Heya steem,
You're probably wondering why I titled this post the way I did. If you aren't, I'm still gonna tell ya.
If you did not know, I have been very lucky to have been living off of my steem earnings since the end of june. My post rewards allowed me to go on a walkabout I really needed, and have allowed me to get this phone I am writing this essay on. Things were so good, that I even wrote an essay called steemit saved me from a fast food job, it was about the job I turned down. During that first two weeks, I was riding high, and during my walkabout I couldn't wait to get home and continue to grow... little did I know that when I got home I had traded my own personal peace for the momentum I had built.
I went from getting a nice 1,000$ a week or around 90$ a post to 10$ a post. Before I proceed, I want to point out something I am totally aware of: I am lucky to have gotten what I did, especially as a new steemian! Most content creators here make a fraction of what I did in a week in a couple months!
That being said, it's been hard coming to terms with my own loss of momentum. And even though I've gained a lot of followers, only about 20/350 actually vote for me. And about 200 or so are what qualify as dead followers.
I can only paint so much in a given day, or write so many long form essays. Not even taking into account the fact that it costs more to get the materials for my paintings than what I actually earn from them. Thus I simply cannot compete with large volume content creators let alone survive on the payouts I am getting. It's just a simple fact, my time investment is not paying off in the way it was, and I need to support myself.
That is why I want to share some bitter-sweet news: On Monday, I managed to get a #job as a waitress in one of the 'nicest' restaurants in town. It's an improvement to the fast food job, but it's nothing like the creative filled joy ride that steem was.
At this point this post sounds like a goodbye, it isn't, it just means I won't be able to post as much, and that I won't be able to be as social as I had hoped with my friends on 
If conditions improve again, I will re-weigh my options. But until then, I'm going to be the best waitress I can be!
As always lots of love and many toodles,
See you all next time!
Kara