It's a fine line to tread, personally I know that the articles that I put the most effort into don't have the widest audience here at the moment. That said I would rather stick to my skillset and provide the most valuable content that I can to Steemit. My audience might be more niche but I'm hoping they will also prove more loyal, and when the masses inevitably head to Steemit I'll already be established in my niche.

At the moment I'm aware that if I post a great photo on it's own, it will likely earn more than a 3,000-4,000 word article that will really educate my audience. I still get excited about the articles all the same.

Like many plankton I went through the frustration phase, paired with a 'lets try paid upvotes!' phase. I realised it was a case of Shit of Get off the Pot! Quit moaning and persevere, or get off the platform. I chose the latter and a big part of that decision is being constant, and contributing fully, not just on my posts and replies but comments like this one!