Because I have been down this path before, maybe a thousand times, between personal online projects back in the day (Hello, olio!) and numerous groups and forums and blog posts. When I focus on The People, my work has no soul. It is driven from without. Instead of within. And The Universe knows.
This is the deeper, gut felt, corollary to "Live in Passion" or "Do what you Love" or "If it feels simple, you're on the right track". Pick your platitude.
Try this on for size.
Designate a "DGAF" week, fortnight, month, and let your freak flag fly. Make All The Things. Let your heart rule. Share if you want, though often it helps not to, initially, lest you get dragged down the 'Oh! They Like it' hole (or worse 'Crickets!!'). Just make what you want. How you want. Until that thing SINGS to your soul. Do it once. Twice. Three Times. And only then, when you are feeling SO proud of yourself, offer it out to The Universe without explanation. Certainly no apologies. And I just bet, you will be rewarded a million times over.
How do I know? Because I've experienced it first hand.
Over. And over. And over.
And if I could remember to NOT get sucked down that "They Love it! They Hate it!" hole, I would be surrounded with work I am thrilled to have produced, share and sell. Mark my words, start creating what "they" love? and your work will become less interesting, less meaningful and certainly less soulful very, very quickly.
FOCUS ON THE WORK.