[burntoutfire]

> Perhaps the only widespread misconception is that there's a tier of artists below the superstar level, who can earn a living at it.

Music and writing are especially bad, but in areas where you make an unique non-copyable artifact, such as a painting or a sculpture, there's a significant number of working artists who are definitely not superstars. Probably most of them take commissions to make ends meet, but they get to do them with their choice of style and technique, which is half of the fun for many.

[wpietri]

For sure. I have a friend who shifted from being a chef to an artist making stuff in the neighborhood of paiting. She works as hard at her new career as she did as her old. A lot of effort goes into marketing and sales, but she's making art she likes and has a solid income.