I liked your story. It's well written, from the heart, and good advice. Self published with a low follower count rarely turns out well. An overused or dull photo is also a problem as you now know.

I think your other problem is a title and opening comment that sound too bland and like generic writing advice that floats around a lot on Medium.

Where your piece really shines is sharing your experience of remembering your old blog and loving what you wrote in it. You aren't just sharing tired advice, you are illustrating how it proved true in your own life. I would put this in your title.

Maybe something like "What Happens When You Write Whatever You Want and Don't Care Who Reads It?