Endeavoring to become a professional artist of any sort is hard. There may never be an end to the need for doctors, chemists, or bartenders, but there is a limit to the number of artists who actually make money at their craft. Those who make enough at their craft alone are even fewer.
And so, one must be willing to admit that one thinks them-self special, in order to enter into this creative lottery… One must think that he/she is holding the winning ticket in order to enter those upper echelons of artistic success. Elsewise, why play?
Because it is not merely a matter of work ethic, nor a game of total chance, that determines your artistic success. It is rather a complicated combination of factors, mostly outside your control, that determine where you will fit. And this sea of possibility maintains a somewhat confusing, ever unpredictable ebb and flow.
You must learn to relax into the waves as they come if you want to maintain any sense of sanity.
Because it’s a long road, and one that is ever fraught with challenges. It is competitive, exciting, fantastically rewarding at its highs and devastatingly dark at it’s lows. The struggling artist must always endeavor to maintain a healthy inner compass if they have any hope of arriving at the hoped for destination, for to allow the fickle waters to determine your worth would be devestating.
This life is full of ups and downs, and an ever present hunger for recognition and success. We create art not just to satisfy our inner muse, but to change the world! We desire to be heard, seen, or read… so we must be bold in our faith in ourselves.
For the sea of possibility is a fantastic place, as long as you have a well-stocked raft in which to weather it.
Awds And Ends 