A quotation from Robert Louis Stevenson

To give the public what they do not want, and yet expect to be supported: we have there a strange pretension, and yet not uncommon, above all with painters. The first duty in this world is for a man to pay his way; when that is quite accomplished, he may plunge into what eccentricity he likes; but emphatically not till then.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
Essay (1888-09), “A Letter to a Young Gentleman Who Proposes to Embrace the Career of Art,” Scribner’s Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 3


More about this quote: wist.info/stevenson-robert-lou…

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in reply to Aoi_X_Kaizaki

How do you prove you're good enough when nobody will give you a chance to prove you're good enough afflicts people of all career paths, unfortunately, not just in the creative arts. Making contacts and networks, working with others (writing groups, art studios) to get feedback, approaching the desired path obliquely, finding something else to pay the bills while you strive for that break -- all are time-honored (and tedious, and not-guaranteed) courses of action.