This calls for a foot race

Tommy writes: i am living in toronto trying to focus on my photography.  but it’s tough making ends meet, and i am not very interested in the ‘starving-artist’ life.  if i go planting it gives me a chance of making enough capitol to get me through the winter, but it takes me away from the studio and the chance to pursue galleries and clients.  should i go planting?  or should i tough out a low income life and focus on producing work?

also, i have a dog who thinks she’s faster than yours.  she has an ego problem.  what should i do?

To which I respond: It’s entirely possible to become successful as an artist while paying the bills. Refer to this article about how T.S. Eliot continued to work as a banker even after his poems earned respect and recognition. When you are poor and starving, you wither away in whatever corner of a shelter you can afford, and gradually become unable to interact with anyone who eats three square meals a day. Pretty soon, the social skills that are so valuable for advancing your career are as emaciated as your ribcage, and things just go downhill from there. You have to get money, and one of the only ways to do that is treeplanting, so you’d probably better go.

As for the dog who thinks she’s faster than mine, there’s only one way to find out: foot race! And you’d better hurry, cause Mona’s getting faster by the day.

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