Yeah. I had the choice of either getting a job, while I was in my senior year, or just using commissions to make money. Um, it’s obviously not the same because I was in HS, but I really hated the idea of toiling for 5 hours to make something like 40 dollars when I could make that in an hour or two from home. It seemed really stupid to me when I had the other option available. So I applied for like 2 jobs, didn’t hear back, and kept working on commissions and got more customers that way.
It sucks though to be in that position; I never really… had the option for a stable life, exactly, because I ended up getting married and going to art school and living in Baltimore was so expensive that Marl’s job only paid most of our bare essentials, so I had to always make up for that or cover any surprises etc… I didn’t feel like just giving up and getting a regular job, but I did end up quitting school because I realized I was fed up with the classes and it was just putting me into crazy debt. From that point on I’ve basically been breathing art. It’s hard, but you have to decide if you have enough self-discipline and patience to keep pushing through and being an artist all the time. Being a little desperate also helps you figure out new ways of pulling in income, and helps you meet more people, provided you actually respond to that feeling with a clear head.
I’m really sorry if this wasn’t useful… I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve never been in a situation where I would be entirely screwed if I didn’t go and get a regular job or something, since my life has basically always been just sit down and draw - sometimes for money.