I can think of at least 4 people on that work full time jobs, and sink major time into creating stuff. Which is actually pretty encouraging :D
🌲>tfw can't snug klonoa IRL 🇵🇱|🇺🇸 (npub14rp…497x) You mentioned not being around creatives, and I think that is a key factor in this being so hard for our community. A lot of us are reinventing wheels instead of learning from other creators.
There is also the low trust in the community. I've often offered to help anyone here learn what I know on several topics, to date, 1 person has taken me up on that offer xD
Though it isn't all isolationism, Vile is bringing together different people in our community for several projects.