Four Years of Flow: Celebrating Creative Work Hour’s Ongoing Journey
From lockdown dreams to global creative rhythms —
How a spark of intuition lit up over 3,000 sessions across eight time zones
Origin Story: Born From Community, Not Thin Air
It wasn't an idea out of thin air that drove the founding of Creative Work Hour or CWH. No, it was being in other communities where creative people came together with common interests that brought it into being.
I spent a lot of time in online cohort-based productivity orientated courses during lockdown, like "Building a Second Brain", "Linking Your Thinking", "Life OS", Part-Time You Tube Academy," as well as those that were digital note-taking tool specific, like for Roam Research, Craft.do, and Obsidian. I noticed that my cohort friends tended to fall into a couple of creative style groups that I describe as analytical or intuitive. This oversimplifies, yes, but it certainly establishes the continuum of our creative expression styles.
Analytical Meets Intuitive: A Continuum of Creative Styles
During those courses, I received scores of DMs asking my take on how effective the courses were for creatives, especially those not so hard-core analytical. It was from having and thinking hard about these convos that the idea of holding space especially designed for the more intuitive leaning creative was born.
My partner, @bitterirony was working (in fact, he's still with the firm) in the C suite of a upmarket app and website design studio in San Francisco when CoVid hit in 2020. The city became a ghost town as WFH became the new normal. So Bitter and I sought out somewhere else to wait out the pandemic.
The Roadtrip That Changed Everything
A few months later, an offer came from a work friend to move into her big house in Washington state during her move abroad to Italy to wait it out. We gathered our PPE and headed out on the 1,000 mile roadtrip to see the house in the new city.
Along the way, Bitter and I discussed the logistics of my founding this new thing, which from that day to this is called, Creative Work Hour. But instead of waiting until we returned home for me to launch, I felt it important to get started ASAP, primarily because I could have just as easily chickened out (yep, I deal with stage fright)!
An interesting detail of the story is that we arrived the Evergreen State during "The Heat Dome" of June 2021 to temperatures hovering at 117℉ / 48℃. Somehow, it contributed to the launch excitement.
A Sofa, a Lounger, and a Leap of Faith
And so it was founded even though we were travelling (and that's never stopped!) On 1 July, 2021, from the historic Montvale Hotel in Riverside, Spokane, WA, we set up in a second floor lobby, furnished with a tufted leather sofa and an indigo velvet lounger, reminiscent of the TV series, "Friends." Though I was dying with anxiety, I kicked off this crazy creative adventure, together with friends from eight time zones from twenty-one countries.
3,000+ Sessions Later: What We’ve Built Together
To date, we've hosted over 3,000 creative sessions, including the spin-off called Practice Not Perfect, for music practice & extra creative work time. These are run live on a daily basis on the zoom platform, while the community lives asynchronously in the CWH Discord.
By Invitation, Yet Always Welcoming
Creative Work Hour is by invitation only, as we have creatives working on intellectual property. Yet we are a true Hive Community, so if you are on Hive, you are already welcome. Simply go here and I will greet you at the door.
A Diary Worthy of the Moment
In the photo above is pictured our 2025-26 Smythson Portabello Diary (this craftmanship would make for a post all its own!). This is the first year Smythson produced the world famous diary in Red. It was close, but we scored the very last copy of it in all of the United Kingdom! To mark our anniversary, I made the first entry in it today. Note the hand-pressed gilding, "CWH + HIVE." 🎁💐🍾
Plug into the CWH Heartbeat: Join the 4th Birthday Party Podcast 🎧🎉
Grab your airpods or headphones! You can get a great sense of what we are like in the CWH Podcast. Here is our 4th Happy Birthday Episode.
Let’s Chat!
Got questions? Wanna chat more about CWH or interview us for your podcast?
Just reach out to me on Discord @alessandrawhite
Much love! ❤️🥰
Alessandra
So happy four our CWH crew! 🥳
Aww!! 🥰 Thankie for all your support, especially these last few insane days!!
