"Gibberish" and Earning A Living In The Arts.

I recently received a frustrated comment from a good engraver who uses a mechanically assisted device. It seems that he is always in a hurry to get his engraving done and concentrate on very narrow matters at hand. My references to William Morris and design were referred to as "gibberish". He is a good man I'm sure and he has some good work by any one's judgement but I riled him.
The frustrated response reminds me of a very well known and capable stockmaker. We both had the same medium format cameras at the time and we were on the phone for perhaps an hour comparing notes.
His business, like mine, is a difficult art form. The amount of frustration and he expressed was only surpassed by his resentment. It seems that there were not always enough men who would pay for the quality he was providing. The amount of money he was able to earn in years gone by seems to have been the major issue that he related to me as far as I could tell. In fact, he was very resentful of his trade.
When a premed student finally reaches his goal of attending a great medical school, he is only at the very beginnings of a very long journey as a resident, an intern, and then passing his state board examination. Many many years are spent in school with minimal sleep and money. Later, as a working doctor, he makes the money he deserves. But even doctors vary in their success in earning a great living.
One member of the medical community that treats me volunteered in the rain forest in Brazil treating patients who had never seen a doctor before. Today he works in a poverty stricken area in a low cost federal clinic. He could be working elsewhere but he works where he works out of choice. Another Md that I went to high school with is now a wealthy doctor in Los Angeles. Both men are happy and have the money they need.
When I was a sales manager for a large firm, the executives conducted an experiment. One district's salesmen were paid 10.00 more per each item sold. The other district's salesmen were paid the same. Surprisingly, both districts had the same sales dollar volume they had before. Apparently the district salesmen that were paid more per sale found the opportunity to work less for the same amount of money. The lesson was that salesmen need to set goals and adjust their work habits to succeed.