Your paintings are so good you could make some serious scratch.

You sound like my dad, a man who cannot wrap his head around the concept of "art for art's sake."  I paint because I like to paint.  Every time -- EVERY time -- I've made some sort of sojourn into the professional art world, albeit just to do an illustration or poster or cartoon, I always walk away frustrated and unsatisfied. 

When drawing/painting for someone else, I'm subject to what they want, not necessarily what I want -- and it's hard for me to reconcile that.  "Santa needs teeth!" or "He holds his paw more like THIS!" or "I don't like that line." "Draw it again..." are phrases I've heard too many times and hate...

So for me, it's a hobby.  And a happy one -- which is more important than money every single time!

If we're building a choir, I sing Baritone.

Warning: we will be singing show tunes.   This IS a gay thread, after all.  (I'm a lyric baritone.)

If we're singing show tunes I insist we start with Phantom of the Opera and then switch to some tunes from Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat before finishing with a medley from Cats.

And yes, I may be proposing the slate just to torture Tom.

What is everyone's favorite showtune?

Musical number; Singin' in the rain. But I'm not sure if that's precisely a showtune. So I'm going to go with a song that makes me smile every time I hear it; I don't know what it's called but it goes something like - I am the very model of a modern major general.... I like that one but it is tough to sing along with.

You sound like my dad, a man who cannot wrap his head around the concept of "art for art's sake."  I paint because I like to paint.  Every time -- EVERY time -- I've made some sort of sojourn into the professional art world, albeit just to do an illustration or poster or cartoon, I always walk away frustrated and unsatisfied. 

When drawing/painting for someone else, I'm subject to what they want, not necessarily what I want -- and it's hard for me to reconcile that.  "Santa needs teeth!" or "He holds his paw more like THIS!" or "I don't like that line." "Draw it again..." are phrases I've heard too many times and hate...

So for me, it's a hobby.  And a happy one -- which is more important than money every single time!

My grandfather was a commercial artist most of his life, and he voiced some of your frustrations Tom. Then his little redneck grandson asked him one day " If you enjoy what you do, then do what you do, maybe they'll sell, maybe not, but you'll smile everytime you look at one." Turns out there was a market for "what he liked to do ". I do miss the man, but I smile when I look at his work.

You sound like my dad, a man who cannot wrap his head around the concept of "art for art's sake."  I paint because I like to paint.  Every time -- EVERY time -- I've made some sort of sojourn into the professional art world, albeit just to do an illustration or poster or cartoon, I always walk away frustrated and unsatisfied. 

I completely understand, that is why I hated taking orders on my bears, (with the economy this is not a worry anymore). It is funny because I grew to hate making the bears, because of the same reason you mention. I was really upset when the orders dried up, but now it is like a giant weight off my shoulders.

That's why I love doing the "Jonies", I make them from the heart and give them from the heart. My cousin sounds like your dad, she is at a loss on why I am not making a bear a day to sell and when I told her about the ponies, she looked at me like I was speaking a different language when I told her I did not sell the "Jonies".

If we were dependent on my income I would crank out as many bears as I could sell, but for now my artwork is bringing me joy again. Which feels great.