I think you have a wonderful thing going on there. I just don't make it there very often :)
Hi @steevc!! Remember the CWH Motto?
Videbimus te cum te videbimus.
We’ll see ya when we see ya!
Who Are The Leaders of Hive?
Hive, a blockchain born of rebellion against centralization, now stands at a crossroads. Its ethos—decentralized, community-driven, and free—is shadowed by a corrosive reality: the unchecked power of entities like @themarkymark and @buildawhale, whose coordinated downvotes and acrimonious tactics have driven creators to despair. This is not governance; it is a tyranny of silence.
The Illusion of Leadership
Hive has no crowned sovereign. Its “leaders” are stewards: developers refining code, witnesses securing consensus, and communities shaping culture. Yet power, as history teaches, consolidates in vacuums. When accounts with vast Hive Power (HP) weaponize downvotes to stifle dissent, they erode the very democracy Hive was built to protect. This is not leadership—it is oligarchy masquerading as order.
The Exodus and the Alternative
Creators flee. Talented voices, weary of punitive curation, migrate to platforms like Blurt, where downvotes are absent and dialogue thrives. Blurt’s rise will be no accident; its simplicity—a sanctuary from Hive’s toxicity—highlights a fatal flaw in our ecosystem. A single change here could tip the scales. Imagine Blurt embraced by investors, listed on centralized exchanges, and fortified by liquidity. It needs only a catalyst.
A Plea for Unity—and Action
We cannot wait. Each downvoted post is a fracture in Hive’s foundation. To stem the exodus, we demand:
Bilpcoin’s Pledge
The Bilpcoin team stands with Hive. We will:
The Hour Is Now
Hive’s promise—a haven for free expression—hangs in the balance. Will we cling to infighting, or rise as a community? The tools for change are ours: blockchain transparency, collective will, and the courage to demand better.
Join us. Audit wallets. Question power. Post fearlessly. Together, we can reclaim Hive’s soul—or watch its light dim as Blurt rises.
The choice is ours. Let it be written in history that we chose wisely.
Hive leadership crisis, decentralized governance reform, Blurt vs Hive, Bilpcoin transparency, blockchain accountability, downvote ethics.
#HiveTransparency #CommunityOverCensorship
@themarkymark @buildawhale & Co
You wield downvotes like a weapon, striking indiscriminately at whoever displeases you, whenever it suits your whim. And why? Why do you call people names as though their humanity is secondary to your ego? Is this how you justify your behavior—to diminish others so they might seem less worthy of fairness? You claim disdain for AI on Hive, yet your inner circle freely employs it without consequence. No downvotes for them, only for those outside your charmed circle. Tell us, why are you so selective in whom you punish and whom you protect?
https://hive.blog/hive/@themarkymark/re-bpcvoter2-swxxng
@themarkymark & Co.,
We are being completely honest here, and you know it. The transactions don’t lie—you cannot escape this, no matter who you bring in to back you up. It won’t work. You’ve already exposed many of those close to you, so let’s be clear: WE ARE NOT TROLLING YOU. WE ARE SIMPLY SHARING THE TRUTH. And the Bilpcoin team is far from stupid. Calling us names changes nothing—it only fuels our determination to work harder.
IT’S OVER.
SPEAK UP. MAKE NOISE. TAKE A STAND.
Key Issues That Demand Immediate Attention:
The problems are glaring, undeniable, and corrosive to the Hive ecosystem. They must be addressed without delay:
These practices do not just harm individual users—they undermine the very foundation of Hive, eroding trust and poisoning the community. Such actions are not only unethical but outright destructive.
