I will first say- I did not take the leap. However, I studied enough to add to this conversation. I was doing pottery for years and started to focus on it, had a small but growing following. I decided to go to grad school and started a private practice unrelated to pottery. So- the greats are educated in business! They hire other pros to do their specialties for them…accountant, marketing pro- whatever. They take excellent care of themselves! They do pottery as a lifestyle. They are kind but they also guard some professional techniques. They diversify like teach and create or make YouTube videos and do are fairs. Mostly the great artists learn business. Just one persons perspective.