iris🦋@pretty_iris9
didn’t expect to feel this strongly about a discord server but here we are. got into matrix on the 28th of February 2025, just shy of a month since the server was founded and at that time, even though I still had high hopes and a crazy zeal to make profit from NFTs, I had gotten a bit tired of servers that talked a big game about being a “fam” but never actually felt like one, or communities I joined and still felt like a stranger months in.
@Mattymatrix_ changed that for me. still remember how the first few months on the server were for me, how easy it was to just talk and be myself without fear of judgement or being laughed at, without pressure to perform or prove anything to be seen, considering at the time I could still be considered a rookie in the space and there was still a lot I had to learn. over a year later and it still feels the same, if not more. the alpha is good, sure, but that’s not what has kept me here for this long.
it’s the mornings someone says “gmatrix” and means it. it’s the way this place feels less like a server and more like home, a family. it’s the friends I’ve made during my time here, people who will hop on a call just because. it’s knowing I can drop a thought, even a silly one, and someone will actually engage with it instead of leaving it on read. and if i’m being real, matrix has put real opportunities in my hands too. whitelists i wouldn’t have known about or gotten without being here, but even that isn’t the main thing i’m grateful for.
and the thing is, matrix hasn’t even launched anything yet. there’s no mint, no collection, no “utility” to point to. just an amazing community that already feels like family, people I love and appreciate, and that’s not something i say lightly, especially not about a discord server i joined less than two years ago, but here we are. somewhere along the way i stopped feeling lost in this space, because i wasn’t figuring it out alone anymore.
none of this happens without @iammattiex
i’ve watched him show up daily, answer questions himself instead of leaving it to mods, and build a space he clearly actually cares about, not just one he’s managing from a distance. his dms are always open too, and i know that firsthand. i remember venting to him once about how rough the space had been for me and instead of ignoring my message or just brushing it off, he reminded me i wasn’t alone in feeling that way, and that i shouldn’t let it weigh on me too much. that pretty much sums up the kind of founder he is, present because he wants to be, not because the role requires it.
honestly, i’m glad this contest even happened, because it has given me a reason to put into words how i actually feel about this community and about him. i know this might read a little cheesy but i’m in my feelings era, let me have this 😭
so thank you @iammattiex for building a place that felt like home before it ever had to prove anything. thank you for never being too busy to check in on the people who make up this community. thank you for being one of the few founders who actually feels like a friend, not just a name behind a project.
