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Now while some of us artists do not think of the lofty realms of million dollar painting returns, I must say a mighty "Whoo Hoo" to the mighty Matisse! Starving artists beware. You too can paint like a genius all your life and make very little for it, then just as you're long dead, and you really could use 33 million dollars, blam! there it comes.

You paint, cause you love it; and I know form Matisses' paintings and his fabulous garden that he loved it too. And yet, think of all the causes you could support and all of the artists you could sponsor for that kind of dough.

Keep painting my friends, and get that success later! Now, make no mistake, progression and growth as a painter has little to do with monetary success. But we live in real cruel world where one must make money to live. And that is a fact.

But my heart tells me that we should deconstruct that "starving artist ideal" and enjoy success while we're alive.

Matisse died in 1954, the year of the first hydrogen bomb. His work had been considered shocking and barbaric. He was not afraid to grab us with his colours and drag us through the wall of realism into fantasy. He was never involved in politics, and yet, I know in my heart that he would, having seen the modern world, scream to young artists to stretch all of the boundaries of the perception of art and artists.
And so I ask you to throw off this mantle of expectation: refuse to allow the world to think that being a starving artist is a fine thing and a sacrficial thing, to gain growth in art.

Such nonsense puts shackles on the idea of freedom to create and to make peace with artistic desire and endeavor.
Rise up! Market yourself, gain knowledge and reach for a new ideal.
One where art is as valued as business. Where compensation for creativity is the universal balance. Because you care for yourself and for your future as an artist. And because you understand the value of creativity to the soul of humankind.
Art endures, because it is given from the spirit and the heart. And that spirit and heart that we all share will carry through to the future, for future art lovers to see, buy and enjoy.

But first, we must dispel the "I suffer for my art, by starving and that is my lot" ideal and put it to rest.
It's not your lot; it's a lot of bull.

Deviantart supports the ideal that you must market your art in order to find your success. Ads are cheap and support is well organized. Help yourself become known as an artist and become familiar to find your audience. The art will speak for itself, but first you must make an effort to be seen.