After we learn about bitcoin- we listen to enough podcasts and read enough books- the question becomes, “How can I do more to allocate my time and energy into this new system?” In this talk (Adopting Bitcoin 2025 in El Salvador) I share a few lessons and themes I’ve found in my own quest to answer this question.
For most of my life, I didn’t think of myself as “creative.” Raised in the fiat system, I came out of school believing creativity was reserved for artists. I was the business-minded, logical, pragmatic type — or so I thought. What I didn’t understand then was that creativity is an inherent part of being human.
After college, I picked up a camera with the dream of making documentary films. But that chapter didn’t last long. I had a few rough experiences in the film industry and figured trading time for money was never going to lead to the life I want. I gave up on filmmaking.
Fast forward and bitcoin brought me back towards creating, podcasting and filmmaking. I am currently making a documentary film, Build on Bitcoin, documenting Bulgaria’s grassroots Bitcoin communities in the world. What I experienced there completely transformed how I think about bitcoin adoption. I traveled the country meeting the people building on bitcoin: a guy building a DIY lightning ATM for his local café, a couple writing a children’s book about inflation, a teacher using robotics to subtly introduce Bitcoin ideas to kids, and farmers mining with excess solar because the grid doesn’t support their needs.
None of them waited for permission. None of them worried about scale. They simply saw a problem, applied their creativity, and built something meaningful. This is what permissionless work looks like in the real world — and it’s what the future of Bitcoin actually depends on.
The more time I spend with these builders, the more I see the connection between creativity and freedom. Fiat suppresses creativity by design. It pushes us toward predictable paths, standardized thinking, and safe careers. Bitcoin gives us back the sovereignty to choose how we spend our time and energy. But with that sovereignty comes responsibility.
And that’s where creativity comes in. Creativity to design your life intentionally, turning vision into action. It’s about building something that didn’t exist before — whether that’s a film, a business, a meetup, or simply a better version of yourself.
Bitcoin doesn’t need spectators. It needs contributors. If you feel that pull toward building something, trust it. Follow it. You don’t need permission, you just need to do the proof of work.
Full presentation:
WE ARE ALL SATOSHI!
Kyle Huber 