Spot on. I've read more than a few rants on how Steem is "unfair". Like someone can just enter a room, get evaluated "objectively" for their "quality output" and, of course, start making a killing. It's as if they thought Steem were a talent show. It isn't because, in the beginning, nobody has an audience on Steem.

My shtick is photography. I occasionally post a long form blog posts in which a discuss topics that interests me. At other times I throw in a post about how I go about my daily business spiced up with some phone camera pics. (Those I don't generally expect to earn much.)

I didn't begin that way. When I began posting regularly in June 2017, I blogged about crypto and blockchain technology and life. About a year ago, I took up a couple of 365's which I gave up on last year (good riddance). I've put some effort into learning the basics of photography since last spring and there is still a lot to learn but I enjoy learning it very much. I've never been a big earner here but because I'm an extravert working from home, I need my social interaction fix. Social media fits the bill. After my friend @gamer00 introduced me to Steem, I heavily cut down on all other social media use and I haven't looked back. I like money, too, and what little I've made is much more than nothing which is what I would've earned on traditional platforms. I haven't cashed out anything, since I believe in accumulating stake and the potential for passive income streams in the future as well as developing, over time, an audience to upvote my content in the future.

As the ecosystem evolves, those who understand it and keep their eyes open will increasingly encounter ways to leverage their specific skillsets to earn much faster than they otherwise would. I also got a break recently in being accepted to the @ocdb white list. I'm now entitled to use the bot which nets me about 10 extra STEEM per day. When @ocdb was looking for more authors, one photographer I'd been supporting consistently proposed that I be added to the list. I was added, I think, for two reasons: 1) I had become decent enough at photography, and, perhaps more importantly, 2) I had been totally consistent through the bear market at growing my account and supporting an expanding circle of others.