Hi dear @jaynie,
I checked your account and your son's many times during the past months and I am not the only one. Know you are missed, you both are and the last thing I would have in mind is that you left because your rewards aren't high enough. (Did anyone make this remark?). I believe if that had been the case you had left years ago.

Freedom, we talked about it many times and it's hard to explain how it feels to need room to be creative and tiptoeing won't make it any better. Like you, I hardly post in communities because of those reasons and the reason you once gave why you don't join contests made and still make sense to me.

I saddens me that your first post is this one after being absent for such a long time. I had a look at the replies to your son and couldn't find the remark that hurt both of you and many others. You said it was told "subtle" which sounds to me the messenger is also tiptoeing and tries to warn for what might happen if...
I am not free of having trying to tell this either in the past since what you hear and how you treated you don't like others to have deal with.

It takes time to realize that Steemit is a hobby.
It is a very time-consuming hobby and shouldn't cause stress let alone cause burn out or depression (unfortunately, I saw that happen a lot during the past months). Who to blame? The messenger, the system or yourself?
If you want to be free there is the option to post elsewhere, elsewhere as elsewhere on this platform, somewhere without moderators which as far as I know WOX doesn't have although it's not the community where I would post (too overwhelming).

After three or four months of trying I left most communities and only post in my own or a few where no one cares (or at least my post is welcome even if not understood).

In September I was in a SC team and did #wewrite and I truly believe that there are many positive like @o1eh already has written since that time. I also discovered that although many say that the Steemit Team wants this or that it's often a community head spreading fear and same for some moderators all have their own interpretation of what is asked, one should, what is forbidden, and so on.

What is the worst that can happen?
To me it's my content being stolen or muted, to most it is no longer receiving an upvote or a chance to be rewarded. I gave up on the idea that art is appreciated and rewarded since nothing of what I write in my community Tales & Stories ever receives a reward. Kind of interesting if you consider that I and the community are the same writer. Apparently, (if it comes to rewarding of what is good) I am a louy writer if I post as a community but I can be "great" if I am me. Of course, I can stop writing because it brings me nothing but on the other hand, I do have the freedom to write about what I like because no moderator tells me I am not creative, have no talent and my shitty post doesn't belong in their community (even though I was invited by the host).
I believe you were there as this all happened and we talked about it many times. Did this surprise you?

I doubt it did and I understand you are mad, sad, disappointed since you worked very hard to make this a creative place for many years and nominated hundreds (thousands) with during all those years. Did it bring you anything except for upvotes?

Upvotes, the fear of not being upvoted is what causes many to "subtle" say or warn or fight those who do it in a different way. The overall picture that we all promote one another, even if we join a different platform and why not since we are also "forced" to use X, Discord, Telegram, YouTube and so on and promoting also works the otheraroundround.
Steemexclusive... what exactly is that and should that hashtag still be used? It means that artists are better of not posting here because if they can never publish their stories or sell their paintings or?

Abandon all rules and Steemit will turn into a garbage dump of plagiarism and AI? like 01eh1 remarks.
Isn't that already the case? We share photos from pixabay, youtube films, dtube in the past, AI is used to comment (witnesses are no exception) and a part of the platform users post only to receive their interest of the amount they invested. Next to that we had SEC contests where AI is used to win an upvote as the best commenter and today we have SLC where those who might like to learn something simply can't unless they ask help from chagGPT to...
The NFTs on this platform are they all high-quality art?
Those who post in a community have to stick to the rules set. If you can't live with that it's better to leave and post elsewhere. I assume that if your name is none it won't affect the upvotes you receive and otherwise all there's left is do as you like and see who you meet (commenting might help to meet the right ones or just reading first).

I am not sure what more to say, and know you don't have to reply if you don't feel to it but there are plenty of places, communities where just one photo, a few words or music video is appreciated. Many old communities with a topic still exist and don't care about who says what. The lack of a chat was discussed months ago and the lack of fun (this is after all a hobby and we join social media) is in the picture these months.

I wish you and your son most of all room for creativity and fun. Whatever we do should be relaxing.

A hug, love and a warm embrace to you.

P.s. I started a community Art & Artitst and if only two join that is fine as well. There's no need for competition among communities just a place to be with like-minded where experimenting freely is possible (the plus of being small, no trash shows).