Hello everyone!

My name is Ryan, also known as PROJEKT61 and 61 Lives. I'm an aspiring electronic music artist/producer (PROJEKT61) and budding entrepreneur (or “artrepreneur”, to be more specific) by trade, visual/fine artist (61 Lives) and tinkerer on the side. I'm addicted to Lenovo ThinkPads, Ford Econolines, anything to do with dirt bikes, cars, Bass Music…and just anything else that captivates me, in general.

I’m a native of Orange County, California, who has a lust for life. I like to live by my own rules, instead of letting other people dictate my every move. I’m a free-spirited, freethinker, who loves adventure and exploration. I’m a life-long learner and have a huge appetite for discovering new things - mainly so I can find better ways to do things and have more fun. On top of all that, I hate bullshit and bigotry. I believe that people should be free to do whatever they like, just as long as it doesn’t harm anyone.

I joined Steemit just a few days ago - this, after a month of lurking around. This is my first post here and I'm very excited to be a part of this wonderful community. I feel like this is the right place to share my obsessions and just generally express myself. This seems like a great place to meet some new people - who either share those same desires or are just generally interested in seeing what I have to offer.

Why did I choose Steemit?

I've been trying to find a place where I can express myself - both artistically and individually - and bring out my fullest potential, while getting my message across to people who may be interested all at the same time. I've tried everything out there, nothing was truly working out the way I wanted it to. Just a few weeks ago, I found out about Steemit (credit goes to @tjkirk for helping me discover this platform…he's one of my favorite YouTubers/commentators/personalities and a big source of inspiration). I checked it out and after a day, I was drawn in. I was convinced that this was the platform that was best suited for me.

Perhaps the biggest problem I've seen with other platforms is lack of quality and overemphasis on popularity. Quantity for the sake of quantity seems to be valued more so than quality. Personally, I prefer a more laid-back atmosphere where I can focus on the quality of my content while at the same time, putting out content on an occasional, consistent basis. With the other platforms, it's nearly impossible to do that. I'm required to put out content for the sake of it, just to keep out with a piece of crap algorithm that only serves to please some corporate interests that only care about making a profit (not to mention the incentives are garbage). All of that would require me to work harder than I should (it's better to work smarter, just working hard doesn't cut it) - which usually results in lower-quality content - and get very little in return. On top of that, everything seems to be more of a popularity contest in other platforms, and I’m just not into that. Steemit solves these issues, plus the incentives are better than anything else out there and the community here is great.

Where to follow me?

I have quite a few social accounts but I most prefer Twitter and Instagram (@PROJEKT61 for both). If you want to know what's currently on my mind, follow me on Twitter (I also post updates there). If you want to know what's inspiring me at the moment, follow me on Instagram (you'll also get to see some "behind the scenes" type of stuff on Instagram Stories). I’m most active on Twitter and I’m constantly thinking of ways to keep my Instagram active (If I’m not posting anything, then I’m engaging with other users).

I hope you join me on this journey of mine (perhaps I'll even convince you to believe in my vision - who knows). I'm growing (as both an artist and individual) at an exponentially fast rate and I'm just getting started with all of this...It's safe to say that exciting times are up ahead!