This is exactly why I stopped using bots. I felt that my payout was hollow and I doubted whether or not my writing was actually reaching people aside from those who commented. I've actually noticed my comments going up since I stopped using bots . Now I find myself feeling that perhaps my writing is actually worth much more but that it's not reaching all the right people which i can solve by going out and interacting with others more which I enjoy doing anyway.

It is really encouraging to see people become my patrons on patreon though. It's not the fact that I'm earning money as much as the fact that people think that what I'm doing is worth value, and unlike steemit they are actually willing to sacrifice their hard earned dollars to support me. It makes me feel like I should work harder and become even more deserving of it.

I would much rather have people express interest in my art, to really connect then to just make money. Ideally we can have both but we need to change the culture of how people enjoy art and how they spend their money. Currently many people are more willing to support an artist who is a distant stranger than a friend. I know very few people who go out of their way to support their friends artwork, some even feel uninterested in checking it out, even if they really like these people. It's been much easier attracting my online friends to my patreon than my real life friends for example.

And yes, a big reason it's hard for artists to survive is that most people around them doing have that much disposable income, especially not the other artists they know.

There's too much say about this topic, you may have inspired a few future posts.