Think less about the money for curation, and more about how to encourage community. Most hidden gems are from artists/content creators that are good at their craft, but arent getting noticed. If an artist goes long enough without ever being noticed, they're going to move to a new platform.

Ya know what makes me feel like I should keep going? Partially it is my own drive to succeed and share the things I enjoy making, the other is seeing others enjoy it. Comments and upvotes are how we tell each other what we appreciate about our community. It's how we keep good content here and how we all help each other improve. It's the literal lifeblood of this site.

So next time you're questioning whether you should upvote someone just for a curation reward, hoping a big whale will come and share the wealth, maybe you should think if that upvote might make a difference to the content creator, a small dopamine hit that's worth far more than the weight of your upvote itself. Maybe a comment to show your appreciation, to show that you're there for more than just the chance at a couple of bucks from a curation reward. The more you do that, the better your eye will become for users who may TRULY make it, becoming dolphins and whales themselves, who will remember your contributions, follows, and votes, and return the favor back to you.