RE: Hope for the artist: Will you help an artist out?
Well, I didn't see this post with the original content, so I can't comment on whether it seemed out of place or annoying. But I will comment on one line here.
"I think most people have no idea how hard and overwhelming it really is to be a full-time artist & musician, even when you have great opportunities." Are you talking about the people that are not artists themselves? Every artist (writer, graphic designer, polymer clay sculpter, doll repainter, etc.) I have personally spoken to (or followed) knows this struggle. They know what it's like to spend two hours on a project and earn three dollars from it or nothing at all. They know what it's like to post something they put their heart into and receive zero recognition. They have heard the discouraging comments from their parents, strangers, and art professors. We all have our stories about shitty freelance work, earning less than minimum wage, and feeling unnoticed in a sea of people trying to get ahead by doing the same things we're doing.
The way I see it: a professional job as an artist is not something you should seek out unless you're okay with the struggle. Being paid to do what you love is not easy. I've seen digital artists make 100,000 + a year on Patreon, but that is not the norm (and these are people that spent upwards of a decade practicing the craft and learning how to appeal to their audiences). If you want to do what you love, you have to go into it knowing that you are fortunate to be making money at all from something enjoy doing. Art is not a money-making venture. I say this as someone who's done art pieces for what amounts to a few pennies for an hour's work, and I say this as someone who's tried to be a freelance writer and dealt with the kind of clients that don't value anyone's time (or emotional sanity).
Good paying art jobs don't come easy. This isn't directed at you specifically but at all aspiring professional artists. You make the choice to do something you love, or you make the choice to make a stable income. Sometimes, you get both. But the competition is increasingly difficult because artist tools are becoming cheaper, and people see the potential in making money from something they enjoy.
This is a realistic comment, for sure, and I appreciate it. I do think there needs to be more of a conversation so that people understand better that we will lose the gifts of good artists if we don't support them financially. I'm not necessarily hoping to change it for me, but I do think a more active conversation about these things might shift things culturally in the long-run.
The truth of my story is that because of health issues, my artistic work is all I've been able to do. It's a weird symptom, but I literally can't working any environment with fluorescent lights (basically any job, therefore). So it's extremely painful for me, when I feel I do have something to give that isn't being acknowledged, because it really is the case that that support really makes or breaks whether I can pay my bills.
So.. I don't say it to complain so much as to start the conversation. I have found a lot of people are more willing to give when they understand the struggle. Most people just don't know. And people spend money on all sorts of garbage.. it would be good for people to become a little more aware and instead make more conscientious decisions to support "good things" on principles.
Yes, I am a dreamer. But I have real, long-term high hopes for those dreams. I may be foolish, but only those who look like fools at the beginning are ever able to effect big change :).
I like that your comments are challenging. Never hesitate to contribute!