Being financially successful on patreon (and the rest of the internet) doesn't necessarily mean you're good at what you do, it just means you:
a. Know how to get enough traffic online to breach the threshold for patrons. Rough estimate, figure about 10000 (not including friends) unique viewers per patron
b. Know how to market in RL
c. Be lucky
d. Maybe you're good at what you do AND one of the above

That's why the whole concept of a meritocratic IP economy instead of ubi is bullshit. It's not about talent, it's about exposure. I don't know Logan Paul's name because he's talented. I don't know about kids eating Tide Pods because they're talented. I don't know about asshole nazi's because they're talented. I know about these things because these people are exploiting flaws in the mechanics with which we spread information. You want a world full of assholes, make sure their survival is dependent on their exposure. You'll never run out. They'll even become president.

This doesn't seem like a fair criticism. Anywhere you look, most artists aren't going to make a living, a very small number do, and a handful make a lot.

A few hundred bucks a month can certainly make a difference though.

Agreed. Most artists/creators do not make a living from being creative, never have, and never will. I figure if a system like Patreon lets some creative people be creative instead of having to get a second or third part time job, or lets them buy materials and supplies they otherwise couldn't afford, then great!

I don't pay any attention to Patreon "tiers." I just give everyone a few bucks a month. At this point, I'm only supporting podcasters and youtubers, who all put out constant content I enjoy regularly.

After the kerfuffle with changing the fee structure a few months ago, I canceled all my patronages to anyone with over 500 patrons/$1000 per month and shifted the funds to smaller operations, generally doubling my monthly support, but to half as many folks. Some of those I canceled I had first supported when they were a few dozen to a few hundred patrons. I figure the little guys need me more, now.

Patreon was semi-recently a very big factor in my old co-worker going full time with http://clarkesworldmagazine.com -- he's been doing it for a LONG time, is VERY good at it (Hugo awards, et cetera, frequently beating out magazines with actual full time employees), but having a hard time making it profitable. He's currently got 852 people giving him money. It is TOUGH. It isn't the only revenue stream, but it is major.

Relatedly, if you like science fiction, he makes a really good sci fi magazine and all of the stories are recorded as podcasts every month.