I was an artist. A fairly decent one (I don't really have a gallery of my stuff up, anymore, but here's a couple[0-1]).
That was a while ago (a long while ago. Over 35 years). I figured out that even a top-shelf artist (and I don't think that was my destiny) wouldn't make as much as mediocre programmer.
Nowadays, I have sort of "run off to join the circus." I write software for free.
Nice! I stopped about 10 years ago - last time I was active was 2011. I didn't think I had anything left up, but I was able to dig up some very old Behance stuff:
I did the same, hah. Not because of the money though; I made a decent career and money in art (television and film), but because of the wind of change I felt from within. I'm no foreigner to tech though, in-fact that was my first calling and have always kept it on the side (even had a small startup and a successful exit). Now, art is my on the side thing and tech main. I agree with OP you cannot make a career without going all in. I felt, for a time being, I made a career as far as I could in art without making sacrifices further which I didn't want to compromise on. There's art and then there's commercial art. I was in the latter.
That was a while ago (a long while ago. Over 35 years). I figured out that even a top-shelf artist (and I don't think that was my destiny) wouldn't make as much as mediocre programmer.
Nowadays, I have sort of "run off to join the circus." I write software for free.
[0] https://littlegreenviper.com/art/Cavalier.png
[1] https://littlegreenviper.com/art/Sentinels.png