You can't afford to be an artist and/or author, let alone be respected
A little life story:<p>I had commercial success in art at the humble age of 23.
Not only were my paintings respected and collected by accomplished and wealthy individuals, they formed commissions for years to come. My success was the result of an obsession with craftsmanship and clever word-of-mouth marketing.<p>Suddenly, one day after insisting on meeting the deadline of the expensive commission, I had a headache and my nose was bleeding. Fortunately, it turned out to be a minimal problem as a result of stress.<p>I stopped painting for a month and went to rest in the mountains. There I discovered that, influenced by success and the pursuit of perfection, I had lost the most valuable of my talents.<p>To enjoy the process.<p>I then vowed to no longer let the need for material success and validation come before my need to express myself visually and feel enjoyment of the freedom to change my artistic style or experiment without direction.<p>I returned the prepaid orders, apologized for the disappointment I was causing, and moved on.<p>Not only that, but I realized that I would have to work another job if I wanted to keep the purity of the process for myself.<p>I began in graphic design, moved to web design and started a web solutions company.<p>And when my friends ask me to this day: How could you turn your back on your successful art career?<p>I answer them:<p>I don&#x27;t paint for you. I paint for myself. It&#x27;s part of my life.
A place where there are no compromises, no demands, no expectations, no projections, no assessments, no tasks, no metrics, no applause and no glory.<p>A place where I am happy.