Isn't 73 a bit late to start a career?. Unless you spend your life on unemployment and food stamps but I'm trying to get away from that. Unemployment and food stamps are for when your career fails and you no longer live with your parents.
Every time the career fails again, you end up deeper in the "hole". That's the way it is unless you come from a rich family.

You don't go into it for a career. You go into it for passion.

Unemployment and food stamps....
Sounds like age 2-13 .____.
(For me)

Unfortunately "passion" does not pay rent, food and bills. So unless one is headed for poverty/the streets, passion isn't important.

I don't agree with you there, Claudia.
My passion = Flying
Does that not provide the required money for normal living?

And neither does a career in animation. It gives you a temporary job with mediocre pay.

If you disagree, are you living in the real world paying rent and bills?.
I mean not off mommy/daddy's paychecks?.
I earn about $10 per day, if animation does better then that, it's a solution to me.

I'm only 16, but that does not mean I am unaware of how the world works.

I enjoy flying, so I hope to become a commercial airline pilot, as well as study English.

If I cannot keep my grades in the maths and sciences, I will have English as my back up.

((I will study to be both a Pilot and an English Professor, either way I'm doing something I love.))

I already have nothing but temp jobs with medocre pay which I want badly to leave behind.

You should do fine with that. I think pilots make a lot of money. Enough money to pursue whatever else you are passionate about.

Sadly, as I learned this year, I will not be able to become a Pilot.
I'm currently in grade ten, and in Science class, we have just finished the physic's unit... I'm pretty sure I came out of that with only a 39%?
Luckily, biology is much much easier. n___n;

That comment was rather scathing.

I'm 23. I have to make my own way. I don't qualify for unemployment. I am dirt poor. But you have to go through that to get to the good parts. The only artist that was ridiculously famous during his life was Polluck, and see how he turned out... >>

You don't do art because it makes money. You do art because you love to do it.

This is exactly why I'm not taking the easy route with my English classes! <33

If it was something I sad sorry. I do get frustrated with some people who think live artists can live on warm fuzzy feelings.

I am currently applying for section 8 housing because things are not getting any better and it makes me feel extremely depressed that instead of getting off unemployment and food stamps, I'm going further in. This is not the life I want and that is why earning money is a priority for me. I want to be a good proper person earning their own way like I was raised.

Claudia, you currently do not have a job?

I do, but for the pay I qualify for unemployment and food stamps. Happily I haven't been unemployed for a while. But I'd like to move forward from a job that pays about $25 a week.

I know it confuses people sometimes that someone working would qualify for unemployment and food stamps. Heck I didn't know these things back when I was in college. But then again I thought these things were only for poor people, not well educated people like me ( sorry if that offends anyone).

Most artists have secondary jobs. You have a passion job, and a money job. Sometimes you get a job at a graphic design firm and they're the same thing. A lot of times you go from shitty job to shitty job and do art to keep you sane.

Even 'famous' artists spend their own time wallowing in filth before their first gallery opening.

Coroners and pharmacists have high-paying jobs with security.

So are most artists you know living on unemployment and food stamps then?.
I think whatever the career, if it qualifies you for unemployment, it's time to move towards a change. Living off other people's money for life isn't morally right IHO.

Yes. If they don't, they work in call centers or food service and make minimum wage. Art is a luxury. Not everyone is going to be looking to buy art. But to get anything done, you have to keep working at it, keep a positive attitude, and always be promoting your work. Its a matter of attitude, confidence, boldness. I know how it feels, trust me.

But when people watch animations, they aren't really "buying" art in the traditional sense...Unless it's "fine arts?".

Claudia, my mother was on unemployment for most my life. Since I was born, to three years ago.

It might not be something to be proud of, but if you buy only what you NEED, and save the rest, and then do more college through "distance learning", while working, you can, like my mom, end up with a good job.

My mother was a single parent, so it was no easy thing. But it was done, and it just made me and her both better people... .___.

I have more college education then the average person since I was working towards a P.H.D. The dumb thing is when I got out of college, everyone wanted work experience and didn't care about my high level of college.
So I don't see the point in now going back to college until I'm 40-50 yrs old since nobody has cared about it so far.

I've been looking at various education opportunities myself. What can y'all recommend for someone interested in traveling, language learning (teaching myself Japanese and French), and teaching?

You are buying the ticket. Or the DVD. Its still buying the art. You are buying the right to see it. And regardless of what the company thinks: film qualifies as fine art. A lot of people would rather download a movie than pay for a ticket.

Life is hard. An art career is not going to make it easier. But that's not why you do it.

Aco: Anthropology, Linguistics.

Lack of other oppertunities is the main reason I resorted to art. If this situation had no occurred, I would not be an artist.
Instead of writing multiple job applications for min wage type jobs, I create artwork. I think it's much better use of my time. Writing job apps would "mess me up".
I jsut had another episode where I tried to get a better job, was discriminated against and ended up up doing nothing.
In the past I would sit numb near tears unable to do anything when I lost the latest good job that would get me out.

Then honestly, and I know you don't want to hear this, maybe an art career isn't for you. If you don't mind me asking, what PhD were you working towards?