Hey, Steve!
I wholeheartedly agree. People do think 2D animation should be much easier than it actually is. In many ways, a convincing 2D project is harder to realize and finish than a 3D equivalent.
What to do . . .. what to do?
If you throw into this mix the incurable desire to constantly be trying and buying new software - well, you'll end up somewhere in the neighborhood where I have been living.
Having put a YouTube Channel out there (to see where people's interests lie), I have pretty well concluded that most people who are delving into animation really prefer "FREE" software. Unfortunately, FREE is not always the easiest to use and master - as is the case with Blender. That complicated and cryptic interface still puts me off - though I have learned how to use a lot of functions.
When I watch my Blender videos (not having seen them for a year or so) - I am absolutely flabbergasted at the number of steps which must be committed to memory to really use it efficiently. Blender was really designed to be operated with single letter keyboard shortcuts for the most important workflows.
As soon as Grease Pencil has been somewhat finalized for inclusion in Blender 2.8 - I'll take a long look at it and see if it is the ultimate solution for 2D animators (as has been hoped for and hinted at by its developers).
Right now, I've been using "Spine" a lot - and loving the simplicity, beauty and speed of its interface - and the way everything has been designed to eliminate the need for endless menus - instead, everything is visual and very "tactile", I would say. Odd, maybe, at first - but very efficient once you understand their animation paradigm. It's 300 bucks, though - for an everlasting license - giving you free updates for the rest of your life (or their life, really). This price is for the version that includes all the tools you really need - but they do have a cheaper version that is designed for basic, but super fast cut-out character design and animation. It's $69 - Check out the comparison chart for functionality of both versions:
https://esotericsoftware.com/spine-purchaseI will be publishing some Spine tutorials soon - and maybe an entire Udemy Course, as well.
Good to hear from you,
Greg Smith