A thing I don’t think gets discussed enough by pro artists is privilege. Most people could get to pro artist level if they had the same opportunities and support structure that we had. It takes a lot of time to get good enough to live entirely off your art.

I grew up poor-ish, even lived in a trailer until I was 10. However I always had extremely supportive parents regarding my artwork. If I needed supplies or whatever I had them. They got me my first tablet(I still use it) for Christmas in 2007 when I was 18.

With great help from my parents and a lot of loans I was able to go to art school. My mom worked an extra job to pay for my apartment so I could dive into learning with 110% of my focus. Even then I wasn’t able to support myself with my artwork until I was 23.

Most of my professional art peers I’ve talked to have had similar support structures to get where we are. No one does this entirely alone unless they are like a prodigy or something. It takes an unbelievable amount of time and effort to become financially stable as an artist.

I wouldn’t be half the artist I am now without the insane support from my friends and family. I try to give that support whenever I can to younger artists because I remember how much the words of pros meant to me coming up.

I don’t have a real clear thesis here. I guess my advice would be to ditch toxic people who don’t support you when you need them. You can only be as great as the people that care about you.

One addendum. Its never too late to become a pro artist. If you find yourself in your 40s, financially stable, and with a strong support structure, you can do it then. Unlike things like sports, so long as you got a willing spirit and can manipulate a tool, you're golden.