[nickheer]

"Hasn't stopped me from writing poems in my spare time and engaging in my other pursuits."

This is the epitome of the lack of concern for creative practices that gnosis is referring to. It's a "spare time" thing. Anyone can do it. It's not a real job. It doesn't deserve the effort or respect that STEM gets. (I'm not saying this is what you believe, but this is a trope I've noticed.)

The idea that there is widespread respect for creative types of all breeds is hogwash. I work as both a front-end web developer and a web designer. I can provide the exact same quote for the exact same amount of work for those two fields, but I have to fight tooth and nail to get anywhere close to my estimate if it's a design project.