Monthly Appreciation Post (December 2024)
This month’s appreciation post is about someone who is admired by many in the community and wears many hats. Do they even sleep?
It’s about one of the most wholesome humans I have ever met — Malicious Sheep.
Who is Malicious Sheep?
Mal is not just a multidisciplinary artist. No, they are also incredibly talented in every field they explore. This talent stems from true passion and a strong will to learn as they are entirely self-taught in these disciplines.
So, what fields do they cover, you may ask. What fields don’t they cover, I would ask.
Mal is a photographer, vocalist, performer, and poet.
Mal is also an amazing community organizer, not just for Teia but for every initiative they are involved in.
Another one of Mal’s remarkable talents is their role as a disablility justice, mental health, equity advocate. Their knowledge in these areas is profound — not only because of their own experiences, but because they genuinely care.
For me, Malicious Sheep is an incredible human being who truly cares about others. They carry a great light within them and are not afraid to share it, shining it on those around them. Mal has a wonderfully uplifting spirit and a level of patience like no other.
Besides this, they are one of the greatest pillars of Tezos, contributing immensely through everything they do.
The hats Malicious Sheep is wearing
Alright, how much time do you have? Because they are wearing over 9000!
But fret not, I’ll only mention a few of them so you can get a picture. If you want to learn more about the things they’re doing, I suggest you follow them and have a chat. Beware: you’ll be amazed!
As mentioned above, Mal is the community organizer of Teia and the “Discord Dragon”, as they call themselves. They are also the head of the Equity DAO, an initiative designed to give underserved communities a voice that truly gets heard. This is a great initiative and, in my opinion, very much needed. So, if you have some volunteer power left and aren’t sure how to use it — this is your sign!
Teia also has a second account on X dedicated to art curation. Volunteers can sign up to take over the account for three days to highlight art they like and want to bring attention to. If you’d like to participate, Mal is your go-to person and they’ll set you up as a delegate for your chosen period of time.
Being the disability justice advocate they are, together with Synkitty and others, they developed and implemented the acronym CIND, which stands for Chronically Ill, Immunocompromised, Neurodivergent, and Disabled. They’re also putting a lot of effort into bringing awareness and education to everyone. So, if you want to learn more about these topics, I highly recommend following them.
Just two days ago, they posted an Open Call to respond to their tweet, as Mal is planning something (when aren’t they planning something?):
Just three months ago, Mal started doing Spaces — finally I must say!
These Spaces have become my little highlights of the week, even though I rarely can catch the Sunday Space due to the timezone being mean to me. But it’s always such a pleasure when I can!
Sonnet Sunday
Every Sunday at 9:00 PM ET / Monday 2:00 AM UTC (winter time), with B_DWIL as Host/Co-Host featuring live readings of poems, short stories, and more. Anyone who wants to contribute something can share it in the comments and/or join the stage themselves.
Mellow Monday
Every Monday at 7:00 PM ET / Tuesday 0:00 AM UTC (winter time), with INZAMOMENT as Host/Co-Host, for meditation, mindfulness, and mental health discussions. These Spaces are not recorded to give everyone the freedom to share their experiences and questions openly.
Tezos Tea Tuesday
Every Tuesday at 12:00 PM ET / 17 PM UTC (winter time), with PapaBearded as Host/Co-Host offering a great report on everything Tezos — news, tools, events, intitiatives. Anyone who wants to contribute something can share it in the comments and/or join the stage themselves.
Besides their own Spaces, Mal also regularly joins other Spaces to share their knowledge, views, and help educate. They always do so with great patience and an understanding of everyone’s different needs.
I got to know Mal first as the amazing artist they are, capturing the world through the lens in a unique way. Whenever I see some of their pictures, I can say “Ahh, this is a Malicious Sheep.”, because of their style and the story they’re telling.
Mal also uses their art to regularly raise funds for various efforts and initiatives, such as the Teia Fountain, the Queer Museum of Digital Art, Ukraine, Pakistan, Iran, and many more.
An incomplete summary
How do I summarize someone who is not only doing so much, but also being so much as a person? That’s impossible, hence the “incomplete” in the title.
But all in all, Malicious Sheep is a multidisciplinary, multitalented, and omnipresent sheep. Always there when you need them, always there to uplift others, always there.
All of this while carrying their own package and navigating through life while being all letters of CIND. But you know what? They’re doing an absolutely terrific job!
They’ve also done so much for the Tezos ecosystem and continue to do so.
So, if you’ve ever wondered who you should put on your “get-to-know” list, then here’s the one. Be prepared to be inspired.
Malicious Sheep has definitely left their footprints on Tezos, on the world, and most definitely on my soul.
In conclusion, it can be said that Malicious Sheep is one of the most valuable and irreplaceable treasures in this world, and they need to be protected at all costs.
Malicious Sheep in the eyes of the community
For this MAP, I have done something I have never done before for any of my MAPs — I asked others what they appreciate about Malicious Sheep.
And here are the quotes from 5 people who know and admire Mal just as much as I do:
WillowTree226
Mal’s always been there if I need a sympathetic ear, and given me level-headed, non-judgemental advice. They have so many personal struggles to deal with, but will always be a steady friend at the ready with a virtual hug for others regardless. Aside from being generally super knowledgable about all the techie stuff in web3, and doing a TON of stuff for Teia and other communities, Mal will go out of the way to connect people who can help each other, without any personal motivations. Quite opposite of their moniker, they’re a very kind, selfless, and generous sheep, haha. Talented too, not just as a photographer but also as a vocalist….and apparently a cook. I weirdly imagine them as a Wizard of the Brown, or a hedgewitch, roaming their local woods with pockets full of mushrooms and tiny twigs stuck to their clothes from crouching down for the perfect woodland photo.Also my go-to person for any mushroom/plant related questions, haha. All in all, one of my favorite people I’ve met since I started in this space.
B_DWIL
Sharp, knowledgeable and compassionate a rare and valuable combination.Mari Migraine
I vividly remember meeting Malicious Sheep in a random chat room during the height of HEN, both excited to be part of a community and help others. We quickly discovered that we where both navigating the challenges of disability, chronic pain and migraine while also trying to finding our place in NFT land. Malicious Sheep is the hardest working person I know when it comes to advocating and helping others. A real community leader and an inspiration to me personally! Their calm words of encouragement always reminded me it’s okay to step back sometimes, go at our own pace and that we don’t have to carry the burden alone. They’ve uplifted me countless times and have been a loyal and supportive friend.pokeyme247
I had the pleasure of meeting the wonderful Malicious Sheep about three years ago now. Along the road Mal was doing Sunday singing and poetry sessions in their server. I was lucky enough to be able to make a song request for an upcoming week. My favorite song is Seasons by Chris Cornell. And I wondered how it would be with the unique sound of Mal’s amazing voice. I was definitely not disappointed! They sounded angelic and beautiful, as always. But it really was touching to be able to have that experience together! So looking forward to our friendship developing in the years ahead.Zir0h
I love how they go to great lengths to help with finding solutions. Like last month there was a problem with the mastodon mails not being delivered, and we spent a couple of hours debugging the issue. There aren’t many people that will keep on trying and providing feedback to get stuff solved. Usually it’s like try once or twice and then give up, but no, we debugged that thing for 2 hours.
Links to Malicious Sheep
- X: https://x.com/malsheep56
- butiq.art: https://butiq.art/malicioussheep
- Teia: https://teia.art/malicioussheep
- Oncyber: https://oncyber.io/malicioussheepportals
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Disclaimer: I’m not getting paid by the projects/persons I’m writing these appreciation posts for. I’m doing this simply because I want to and to support others.