@buildawhale Wallet:
@usainvote Wallet:
@buildawhale/wallet | @usainvote/wallet
@ipromote Wallet:
Author Rewards: 2,181.16
Curation Rewards: 4,015.61
Staked HIVE (HP): 0.00
Rewards/Stake Co-efficient (KE): NaN
HIVE: 25,203.749
Staked HIVE (HP): 0.000
Delegated HIVE: 0.000
Estimated Account Value: $6,946.68
Recent Activity:
@leovoter Wallet:
Author Rewards: 194.75
Curation Rewards: 193.88
Staked HIVE (HP): 0.00
Rewards/Stake Co-efficient (KE): 388,632.00 (Suspiciously High)
HIVE: 0.000
Staked HIVE (HP): 0.001
Total: 16.551
Delegated HIVE: +16.550
Recent Activity:
@abide Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@proposalalert Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@stemgeeks Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@theycallmemarky Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@apeminingclub Wallet:
Recent Activity:
Scheduled unstake (power down): ~2.351 HIVE (in 4 days, remaining 7 weeks)
Total Staked HIVE: 1,292.019
Delegated HIVE: +1,261.508
Withdraw vesting from @apeminingclub to @blockheadgames 2.348 HIVE (10 days ago)
Claim rewards: 0.290 HP (10 days ago)
@blockheadgames Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@empoderat Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@gogreenbuddy Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@rollingbones Wallet:
Recent Activity:
The blockchain data tells the story plainly and clearly. We are not fabricating these claims; we are merely presenting what is already visible for all to see. As we’ve repeatedly urged @themarkymark & Co—the solution is simple: STOP.
SO PLEASE STOP. It’s time to do what’s right for Hive and its community. Why cling to practices that harm others? Power down, step away, and let Hive thrive as it was meant to. You bring nothing positive to this ecosystem.
THOSE WHO ARE WATCHING—THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU.
PLEASE STOP.
@themarkymark, Can You Explain Why the Bilpcoin Team’s Accounts Are on Your Blacklist?
@themarkymark We understand you’re a fan of data—so are we. After all, data is king, and when it comes to blockchain, transactions don’t lie and can’t be changed.
@buildawhale’s daily grift
@themarkymark’s 2.4 Hive Power scam farm
For more insights into blockchain transparency and accountability, visit Bilpcoin’s Publish0x page.
https://peakd.com/hive-133987/@bpcvoter3/isn-t-it-funny-how-themarkymark-and-co-are-suddenly-talking-about-ke-levels-on-hive-well-look-what-we-found-some-of-the-accounts
https://hive.blog/hive-158694/@themarkymark/re-justclickindiva-sysbyt
https://peakd.com/hive-178265/@bpcvoter1/how-can-we-take-someone-seriously-when-they-have-been-exposed-through-clear-evidence-blockchain-transactions-and-data-and-then
https://peakd.com/hive-126152/@bpcvoter2/we-agree-it-s-not-a-joke-themarkymark-and-co-your-mental-health-and-the-well-being-of-those-around-you-are-deeply-concerning-to
https://peakd.com/hive-193212/@jin-out/re-jin-out-sykgtp
https://hive.blog/hive-193212/@jin-out/27th-june-2025-farewell-to-hiveio
https://hive.blog/hive/@test.ureka/the-untrending-report-hive-downvote-analysis-2025-06-27-20250627213824
https://blurt.blog/bpc/@themarkymark/sykcpf
https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@bpcvoter1/https-peakd-com-belikechuck-wallet#@splinterboost/https-peakd-com-belikechuck-wallet
#bilpcoin we must stop the #buildawhalescam #buildawhalefarm #themarkymarkscam #themarkymarkfarm on #hive #thedarksideofhive
Who Are The Leaders of Hive?
Hive, a blockchain born of rebellion against centralization, now stands at a crossroads. Its ethos—decentralized, community-driven, and free—is shadowed by a corrosive reality: the unchecked power of entities like @themarkymark and @buildawhale, whose coordinated downvotes and acrimonious tactics have driven creators to despair. This is not governance; it is a tyranny of silence.
