Artistic Guilt

"I just read your article entitled Creativity: Do You Feel Guilty for Being an Artist? Artists do tend to be stigmatized by doing a job that is perceived as easy when, in fact, it can be mentally draining. Many people wish they could be artists. Is it really perceived as that easy?

"Some artists tend to be in a dilemma of whether to use and develop their innate talent or hold it back for a more respected job. What do you think about this?" -- Gary

I think too many people expect work to not be fun, to be boring and unchallenging, therefore anyone who appears to enjoy what they do for a living can't be doing something worthwhile or that takes any effort. That's rubbish, of course.

Life isn't a dress rehearsal, so why not do what you enjoy and ignore what other people think? When you're 80 you won't sit on the veranda wishing you'd filed more lawsuits or balanced more accounts, but you will wish you'd painted more.

Earning enough to live off is a challenge, but there are many artistic jobs besides living by selling your paintings, including graphic design, web design, museum/gallery work, teaching. Or there's opting to live frugally and work part-time to survive and paint the rest of the time. Many fields are highly competitive, yet no-one ridicules a dream to be a doctor despite the high drop-out rate for instance. So if your dream is to be an artist, pursue it. Set out your goals and a timeline for achieving them, then apply yourself to making the dream reality.

See Also:
• Choosing Art as a Career
• Pursue Your Passion (From About.com Job Searching)
• Top 10 Ways to Start Living Frugally (From About.com Frugal Living)

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