I've only been active on this platform for a coulple of months (created an account and didn't use it last year) and I can feel your frustration. I have found if you engage in some of the contest and initiatives on steemit then it will bring you more exposure. More so for artist than "regular" bloggers. I also noticed that if you pick up a camera and start vloging then you will also increase your audience and payout. @mrviquez started with nothing and has built somthing. He even lost his job because somone showed his boss his videi vlogs. Now he is making more than what his job was paying.