My Transition to a Full-Time Starving Artist

One of the biggest regrets that people have on their deathbeds is spending their entire lives doing what is expected of them rather doing what they dreamed of doing.

I learned about this and thought, ‘well I should learn from their mistakes and do what I dream of doing!’ There was just one problem: what do I dream of doing? I’ve had so many interests in life, but what was my dream? After years of intense thought, emotional distress, self-discovery, failure, and success, I realized there is one clear and important factor in everything I enjoy doing: I love creating. I grew up making crafts, drawing, painting, story-writing, music-writing, taking pictures, animating, and I wanted to be an artist. What stopped me was the fear of failure, fear that I wasn’t good enough to make it, fear that I wouldn’t be able to make enough money to support myself and would be struggling for the rest of my life.

Now I’ve worked an office job for several years. I’ve learned a lot from that job, and I’ve saved up enough money to dedicate myself to a full-time starving artist. I’m facing my fears head-on, because I’d rather take the risk than to be on my deathbed, looking back, and wishing I would have at least tried my best and given my dream a chance.

-May Camp
www.mayzart.com