I'd say go for the art, but that is just my opinion, not thought out advice, so i don't know.

i understand this

im torn between 3 things at the moment myself

its tough to choose, but its like, try to imagine how it would be in the future, ry to imagine how you feel about them now
write out all the things you like personally or dislike personally about each aspect, leaning away from the economic and logical aspects, so you can have that to compare w the lists you have here?

which one you feel like you could really keep and keep persuing

or you could even figure out ways to mix it in? (like full time art, doing some training on the side, or full time trainer who takes comissions or makes tutorials every once in awhile?)

Writing down what I liked about each one actually really helped haha. I think going to school and studying nutrition I something I need to do, and then afterwards I need to decide whether or not I just do meal-plans and stuff on the side and slowly build up a reputation and then focus the rest of my energy into art, or if I go to school and really find my focus and delve into it 100% and use my spare time to draw things for me. Either way I get best of both worlds I suppose.

It's just hard for me to do that because I'm such an all or nothing person. I want to choose one and spend 100% of my time focusing on it rather than spreading myself out. But I think if I completely ignore either one of these passions then I'd feel unfulfilled in the end. :P I appreciate the help, hopefully you figure out what's best for you or find some way to compromise with the 3!

I do not believe doing art on the side of studying (and working with) nutrition is spreading yourself thin. It's not like by working on art, you are doing less work for nutrition. You just use the spare time you have on art, eh? You won't have to give up art, especially since you can pick up and do art any time you aren't working.

For a long time, I've felt you've been trying to get art as your career choice, but how well do you manage burnout? When you make even less money, you can not really afford a break. Commission money is earned entirely based on how active you want to be everyday.

All in all though, you'd do well in either seat. If you could live off of art for an entire month and still say to yourself "I can do this for a long time!", then there is no wrong choice. Plus, you could always stop art and go for nutrition whenever you wanted.

Well whichever one I choose, I'm expecting I'll have to give at least 80% of my attention to that. It's hard to be in limbo between the two because dedicating 50% for each one doesn't yield the results dedicating 100% would.
I've actually been okay with handling it for the past few months. I mean I've been living completely off commissions for.... almost a year now? Granted I haven't always been paying rent depending on my location, but I've still been paying bills and buying food and I've done alright for myself. I just feel kind of stagnant with art. I could get really good, but at some point financially I'll cap out. I think there's more growth potential with nutrition and much more stability at that so I'm pretty certain I'll pursue that and just do art as a hobby. :)

im really glad you are starting to figure it out, i think whatever you do it will work out great for yoU! you just seem really driven and inspired, i wish you the best of luck!!

thanks so much! <3

With the way you commit to things, I am not worried one bit for your future, whatever you pick. I look forward to hearing about your studies in Nutrition, as well as seeing your art continue to improve!

For me i'd like to have a full time job or at least a part time job next to art because i feel what you said at
- full time could potentially kill the passion
- taxes, completely self-reliant (no benefits).

You can do both and art as hobby is fantastic. For me it'd be self-expression and joy... and more i draw these furry stuffs.... i feel less of joy each day. :/ There are artists who burnt out because of the many commissions.

Although I do sometimes feel burnt out, when I really stop and think about it, I get this sense of gratitude that I can do this instead of flipping burgers. So I do get a sense of satisfaction.
It's really a conflicted feeling... I would love to draw things for myself, but I also find challenge and enjoyment taking on commissions and I feel like I can make money and improve at something I'm passionate about at the same time. But I do think doing art part time would give me both that satisfaction as well as personal satisfaction from creating my own (non furry) work. And of course the taxes COMPLETELY terrify me.

Thanks for your feedback!

Yeah, I totally understand you! My parents are proud (and myself too) that i can pay all my expense by myself. It's awesome as a student.

This art income imo is good for a side income so you can collect money/buy something for yourself/pay for emergency situations/etc. (I dont know bout your country salaries but here its pretty shitty)
But I dont think i'd get enough money with my art to live by. However among full time job it's a plus thing that could help you even in hard times and you can filter more what you want to accept as commission since it's a not a must. You can improve and have money in a fun way. :D

Yes, i agree that commissions/art-trades make you step out from your comfort zone so you have to try out new things. I experienced the same!

Oh god dont even tell about taxes... in my country it's so horrible for artists... brrrrrr.

Yeah that's such a good feeling to know that I could have a full time job but always have art to fallback on if I had an emergency or if I really wanted to splurge on something for myself. Win-win! I'll probably end up doing that for sure now that I've talked with all you lovely people. :)

Im glad we could help!
Reading your comments i can see we feel the same way in some subjects like the furry smut art.

I can't really help you choose between those two nice passions, but i'd just like to say that you shouldn't be intimitated to create a blog :) It's not a competition ! Of course there are a lot of other blogs on art or anything, but every single blog is an important building block of the whole thing and there will always be people who'll find help in yours ! :)

I appreciate it :) You're right. I should just jump into it and stop thinking about it being some kind of race... I'm so bad for that. Getting scared before I even make the first jump. :P Maybe I'll just have to worry about doing things I enjoy and then hopefully the success will follow.

Yeah, do things that you love for yourself first and if you can share it with others it's even better !

Very true. I think I'm going to do that. Go to school (because if I don't, I know I'll always wonder about it) and then kind of choose along the way which to really devote myself to. Thanks for the feedback!!

I'd definitely go the Nutritionist route with Art as a side thing If you don't know what career you'd want in art outside of teaching. And deadlines do kill the drive alot/puts pressure on you :/

Yeah I think you're right. