My artist friend, Shari, posted my entry on the "not so glamorous life of the artist" on her blog the other week, and a commenter left these insightful words which I liked quite a bit, a good and encouraging reminder of the intrinsic motivation that propels the creative act...
"Such interesting points you make in this post, and I wholeheartedly agree. The life of the artist throughout history hasn't changed all that much. A very few are able to enjoy the "fruits" of their labor -- a paycheck, accolade, or even co-workers. How compelling the act of creation must be, then, when artists still create despite all of that."