes negatively). On one hand, the surface can seem fake and insincere. On the other hand, once you meet the people behind the keyboards face-to-face, you realize there is a really special community working hard to make this place great.
I think growing pains and fatigue are inevitable, but I'm glad you're back with a clear vision.
Thank you, Wade! You're so right about the human-to-human connection factor being so valuable. All along it's been a community of caring and like-minded individuals working together to make Steemit great. Some of the best moments of my life originated here.
Love your post and I think every time you bring some value with it to the community it's worth staying in it. I've just started with steemit but I've been around instagram for a long time and I know how it feels when you see the autocomments or when you know for sure people don't read what you post, but you know what, every day I remind myself if what I post is something useful even if one person gets something out of it, it's worth it!!!
So having said that, I've been into a really powerful kriya/meditation practice for over a year now and I'd love to share more about it, why don't we do something together on this platform?!
Thank you @ommmsome! That's a wonderful point you make about connecting with even one person. I've practiced Kriya for about 23 years now and it's been amazing. I'd like to hear more about your practice!
let's do a post or something together here on steemit?! Maybe a Q&A kind of thing that could be useful for people who want to start practices?
It'd be interesting to compare our thoughts and experiences about a Kriya practice after one year and twenty three years. What led you to Kriya? I found it through Paramahansa Yogananda's writings.
Yes, definitely! You would have so much more to say though, hehe. Well, first of all we can start with what kind of kriyas do we practice and where did we learn them etc, eh? I'm a total newbie here so let me know how we can connect to get a post together :)
Being here as long as you are. I can totally sympathise with that. Feeling kinda burnt I do miss the first year at steemit all the excitement all the anticipation and the speculation is not longer here for me. I think it is safe to say that steemit is heading towards to mainstream adoption there is not much to expect other than it will be huge soon everything else just don't cut it for steemit's future. My personal goals are drifting me a bit away of my blogging a bit a time day by day. But that might be a good thing I was never aiming to be a big steemit blogger.
Anyway in the meantime I made a lot of friends all over the world something that wouldn't have occur without steemit. I mostly use it to log in and support my favorite authors these days and also find some new ones to follow at art tag mainly.
I am sure you will find a lot of interesting things to share you don't have to post every day just every now and then so we can check what you are up to.
Best of luck with everything man.
I think many of us early adopters are feeling similarly right now. The platform is moving in the direction that it must and the community feature might be the thing that allows Steemit to keep its more intimate feel during mass adoption.
Steemit (meet ups and SteemFests in particular) have been the cement that have created many lifelong bonds. I wouldn't trade the memories I've made over these past few years for anything in the world.
Thank you, @skapaneas!
@ericvancewalton, Don't need to worry about that. I'm and also your followers very satisfy about your blogging. So why you told us your blogging level was unsatisfying? Ok...You need to take rest. 01 week is much better. I appreciate you're really great teacher of meditation and religion especially Buddhist I know. Meditation very cleverly introduce from Buddhist religion.
Yep...I agreed with you eric currently steemit has huge user base and very harder to find and upvote every comments there. Someone did spam looking post and we all have to earn rewards very tough. But if you decided to seriously leave from steemit and you want to see your smiling face of you. Thanks for inspiration.
I noticed your blog had been a little quiet of late. I think we all need to press reset every now and then, and look at life beyond our screens.
A drive for me in 2018 has been working on new projects and collaborations with other people, on the Steemit platform and off it. That has kept me posting the last month or so.
Plus, I keep a 'to-do' white board by my drawing desk- updated with ideas and projects I'm working (and a few wildcards too) . On slow days I can pick up one of the projects off my list.
Collaborations are a great way to keep posting fresh and creative! This is what I intend on doing with one of the series I have in mind. It's going to be fun to make the blog an experimental space (of sorts) again! Hope you guys are doing well. Spring is just on the edge of breaking here!
I thought spring was on its way... but we are sheltering from the snow today.
HI @ericvancewalton, interesting to ponder what you say here and a few things occur to me -
Just thoughts, not sure if any of these ring true but I'm glad that you're reaching to find your "steam" for steemit. Both of your ideas sound really great!
I'll also say that I've been going through my own weighing of things here too and trying to find my feet amidst the huge growth. Keeping my presence meaningful by my own standards is really a challenge while I try to keep up with everything. I sometimes find myself getting frazzled trying to race around the platform curating and communicating and that certainly ISN"T satisfying! Plus my life is dizzyingly busy right now so time is squeezed to the max causing me to have to recalibrate too.
But I keep returning to my own maxim about steemit - make what I do here something that's so essential for my own personal growth that I'm compelled to return and engage regularly. It has to be cutting edge in my own life to sacrifice those hours which could be filled with many other wonderful things!
And equally important is to give myself permission to post only as much as I can manage and give only 1-2 hours a day rather than the 4-5 I'd like to. Then use that time carefully in the ways that are most satisfying. This is really important for me.
As always, I so enjoy your thinking and witnessing your process, you have my support and friendship no matter how you carve out your future!
