Why, “AdjectiveBeaver”?

I absolutely love going on hikes or just wandering the neighborhood and surrounding areas. Both satisfy my need of exploration and let my mind wander while providing an amount of physical activity - a topic I’d like to delve into in a future post.

With that said, I do want to make it known that as a white male, I understand the massive amount of privilege that enables me to do this safely.

Roughly 10 years ago, on one of these exploratory walks, I came up with the idea of The Adjective Beavers. It was to be realized as a web comic, featuring a near endless amount of beavers, each representing an adjective and having little adventures. I did not have scripts written or any type of plans other than it had to be uplifting, humorous, and educational. As of the writing of this, it remains an idea.

Adjectives are the spice of our language; they enhance the story we're telling or emotions we're feeling. Arguably, they make everything we communicate, better.

Early 2017, I learned about Microsoft acquiring Beam (which later became Mixer) and how it was going to be integrated into Windows. I was excited by this because it got me thinking that I could stream games. Prior to this announcement, I had been a viewer of live streams on Twitch but never considered doing it myself.

I began looking into what it took to "go live" and thought it was a wonderful way of connecting with people. I realized, that since I had no interest in using my real name online (it isn’t that interesting), I needed to come up with a name/handle that was easy read, easy to say, memorable, and most importantly: represented me.

And thus, AdjectiveBeaver was birthed. Or something like that. At first, it was just meant to be a streaming-only thing but I've since embraced AdjectiveBeaver as being ME. Often, people in online communities will shorten your handle for ease of conversation (I assume). AdjectiveBeaver is often shortened to, "beaver". Have you ever met anyone that didn't smile or chuckle when hearing or saying, beaver? (plus, beavers are crucial members of nature and are adorable)

Beaver is fun to say; I want people to have fun saying it & be pleased with my presence. Now, I fully understand that that last part is up to me to ensure, so I try my damdest to uplift, encourage, be silly, and be kind. In addition, I found the following on the internets that resonated with me:

The Beaver in Native American tradition teaches people to be productive and not limit their options. He teaches us to be persistent and to use available resources. The Beaver helps people understand the dynamics of teamwork and to appreciate each individual’s talents and contributions in order to accomplish anything. He is a builder of the mind, body, and soul and symbolizes creativity, creation, cooperation, persistence and harmony. The Beaver is also a hard worker and will not quit his job until he is done.

So....there ya have it. AdjectiveBeaver is the amalgamation of all I’ve experienced and all I want to be. It is me and will always be me.