Some people at Hive have said that they earn much more from curation than from long-form posts.
The cool thing about curation is that not only are you growing, but you are also helping other people grow, and that is the most important thing. The value we place on engagement.
I think curating is a more steady form of earning. Long form seems like it can be more of a lottery sometimes. If you are disciplined and make an effort to curate daily you will see consistent gains for the most part. Help yourself and help others like you said.
Thinking about it, you said something that fits in very well with the long post. It really is a lottery and sometimes that's how we feel.
You and other friends are a great inspiration to me and through curation, I will grow even if it is a "work of ants".