The Secret Life of an Artist

I was at a party recently and talking with a very successful television producer. She commented about how fortunate it was for me to be an artist and to get to paint all day and "do what you want." When I told her that my job wasn't that much different from hers and that we shared many of the same woes, she didn't get it. I do respect and like this woman, but I think that she, like many others think that artists lounge around all day daubing paint on canvas when the mood strikes.  Nothing could be farther from the truth, although I do know a number of artists that have the lounging around all day thing down pretty good. Like any other endeavor, painting requires work and discipline, something that is often missing in those that like to call themselves artists. They often work only "when the mood strikes" and largely would rather grouse about lack of sales than actually do any painting.  My friend doesn't know the amount of time spent sketching, ordering supplies, framing, entering shows, doing computer work, cleaning art supplies, reading and studying, and a dozen other sometimes upleasant tasks we must do. It isn't all painting, although I wish that it were. By the time an art buyer sees a painting it is finished, possibly framed and ready for sale.  They don't know how many hours went in to the painting, whether or not this is the 1st or 6th rendition or how much agonizing and thought went into the work. Being an artist is not for the faint of heart, the wanna be or the lazy. You have to show up each and every day and work. You can choose at work to make it fun or not, but work it must be. There are no rules or hurdles or qualifications for one to call themselves an artist. You put paint down on a canvas and POOF! you are now an artist. You sell one painting and BINGO! there you are! 
It still stumps me to this day that there are a number of "artists" out there that simply cannot draw. I have heard, "Oh, I don't draw that..." or "I just want to paint, not take drawing lessons," or better yet, " I just copy from pictures and magazines, so I don't need to know how to draw..." How about, "I never understood perspective..." or "What two colors make green again?" All this from "artists".
Like any other unregulated business, it's "Buyer Beware". Yes, buy what you love, but remember to look carefully first.