The feeling of isolation and unimportance on Vocal

I recently started creating random pieces of AI generated art on NightCafe Studio, they also work along with Open Ai concepts, and although I am not yet even close to being good/great at it, my creations are pretty much ok and coming into their own. The young folks over there are creating marvelous and mind-boggling artistry.

What I do get though, on that platform, is the feeling of complete and total appreciation for every single attempt at art that my still learning AI art can come up with.

I am rewarded for everything. Nope, there is no money being paid out to create the art. I get praised for my every effort, I get tokens for every type of effort that is given out. These free tokens allow me create other works of art, I can rack up tokens daily and keep creating to my heart's content. Or I can buy more tokens, which I have not had to so as yet, because I am not creating that many daily, as many others are doing.

The crux of the matter is how I feel about being there, where I feel that even my worst effort does not go unrewarded. I don't have that sense of unimportance which I get from time to time on Vocal. I feel supported and a welcome part of the community all the time, not just when I happen to get a Top Story or when I write something that pleases someone for a short few moments, or for a lauded moment in time.

Yes, the responses are AI generated, there are not enough people to send individual human responses to each and every one of the thousands of creators. Yet, I feel warm and fuzzy to see the responses in my e-mail or on the site itself when I create, praise another creator or vote on creator themed challenges which are highly encouraged. There is real camaraderie and team spirit, some are AI generated and some from comments of other creators.

I even gained credits from placing last in a competition with my lovely horse.

I am not happy that Vocal comments no longer come to my e-mail. I am missing many comments having to search for them within every story, or go trolling through notifications, who has the time for that. That was a bad decision as far as I am concerned, not every request is in the best interest of everyone.

I may not be of much importance to Vocal, but I like writing, creating and reading stories. I was reading the stories of the underserved on Vocal long before people are now being paid for it. It is a shame that it had to come to that. I am sure that the money could be better served through kindness in the reading of stories, so the money could be invested in the upliftment of many more good and great ignored and underappreciated writers on this platform.

Yes, I did benefit a tiny bit from it, and it may seem hypocritical, but it is, nonetheless true.

I would love to see Vocal living up to its potential of fairness and inclusivity for everyone, no matter how 'sub par' their writing may appear. Everyone has the potential for growth. Most of us started out writing so called sub par stories.

I have made just enough money on Vocal to have reached break-even point with the monthly dues which I have paid since joining. I am a miser, I don't spend money frivolously (mostly), so I have neither won nor lost since joining. What I have gained however, is priceless. My reading and writing have gained a kind of higher 'class' sophistication in the content and quality of that which I now read and try to write. Sometimes I do still write silly un-Top-Story-like stories.

I will be brutally honest with writers, just ask Dharrsheena (everyone knows her by her first name), when I first met her she was mainly writing other people's horror stories. I put my foot down and told her to start writing her own stories and books for that matter, she was obviously very and extremely talented. After pooh poohing for a bit, she did. Now there is no stopping her.

Donna Fox is another of my protegees, encouragement to free her wings and fly was welcomed by her, we read each other's stories, corrected and added gentle remonstrances until she flew solo on her lovely wings.

Grz Colm is still with me, we read and encourage and lift each other's spirits up as often as we can.

My sister from across the ocean D. Alexandra Porter, is my joy on Vocal. She reads my stories and make then seem like they were written by Shakespeare, Wadsworth, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou or one of my favorites, Arthur Conan Doyle, the master of detail.

THANK YOU ALL

Tiffany Gordon and Stephanie Bradberry.

Sid, Paul, Lonzo, Naomi, the two Danas, Real Poetic, Jay, R. Angeli, Mariann, Invisible. J S Wade, Renee, Cathy, Mike, Rick, Judey, Lamar, Gerald, Babs, Mark, Gina, Heather, Lana, Elaine Sehira, Joe, Ruth, Gerard, Carol, Kendal, Ashley L, CH Richards, Veronica, Sonia H, MT and everyone who ever read my story.

I cannot help but notice that it is the same names that keep popping up when a story is published. Thousands of writers, yet it is the same ones who, thankfully keep reading my stories.

There is something sadly lacking in our relationship and approach to what Vocal was initially created to be.

Just like climate change and our indifference to the fact that we are the reason for it. So are the changes on Vocal an offshoot of our selfishness and the chase for the next name upon the totem pole.

Yes, changes are inevitable, and great ones are always welcome. But if we look deep down within ourselves, we will see that the creators have had to veer away from the initial purpose to a more individual driven approach in order to keep the masses satisfied.

It is my deepest and most fervent wish to see people on Vocal feeling like I do on the other platform. For everyone to feel equally welcome, whether or not theirs is the greatest story, or the one just peeking its first sprout out of the ground seeking water and sunlight.

Design AI to make us feel warm and fuzzy if you must, It matters not what makes us feel loved, we just want that feeling with every story which is written.

BTW J@V. I did notice you like my story, but then it......

I sincerely hope that a few people will read this story and give me their honest opinion on the matter.

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