Welcome to Hive. I am sure my son will love your posts. Glad you have someone to guide you through your first steps on the platform, It can be scary at first but will soon make sense.
As a creative person myself, Hive has become my place on the internet and I have let go of all the other networks. Being in control of your own account is the way to go. As the hive ecosystem builds out you will have all the tools you need to publish in all the ways you have come to expect from a centralised platform. Although now you only need one account. As you point out, they control your reach on a whim. Now you can take full control, your name is yours as are your followers. Protect your Keys like they are the keys to your house. That is the best advice I can give to someone starting out. I will be seeing you around.