You bring up some really brilliant and poignant points, Ruth! Most of my creative energy IS being poured into HardFork right now and it is so amazingly rewarding and fun but there isn't that immediate feedback loop with the project like there is with blogging. This series is going to be beyond epic when it's released so I just have to defer gratification, keep my head down and "keep on keeping on." I wouldn't want to trade this HardFork project for anything else.
I like your maxim about the platform and I've had an amazing time seeing you blossom on here. I was just sharing that thought with Johanna the other day.
I've taken breaks before but always have this nagging feeling that I need to write my next post. As one who definitely listens to his nagging voices I'll keep blogging until that voice stops prodding me forward.
Thanks so much for that wonderful support and friendship! You have mine as well!
some times you have to step away from everything in life to realise where you are at and where ultimately you would be like to be next, sounds like you just got into one of those lulls, i spent a similar amount of time last week doing the same about what video i wanted to put on dlive and dtube, now i know i'm going about it in a better way.
I'm so glad that your inspiration has been rekindled, it's good to take a step back at times and ponder the way forward!
I really look forward to both your series, especially the meditation series. Just imagine, you can reach people from all over the world right here on steemit, teaching this magical technique would be awesome as you'd be helping many many people.
Thank you for this!
Thank you very much @lizelle! I'm brainstorming now about the meditation series. I'm thinking the first post will debut this week. I really appreciate all of your support!
a very good post @ericvancewalton, the words you write this can be a very good motivation for the crowd. Especially for those who just joined in steemit. I also see that now there are so many people who like steemit, and steemit has now grown very far. I also have a hobby to write, and I also have a blog. Thank you for sharing and hopefully you will be more successful to work ... :)
You are a very good writer , you written all things in a beautiful method .
Thanks
Dear @ericvancewalton
I wanted to inform you of an opportunity that #promo-steem has for @sndbox and other major projects on the steem blockchain.
We are the media partners for the London Crypto Currency Show on 14th April. In return for this, we have managed to get our hands on 14,000 usd of promotional access in the form of 2 x hour long presentation seminars and one 4 x 3m exhibition stand.
Instead of using the presentation time and exhibition stand to ourselves we decided to let the major projects and notable steemians use it. So we are giving away talking spots and the opportunity exhibit at our stand for free.
This is quite a big deal since the London Crytpo Currency Show is organised by the London Investors Show, a well-established, long term investing exhibition which brings in crowds of 2,500 experienced investors through its doors at most events. This is therefore an excellent opportunity for the steem blockchain to make a strong mark at one of the premier blockchain events in the UK, and Europe basically for free.
Please see this blog for further details. I hope you are interested in either sending someone from your project to talk at one of the seminars, supporting the event or spreading the word to other major projects or notable steemians. https://steemit.com/promo-steem/@starkerz/exhibition-opportunity-call-to-steem-projects-at-london-crypto-currency-show
I look forward to hearing from you!
@starkerz
Thank you so much @starkerz! We’re checking with the team now to see if we have someone available for that date to represent us in London.
Agree with your article , ya reset is important some time. And you describe it very well.
Thanks
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Sometimes you need to just step back for a while. Then, when you've had a change to recharge and reset, you can come back with more purpose and drive. Even if that doesn't happen, that's ok. You need to live your life in a way that brings you life. If the community here isn't giving you life, then you need to go somewhere you can get it. That being said, if you do Steemit as your job and livelihood, you need to either push through or find another job. Heh.
It was so helpful to step away. "You need to live your life in a way that brings you life." is such a great quote.
Hey Eric, this is my first writing, completelly new here ;-)
but your post just sparked me to do so. Is almost as if you were talking to my uncouscious fear on "aging" in Steemit, and how would that feel. I know is different for every person, but your comment felt honest and worth thinking about. Thanks!
First, welcome to Steemit! Us early adopters have seen so many changes...you'll experience very soon the time compression effect of blockchain. You see so much change in six months that it feels like years. It's very interesting. I wish you well in your blogging! Please don't be too shy...leap in and find your niche.
A break is always needed when you feel stressed Eric.
But as you said you missed Steemit. You missed blogging and eventually you came up with a brand new idea that i hope to bring a smile on your face again.i'm looking forward to it
I agree, @mindtrap! I'm going to give it one more go and see how it works out. No matter what I've learned so much here and met some lifelong friends!
Well I definitely get my fair share of "Great post. Beautiful pictures." and other meaningless spam. I guess it's unavoidable since the user base has grown so much and many people nowadays are minnows that don't even really speak English.
They are doing their best to get some of the reward pie by commenting with pictures and generic comments. I can't fault them, per se, but I do have to admit I much prefer a meaningful comment from someone that understands exactly what I wrote.
I'd be glad if you started blogging more and I'll definitely be paying attention to any future posts that come up.
As a Buddhist, I can offer my own particular insights into meditation as well. That could be a nice conversation.
Good point that these kinds of new comments are unavoidable as Steemit becomes more global. Communities that allow people to communicate in their own language might be helpful. I noticed on Golos that there's a feature that allows you to translate the entire site into your home language. I don't think Steemit yet has this functionality but it would be a HUGE improvement. I had no idea you were a Buddhist! Amazing. I plan on beginning the meditation posts within the next few weeks. Enjoy the rest of your week Jeezzle!
