"Those of you in your 20s, let me say this: If there's something you can't stop thinking about--whether it's art, music, coding, or whatever--then just do it. Even if you suck at it right now, it's better to get all the suckitude out of your system now, while you're young, so that by the time you're my age, you've put all that behind you and your craft is nice and polished." - indigoshift

"the problem lies in artists trying to achieve success by aping corporate methods, which rarely work for an individual artist. I did that for awhile, and it got me absolutely nowhere." - indigoshift

"It will take as long as it takes, doing what it takes, but it's the only approach that works." - lux

"Why are artists poor? That's the wrong question. In a state of nature, EVERYONE is poor. Getting out of poverty means one thing: creating something that other people consider to have value, and then exchanging it for cash.
Heinlein had rules for writers: 1) you must write; 2) you must sell what you have written. This is true for all artists. It's also true for all doctors, accountants, and software engineers. If an individual artist is poor, he or she either isn't creating anything of value, or isn't finding the market and selling the work. Period." - tjic

"artists still make things by hand. In 1500, handmade things were all there were. Now paintings have to compete with manufactured products, and they're so expensive that only a small number of people prefer them" - pg (editor's note - your job is to find those people - they do exist)

I would argue on average, most high income earners must be because of the value that others are willing to pay for. - cwan

Just a few words of wisdom from people who like to think deeply about things.

Now go change the world.

Sincerely,

Clint Watson

Software Craftsman and Art Fanatic