[amelius]

But as soon as you've bootstrapped a career in art, you get paid for it, and you don't need inherited wealth.

[brazzy]

The thing is, successfully doing that requires not only talent and hard work, but also luck. And even then the amount you get paid may not be enough to live on.

[amelius]

But you only need to be "ramen-profitable" ...

[coldtea]

If you're willing to commit to a life eating ramen and not affording anything (including healthcare and retirement)...

[nabla9]

That's less than 1% of artists.

Most of them work in other professions for living.