Thanks for the thoughtful comment @whatamidoing!

Not to get too "deep" about things here, but it seems to me we have to go back to the fundamental underpinnings of why each of us is here.

Let's agree that we're all here for the rewards (on some level)... BUT do the rewards "lead" or do they "follow."

For me, they follow. I am here to create content, and to raise awareness of art, artists and our gallery. As a nifty consequence, we may get some rewards. Knowing there are rewards, inspires me to create high quality content that's hopefully interests, teaches or inspires people... while supporting art.

Now, if I were someone for whom the rewards were leading, I wouldn't care. My only objective would be "how do I get paid?" so I'd use bots, upvote rings and every other dubious mechanism to simply maximize my rewards RIGHT NOW.

As for art, I create because-- in essence-- it's a form of therapy; a meditation... a way for me to keep my mental health in a good place. It's also cool that I occasionally sell some of my creative output... not because I am "trying to make money," but because it's cool that someone likes it enough to actually pay money for it! That serves as a validation, of sorts.

And yes, it's a very complex topic that I shall no doubt be exploring further here.