In the end if it doesn't spark joy it's not really worth it. But if you enjoy to express yourself (and I definitely enjoy your art!) then I say go do it!

Maybe it's tie to just post anything I want and forget about any kind of adopts. I do love creating them though and seeing them get a 'home' as it were. A design I came up with gets a home and inspired someone else! That's an awesome feeling.

Yeah that is totally awesome! Well I know seeing you post something sparks joy in me.

A good, big part of it is that in the last four years most people's disposable income has dwindled significantly - food is double what it used to be, gas high, rents through the roof, and more. But pay hasn't kept up, and so even many people who'd love to do art and had money? They just don't. Which makes it harder on the artists, but what can you do?

Sad, but oh so true.

I suppose I've been trying things a bit backwards. I'll try to change it up some. But, yeah, I know. Things are just more expensive now and art is more of a luxury than before.

My reasoning may not be the same as others, but for me it’s the fact that art is expensive and in a way might not be worth it, really not trying to offend with my answer, but unfortunately now a days that $50 can either get you some food for a day or two of it could get you some art where at the end of the day who is really going to care it gets a few likes and after a week it’s irrelevant, again really not trying to offend, you do great work and I still love the badge you made me, but I haven’t been able to afford to commission anyone as of late

I totally understand that. Art is a luxury, but when your an artist trying to make a bit to help with bills it can feel like it's more. But I, too, have been the person with 500 coupons and dollarstore prepared meals. (always, ALWAYS check the ingredients and sources for your food.)

Don't worry, I'm not offended.

"...more to sell..."
See, here's your problem. Don't interpret it as me being hostile, it's just honesty.

Face reality, you're not one of those handful of top artists that can make a living through selling digital art online or through support of their followers. Adoptables are a "soon to be dead" business model, since AI can generate characters like that for free with better results and more user customization then the basic recolor of a template I've seen you offer. If someone would ever want a "blue dragon ice warrior" they won't be browsing adoptables on FA anymore.
You simply should become an artist who draws for their own self, not for pure profit. Next time you pick up a pen, begin drawing for own enjoyment and fullfilment. Because the moment you start spiralling down the "I can make a living through selling art" lie, each failure will sting tenfold leading to a complete burnout.
I'm pretty much an artists that most of the time draws for their own enjoyment and somehow I get asked every week for a commission in one way or another.

I don't think you know me or my art or anything like that at all. For me, an adopt is an 'between' thing. I might be doing several rather large projects at a time or have other things going on and seeing people adopt them is nice. If you want to call me a 'for profit' artist, go and look up adopts and compare my rather low, affordable adopts with someone that's charging 2-3 hundred for one character. Lol.

I should upload the doodles and such more but I don't like to usually. I'd rather just give the commissioner their art and move to the next piece. But I can see why you might think you know how I operate based on my upload schedule.

AI is a disease I wish would burn out, but sadly, I know it might be here to stay. I don't care for it, and I definitely don't care for what it's doing to and taking from people. I know there's a lot of sites that use it now. But people that really know what they want, want to support artists and real, actual people, will come back to real artists as opposed to an AI generated thing.

I know I definitely don't use "AI" for art because the critical difference is computers can't do empathy. They're poor at context but they're even poorer at feeling. And there's *nuance* in deciding what to show in art. This is why so much of the generated art looks the same, it's the same softline super shiny CG that people keep clamoring for. But the flourishes in artists' styles, the human mistakes, the feeling in the art, that's where you're making characters and not just 'pretty' heavily CG pictures.

"I don't think you know me or my art or anything like that at all."

Exactly, that's the point. No new guest will spend time "on getting to know you", not in this age of mass consumption of media. Consider me an outsider who just stumbled into your gallery while browsing FA. Think about how would you capture my attention and in general make people more interested in sticking around, dropping comments and favorites.
Maybe consider uploading those commissions that you've forgot to post and even the doodles. More content - more traffic - more viewers. Can't get simpler then this.