I'm still having a lot of fun @ericvancewalton. My comment section isn't dry like that. It's still quite lively. Unfortunately, a few of the changes have been quite disheartening for me. The paid vote thing where people are just getting shoved aside has been quite painful to watch and experience. I'm taking a break from posting. Still curating when I have a moment or two though. I just can't turn my back on these folks. Too stressed though with life and a few things here. Can't write properly, can't art worth a crap. Feel a bit negative inside and I don't really want to put that out onto the world through my blog. I'm sure I'll bounce back though. I don't know why I'm rambling. Have a good day.
Hi there. I'm also a writer/creative person, also into meditation, and I just joined steemit. I'm so new, I've yet to find a groove with it, but one thing I've noticed is the lack of quality posts on here. A lot of posts seem to lack any sort of substance or effort, so I appreciate coming across someone who can actually write using proper punctuation. I'm interested in meeting other writers and connecting in a genuine way (as you said your earlier experiences with Steemit were). I hope that's still possible on here. I'll follow you. :)
Hi, @andiloveall! It hasn't always been this way and this is what I struggle with but I'm sure the Steemit community will find a way to alleviate the growing pains. I would suggest perusing the tags that you're interested in "writing", "art", and "meditation" and seeing which Steemians you connect with then start engaging in comments (as you did here). Most often others reciprocate. This is definitely how you grow your readership organically and in genuine directions. There's no lack of talent on the platform, it just takes some searching to find it. @opheliafu is an example of a phenomenal and prolific artist.
Yeah, seems as more users are coming in to this platform, the thoughtful comments are disappearing little by little. Are only the spammers staying on this platform? Haha, hopefully not!
Since I'm into meditation and I do it every day, I'll surely enjoy what you have to post about it! :)
Sometimes disconnecting actually reconnects yourself. We often do this. Go to a place where we cam just recharge our batteries with no one, no cellphone no nothing around.
Although I didn't voluntarily take a break, I couldn't be on the platform as much as I would have liked to for a few weeks due to a busy schedule, but when I finally had the time to come back to it with a ton of time, it was kind of refreshing! We all need a break sometime!
Time to refresh relax sit back and enjoy the steemit ride have a great day will be looking forward to your posts :D
I love your post, please upvote me.
Just kidding!
So glad you got a little chance to reset and you’re feeling freshly inspired! It’s only fair since you inspire all of us on a regular basis!
Too funny! Our intense HardFork collaborative sessions had something to do with reigniting the creative spark. It was great to hang out and create again!
I was starting to feel similarly about the bland comment sections on here. I think it’s because there’s so many new users who are just trying to earn an easy upvote.
To me, the smaller community that we used to have was preferable for interacting with people, but at the same time I want Steem to be huge. I think these are just growing pains that we’ll just have to deal with.
I’m excited for communities when each community, or tag, will be able to do its own moderation. I think that will go a long way in helping to clean things up around here.
-Jordan
Hey Jordan! Yes, the change was inevitable as Steemit grew. Great point about communities...maybe they will help to bring back the magic.
better to hit reset than the nuclear option ... haha
Lol. You're right.
Sometimes you just need a break. Think of it as a sleep cycle. If you don't sleep daily you don't function properly.
Oh, yes, my friend, we all need a reboot, because this is the best way for inspiration that we need on the creative path. I will look forward to your projects with impatience and I am sure that you will have something to share with us! Thank you @ericvancewalton
Great idea. I'm happy to read your messages, especially since I need a reboot. How often do we lack inner peace, opportunities without emotions and an unbiased assessment of the situation. For this, you need a meditative state. Thank you for sharing.
excellent post ..loving to your blog.thanks for sharing..
You shared a great post .... Your Post Topic: I like it very much .... and I'm waiting for your next post. Thanks.
Awwww so sad ! Please if I may ask why do you want to take that long break? Secondly I’m waiting to see the two(2) new blogging project I’m pretty sure since it’s going to be interesting since it’s coming from you it’s something to watch out for! Regards to your beautiful wife!
Glad that you are back buddy !
well the new reset will sure make it work for you !
While for the two of your projects it sure will be great !
Will be looking forward to it though :)
Thank you @rehan12!
interactive series - is like a video game? I am interested in making and selling an ebook - do I need to be an entrepreneur to do this (pay taxes, be registered on official list...)?
thanks for your post. you are very great and very cool success continues
I agree. If only there's a reset button for life then I would have pressed it long time ago.
Steemit is still quite a young social media platform. I'm sure it will evolve even more over the coming years. Congrats on being one of the first here!
You need to understand one of the most important things about meditation: there is no technique that would lead to it. It occurs beyond the mind.
I like to read your writing, add information and be very helpful
can't wait to see what would be next.
good luck in your two g two projects @ericvancewalton!
I'm a new follower to your blog and I'm intrigued. Looking forward to seeing what you share and how you choose to make changes.