I did similar when I first started. I upvoted practically everything. At that time, you could do about 40 votes a day without seriously impacting your voting power. Until you reach about 500 Steempower, you wont have the ability to vote with less than 100% using a slider. Until then, start being more selective who you vote for and keep an eye on your voting power.
As for when you will not be a 'new member', likely the day that you do a 100% vote and see a penny or two show up on the amount as that means your Steempower is growing.
Don't give up, write good material and keep on taking part.