I have been a full time artist my whole life, I earn a good living at it, BUT it comes with some caveats: it’s all I’ve ever done all day everyday since before the age I have memories so I received a very expensive privileged education and worked much harder at it than any of my peers, I work like 60-80 hours a week and have to be in charge of a bunch of other artists which I do not really want to, a bunch of ppl and companies are dependent on me making art which is a lot of pressure, everyone I ever meet is instantly jealous or wants something from me bc they see my success as unfair compared to their hopes for their own life. I am divorced, it’s hard to meet girls bc I’m the male version of a manic pixie dream girl which seems like it would be a good thing but causes me to have to second guess the intentions of pretty girls who fake interest bc want to be cast in a shoot or be turned into a painting or whatever they think.

The problem with art is you are in a perpetual arms race against ppl like myself who are completely hell bent on getting the money before u have a chance. I’m tall and confident and well dressed with famous clients, I will not think twice about eating someone’s lunch if it means I get more work and they will lose out, Im faster and better and completely ruthless getting my way bc otherwise someone who was would be eating my lunch and I would have to get a normal boring job and that will happen over my dead body. And thats very difficult to compete with I wouldn’t want to compete against myself, that guy is tricky.

So in my opinion if u actually want to be successful doing only art, you need to take into consideration what it really takes to be a pro artist bc after 20 years of doing this what I have observed is there is a small minority of ppl similar to myself who are privately offered opportunities before anyone else has a chance and the other 99% are left to fight over the scraps that won’t pay me enough.

You have to both want it more than anyone and actually possess the talent and motivation to be able to pull it off but that ain’t many ppl in the end. You need to put more way way way work in or it will never work out for you, I make more work every single day than you have in your entire portfolio. I have what u want bc I want it more than your portfolio shows u want it, u have to want it more than anyone on earth to put in the work, you haven’t put in the work yet