These people have taken their destiny into their own hands, freed themselves from corporate servitude, and built their own legacy.

All over the world people have been positively impacted by these companies and they’re notably better off because of it. Maybe they’ve been able to leave an unfulfilling job in insurance sales to pursue their dream to be a digital artist, or they quit their job in a gas station so they can write science fiction novels and spend more time with their family, or maybe they left the military to become a mental health support worker while moonlighting as a session guitarist.

People everywhere are happier, healthier, and living life on their own terms.

❤️

May 2021, I really had no idea what was happening outside of traditional tech startups. I was neck deep in that world, working at SpotHero, trying to integrate a new authentication system.

I was bored of web development, my passion lost, my desire to create dulled.

With little to no motivation to turn up for work everyday I was really doing the minimum required of me, going through the motions, attending meeting after meeting, feeling my creative soul slowly draining away.

Maybe that’s too dramatic, but I certainly did not feel my role was fulfilling.

What to do, what to do.

I’ve long been a supporter of Gary Vee and he’d been talking a lot about NFTs. I was kind of ignoring him because I’d heard about NFTs back in 2018 during the ICO boom and I was so turned off by the whole ICO boom, the marketing tactics, the lack of integrity, that I didn’t want to be a part of it.

One day I started listening to what Gary had to say, really listening.

I was intrigued and thought it might be time to take notice.

I started digging.

I read a few articles, watched some videos, listened to some podcasts, and reached out to some friends who had interest in the space.

Things started to click.

It began to make sense, and I had to be part of it.

For a long time I’ve dreamed of financial freedom. To be my own boss, build my own dreams, and use my skills to make a positive impact on the world.

I was so tired of working for other people and helping them realise their dreams only to be no closer to my own.

At this point Web3, NFTs, and Blockchain tech felt like an interesting avenue to explore with real potential for me to free myself from corporate slavery.

Maybe the term “corporate slavery” will offend some people because it’s hits too close to home or because I’m privileged and somehow my problems are lesser than those who aren’t as fortunate as me, but it’s an appropriate term to describe how I feel about the world we live in.

After learning about NFTs, I felt I had to learn more.

I started learning Solidity so I could write smart contracts, I started building some apps to integrate with my test contracts, and I minted a few NFTs.

ethereum://0x60f80121c31a0d46b5279700f9df786054aa5ee5/1124434

My creativity was ablaze.

I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing. The sheer volume of creative people channeling their energy into NFTs was, and still is, astounding.

That’s what I love most about Web3. You can take an idea to production in a matter of days, even hours, AND monetise it.

Never before have we been able to do this at the same scale.

This technology is accessible to everyone with a laptop and an internet connection.

Now it feels like freedom.

I’m living my dream, truly.