As Amanda Palmer quoteably said in her recent book "The Art of Asking":
"We have a fucked up relationship with artists. While artists are, on one hand, applauded for their awe-inspiring, life-changing works of art, they're simultaneously eyed with suspicion, disdain, and other sentiments of the GET A JOB variety."
I couldn't agree more.
Here's the thing: if I say I want to be a writer, it doesn't mean I'm expecting to be Chaucer or Mark Twain. There is plenty of room in the field for perfectly mediocre people, just as there is in any field. I have met mediocre IT professionals, mediocre salesmen, mediocre doctors and teachers. If people can be mediocre at so many other things, why not in art as well? Saying you want to enter a creative field should not imply some expectation of PERFECTION. It doesn't mean that I'm full of myself.
Honestly, in most professions, it's equal parts skill and enthusiasm. Skill is something you acquire over time; enthusiasm is something you bring with you. Sure, talent plays a role, but not so much as people assume. The best writers, painters, dancers and musicians WORKED at it. They weren't born knowing how to do those things. And even if they had been, it would be no guarantee of success.
So, the next time a friend or family member says they want to do something creative professionally, just say "that's cool" and keep your judgments to yourself.