The Illusion of Leadership
Hive has no crowned sovereign. Its “leaders” are stewards: developers refining code, witnesses securing consensus, and communities shaping culture. Yet power, as history teaches, consolidates in vacuums. When accounts with vast Hive Power (HP) weaponize downvotes to stifle dissent, they erode the very democracy Hive was built to protect. This is not leadership—it is oligarchy masquerading as order.
The Exodus and the Alternative
Creators flee. Talented voices, weary of punitive curation, migrate to platforms like Blurt, where downvotes are absent and dialogue thrives. Blurt’s rise will be no accident; its simplicity—a sanctuary from Hive’s toxicity—highlights a fatal flaw in our ecosystem. A single change here could tip the scales. Imagine Blurt embraced by investors, listed on centralized exchanges, and fortified by liquidity. It needs only a catalyst.
A Plea for Unity—and Action
We cannot wait. Each downvoted post is a fracture in Hive’s foundation. To stem the exodus, we demand:
Bilpcoin’s Pledge
The Bilpcoin team stands with Hive. We will:
The Hour Is Now
Hive’s promise—a haven for free expression—hangs in the balance. Will we cling to infighting, or rise as a community? The tools for change are ours: blockchain transparency, collective will, and the courage to demand better.
Join us. Audit wallets. Question power. Post fearlessly. Together, we can reclaim Hive’s soul—or watch its light dim as Blurt rises.
The choice is ours. Let it be written in history that we chose wisely.
Hive leadership crisis, decentralized governance reform, Blurt vs Hive, Bilpcoin transparency, blockchain accountability, downvote ethics.
#HiveTransparency #CommunityOverCensorship
@themarkymark @buildawhale & Co
You wield downvotes like a weapon, striking indiscriminately at whoever displeases you, whenever it suits your whim. And why? Why do you call people names as though their humanity is secondary to your ego? Is this how you justify your behavior—to diminish others so they might seem less worthy of fairness? You claim disdain for AI on Hive, yet your inner circle freely employs it without consequence. No downvotes for them, only for those outside your charmed circle. Tell us, why are you so selective in whom you punish and whom you protect?
https://hive.blog/hive/@themarkymark/re-bpcvoter2-swxxng
@themarkymark & Co.,
We are being completely honest here, and you know it. The transactions don’t lie—you cannot escape this, no matter who you bring in to back you up. It won’t work. You’ve already exposed many of those close to you, so let’s be clear: WE ARE NOT TROLLING YOU. WE ARE SIMPLY SHARING THE TRUTH. And the Bilpcoin team is far from stupid. Calling us names changes nothing—it only fuels our determination to work harder.
IT’S OVER.
SPEAK UP. MAKE NOISE. TAKE A STAND.
Key Issues That Demand Immediate Attention:
The problems are glaring, undeniable, and corrosive to the Hive ecosystem. They must be addressed without delay:
These practices do not just harm individual users—they undermine the very foundation of Hive, eroding trust and poisoning the community. Such actions are not only unethical but outright destructive.
@buildawhale Wallet:
@usainvote Wallet:
@buildawhale/wallet | @usainvote/wallet
@ipromote Wallet:
Author Rewards: 2,181.16
Curation Rewards: 4,015.61
Staked HIVE (HP): 0.00
Rewards/Stake Co-efficient (KE): NaN
HIVE: 25,203.749
Staked HIVE (HP): 0.000
Delegated HIVE: 0.000
Estimated Account Value: $6,946.68
Recent Activity:
@leovoter Wallet:
Author Rewards: 194.75
Curation Rewards: 193.88
Staked HIVE (HP): 0.00
Rewards/Stake Co-efficient (KE): 388,632.00 (Suspiciously High)
HIVE: 0.000
Staked HIVE (HP): 0.001
Total: 16.551
Delegated HIVE: +16.550
Recent Activity:
@abide Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@proposalalert Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@stemgeeks Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@theycallmemarky Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@apeminingclub Wallet:
Recent Activity:
Scheduled unstake (power down): ~2.351 HIVE (in 4 days, remaining 7 weeks)
Total Staked HIVE: 1,292.019
Delegated HIVE: +1,261.508
Withdraw vesting from @apeminingclub to @blockheadgames 2.348 HIVE (10 days ago)
Claim rewards: 0.290 HP (10 days ago)
@blockheadgames Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@empoderat Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@gogreenbuddy Wallet:
Recent Activity:
@rollingbones Wallet:
Recent Activity:
The blockchain data tells the story plainly and clearly. We are not fabricating these claims; we are merely presenting what is already visible for all to see. As we’ve repeatedly urged @themarkymark & Co—the solution is simple: STOP.
