Could The Artist Be The Most Courageous Of All?

IF YOU ASK PEOPLE to identify occupations which require a great deal of courage, you would probably expect to hear replies like policemen, firefighters, soldiers, etc.

Without a doubt, these are very honorable lines of work, but how would you react if your respondent answered by naming.....artists? Now before you scoff at the notion that artistic endeavors require any amount of courage, consider the type of life which the artist has chosen for himself.

While those who pursue other careers have at least some idea of what their "return on investment" will be, the artist is afforded no such luxury. In fact, the artist makes a conscientious decision to live a life of uncertainty, spending hours upon hours perfecting his craft, creating masterpieces from mental blueprints, and doing so without any guarantee whatsoever that he will earn even a penny for his work.

...which leaves him open to ridicule from his so-called friends and family who snidely ask when he will get a 'real' job.

Such remarks only add to the great courage displayed by the ambitious individual who puts everything on the line for his art. A individual who lives through each day knowing that in 30 years' time, he may either have achieved success..........or he may find that he has sacrificed three decades of his life with nothing to show for it...