Many of us are drawn into the life of the arts, but find it difficult to balance this ambition with the urgent need to make a living. It is impossible to become a master painter, composer, or novelist without spending time experimenting, going through failed experiments, absorbing criticism, reading, speaking, and meditating on home affairs.
All this time has to be bought, one way or another. Is the history of art and ideas just the history of the rich? Of course, the answer is no. William Carlos Williams was a family doctor. Franz Kafka was in the insurance business, as were Charles Ives and Wallace Stevens. Grace Hartigan worked temporary jobs. James Joyce depended on his brother; Christopher Isherwood courted a wealthy uncle. Virginia Woolf and Louisa May Alcott were determined to make money from their writing at all costs. Their physical conditions have affected all of their creations.
