Wow this crosses so many of the feelings I have had with Steemit since joining a couple months ago. Your grumpy cat story really exemplifies why I've had a hard time gaining traction here both in terms of the content I produce and actually wanting to continue.
I would say in the roughly 2 months I have been here I put in a really solid first month trying as hard as I could. Then some personal issues and depression took me out of the game for a week or so. But in the time since I have had a hard time wanting to put in the same level of work as when I first started.
That said, I have seen an uptick in a lot of interesting and quality content and people trying new things including groups, contests, trying to make niche content pop etc. So I'm really excited about that, and posts like yours. And I'm definitely going to give it some more time and specifically try an experiment with posting my first journalistic (rather than more personal) article here soon. But I'm still not 100% convinced I'll stick around for the long haul. We'll see.
I also just noticed you're from Portland. So am I! Exciting to meet other locals on here.
It's true! I'm heeeere. I may as well not be, however, as I'm a total hermit. Guess that makes me perfect for this platform. LOL!
It's true – it's hard not to get discouraged. If you fall off for more than a week, it's quite hard to get back into it. Trust me – it's worth it.
I'm not sure if you're on Discord yet – I'm thinking perhaps not as I've never seen your name – but I've come to understand that networking there is crucial to succeeding on Steemit. Depending on your interests, I may be able to recommend a few, relevant servers for you. ;)