Congratulations on over half of those 10k being active ;)
I'm not sure why so many have this 'follow for follow' mentality online. I certainly follow people with no expectation of them making it to my content. That doesn't subtract from the value I gain from the content they put online, for me to consume for free!

I think you are going about things the right way. Keep doing the good work and doing what you feel comfortable with.