It took a while for some people close to me to understand that what I do is not a hobby. The fruits of my efforts eventually change their opinion. But obtaining public recognition or not, you are the only one who must accept and believe in your path, without anything to prove to anybody else. I never stopped to try to make people understand. This was my life, my art, and my creative path. A creative soul is always going to find some type of resistance or adversity anyway. But when it comes to people we love; you cannot take that personally. Some of it comes from a good place and from those who want to see you do well in the world that they live in.
As working artists, we navigate two worlds... or more. That’s tough for some to grasp or understand. To change the perception for myself and others I made a simple, yet crucial adjustment in describing my creative activities: I stopped saying "painting" or "making art" and began to call it "work." And remember: You don't have to be raking in dough or even selling art at all to be a working artist. Keep up the good work!