I don't make my living solely from painting, I teach art as well. Teaching makes more than the painting, but the painting is catching up. It's been my experience that the artists in my town, who are making a living as artists, usually do several things other than just paint. What they do is art related so I'm not talking about brick laying on Tuesday and painting on Wednesday, though there is nothing wrong with that.
Notice even the greatest among us who no doubt make the big bucks from each and every painting they produce, still do things like author art books, do workshops, and basically promote the devil out of what they do.
No doubt we would all like to just work in our studios and paint, but the fun and the money in this activity of an artist is best grown threw diversity.
Remember the more you make the more pressure on you to expand your lifestyle, hence the more you will want to make. So diversify, and learn to enjoy multiple aspects of being an artist.
Robert
