London Photographer Embarks on Bitcoin-Only Challenge

London photographer Abby Scarlet has embarked on a six month challenge during which she will only accept work from clients willing to pay her in bitcoin.
Sitting in her colourful studio in a warehouse in North London, Scarlet – who’s approximately two weeks into her bitcoin-only endeavour – opened up about her discovery of the digital currency and her personal quest to spread its adoption.
Bitcoin ‘head-first’ “I was thrown into bitcoin head-first,” said Scarlet.
Anecdotally, Scarlet explained how she shared a house in Brighton – a seaside hotspot in the UK – with a bitcoin miner and a bitcoin enthusiast last year.
“He [the bitcoin miner] had all these machines and I didn’t know what they were. I actually turned them off when I got home once because they were making so much noise. He came in and started yelling, asking what I was doing. I didn’t realise he was actually mining digital currency.”
Though her initial introduction to bitcoin was somewhat humorous, Scarlet now refers to the currency as “mind blowing”, noting how it can be used to do good in the world.
What really sold her, however, was the community built around bitcoin.
“I was exposed to all the reddit and sub-reddit forums. Reading how the people in bitcoin were supportive of each other, how some took on voluntary roles without payment as an incentive really caught my attention. I have never been part of such a huge community where everyone wants to help each other.”
The photographer reiterated that the bitcoin community had “been amazing, really uplifting” following the announcement of her challenge.

This post was published at Coin Desk on May 4, 2015.

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