In my mind - you’re both right. I see the struggle for you two in my city every day. Far more talented trans fighting for scrap roles. Artists grimacing while hobbyists get more credibility than they deserve. I honestly think succeeding in your profession requires more heart than most ‘normal’ humans have. Artists shouldn’t have to produce for 20-30 years before they *maybe* get discovered. They’re respectable jobs that don’t paid. And for roles that bring a little bit of light to humanity, I sometimes question whether that’s the right way to do it.
I feel like you've fallen into a "common knowledge" thing with writing and art. Those are jobs that are pretty easy to get work in and even steady work if you're good enough especially with writing. Writers can get paid to proofread/edit/write articles, blogs, or basically anything else. Artist can make logos, do commissions, sell work to businesses, or basically anything else. Artists have a bit less advantage here though, but it definitely isn't impossible.
It's definitely not something you can go right into and be able to live, but it's easy enough to use it as side money for a while before being able to go full time.
@spiderwoman My ‘common knowledge’ comes from living alongside artists and actors in a heroin-strewn neighborhood that somehow still has absurd rents. I actually see and discuss ‘the hustle’ every day. My point is that you shouldn’t have to work as a waiter, an Uber driver, and also a substitute teacher on the side to fund your passion until you ‘make it.’ I’m talking about doing your art full time in your desired specialty on your schedule and being able to live on it. Not doing graphic design to make ends meet when you want to be a painter. Not having to debate do I take this menial office job for a steady paycheck but then I can’t go to auditions. Unless you come to the scene with connections or just get absolutely effing lucky, living independently off of your work can take YEARS to do. The runway to success in the arts seems to be a lot longer than that for, say, your run of the mill commercial entrepreneur. And as I said, I don’t think it should have to be like that.
@spiderwoman And while I’m belaboring the point - ‘most’ of the guys who I know with their own galleries which I would call ‘making it’ (1) are older, I can’t think of one in his 20s for sure (2) sidestepped into art after building careers and names in peripheral industries like architecture, interior design, working for a major fashion house, or commercial art (3) had money when they started or have a wealthy partner, and (4) are all men. I’m not saying you can’t ‘make it’ by starting from the ground up. But if those characteristics aren’t you, then it can be a lot tougher to do so from what I can see.
I forgot that you knowing a small sample means you know the entire population, I know a black 20 year old girl, so all 20 year old girls must be black, I guess by your logic.
It's definitely not something you can go right into and be able to live, but it's easy enough to use it as side money for a while before being able to go full time.