SO PLEASE STOP. It’s time to do what’s right for Hive and its community. Why cling to practices that harm others? Power down, step away, and let Hive thrive as it was meant to. You bring nothing positive to this ecosystem.
THOSE WHO ARE WATCHING—THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU.
PLEASE STOP.
@themarkymark, Can You Explain Why the Bilpcoin Team’s Accounts Are on Your Blacklist?
@themarkymark We understand you’re a fan of data—so are we. After all, data is king, and when it comes to blockchain, transactions don’t lie and can’t be changed.
@buildawhale’s daily grift
@themarkymark’s 2.4 Hive Power scam farm
For more insights into blockchain transparency and accountability, visit Bilpcoin’s Publish0x page.
https://peakd.com/hive-133987/@bpcvoter3/isn-t-it-funny-how-themarkymark-and-co-are-suddenly-talking-about-ke-levels-on-hive-well-look-what-we-found-some-of-the-accounts
https://hive.blog/hive-158694/@themarkymark/re-justclickindiva-sysbyt
https://peakd.com/hive-178265/@bpcvoter1/how-can-we-take-someone-seriously-when-they-have-been-exposed-through-clear-evidence-blockchain-transactions-and-data-and-then
https://peakd.com/hive-126152/@bpcvoter2/we-agree-it-s-not-a-joke-themarkymark-and-co-your-mental-health-and-the-well-being-of-those-around-you-are-deeply-concerning-to
https://peakd.com/hive-193212/@jin-out/re-jin-out-sykgtp
https://hive.blog/hive-193212/@jin-out/27th-june-2025-farewell-to-hiveio
https://hive.blog/hive/@test.ureka/the-untrending-report-hive-downvote-analysis-2025-06-27-20250627213824
https://blurt.blog/bpc/@themarkymark/sykcpf
https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@bpcvoter1/https-peakd-com-belikechuck-wallet#@splinterboost/https-peakd-com-belikechuck-wallet
#bilpcoin we must stop the #buildawhalescam #buildawhalefarm #themarkymarkscam #themarkymarkfarm on #hive #thedarksideofhive
You're such a great example of what just simply showing up can accomplish! Congrats on 4 years!
Oh, @artemisnorth thank you for your kind words. I so appreciate your featuring own post on #pypt.
Happy 4th B-Day, Creative Work Hour!!!
Thanks for sharing the journey of CWH and how the community gathered around! I did visit you guys a few times, and I hope I will manage to do it more often... Btw. I listened to the "4th Happy Birthday Episode" podcast, and something that Devin said hit me hard... As I have a big problem with procrastination, CWH could help me out to get it under control... to "reserve" the time to do a job...
All the best and for many more B-Days to come! 🍻 🍷
I have picked this post on behalf of the @OurPick project! Check out our Reading Suggestions Posts!
Please consider voting for our Liotes HIVE Witness. Thank you!
Oh, @ph1102, how wonderful to have you read the post and hear the birthday party podcast episode!
It is quite the honour to be tapped as @ourpick!!
I’m so humbled and sincerely hope that your kind support may help someone to find us for their own creative work.
Much love! 🥰