Even here, artists take a beating - sometimes at their own hand. The value of art, apart from its beauty or message, is its market potential. Some artists and dealers seem too willing to reduce prices just to make the sale. For more than 30 years, I have opposed politicians and hospitals that have asked this newspaper to run items asking for donated art. Thanks but no thanks.
Stardom is elusive.
But don't give up. As an artist, you're trained to see the world around you better than most. That's a huge plus, it seems to me. It's also important that you learn to love great art of all kinds. The road an artist follows isn't paved in gold.