Hey, Steemit!

Hey fellow Steemians!

I am @bymelissaclaire and I'm in the (very) early stages of my creative career. I currently work a non-creative 9-5 while working on my other interests on the side, and working towards location and financial independence (amirite?).

This is me:

And this is my sweet, sweet cat, being cute in her cat-sized Ikea chair:

The chair apparently wasn't soft enough on it's own, so gave her an extra cushion. #spoiledcat

Her name is Zoey, but I call her Bunny way more frequently, and sometimes Baby Meow Meow. She's 15.5 and I want to throw her a "sweet 16" birthday party, but mostly so I can make cute cat-like cupcakes and make everyone dress up with cat ears.

This is Zoey being derpy:

I learned about Steemit from this article by David Kadavy, @kadavy.

I tried having a travel blog for a few years, but recently learned that what I went into it for is not what I was getting out of it.

I learned that I want to create freely. I want to explore and learn and just try things, and I really felt confined to "rules" in the world of "making it as a blogger."

So - I'm here to just be myself, and not worry about all the trends of the online world.

I like discovering and talking about:
• photography;
• travel stories;
• bakeries;
• thoughts and reflections;
• writing (I want to become a better creative writer!);
• chasing that freedom;
• and who knows what else!

A little more about me...

After I completed my master's degree in criminology, and before I got a "real job," I backpacked solo around Europe for three months. I mainly carpooled and couchsurfed and it was one of the best times. It made me realize that I don't want to look back fondly on it as "the good old days" and just something I did while I was young and unencumbered. It made me realize I just don't want to be encumbered. I want to look forward to all the exciting things ahead, rather than surviving off memories and nostalgia, though of course, it's still nice to reminisce.

This trip also made me realize I want to be really good at taking really awesome photos. Up until now, all my photos have been taken with my Canon T1i, but I will be upgrading in December, because I know I have no chance of making it as a professional otherwise, and it's kind of embarrassing that I haven't upgraded yet.

Here are some photos from my Europe trip:

Schloß Schönbrunn, Vienna

Parliament building in Budapest, which holds the title for "prettiest parliament building" in the world for me (so far)

And here are some more recent ones:

Belfountain Conservation park in Ontario, Canada

Belfountain Conservation park in Ontario, Canada

La Jolla Beach, San Diego - this one actually won me prize in a German photo contest

So, that's it for now, but I'm pretty much an open book so feel free to ask questions! I'm excited to be part of the Steemit community!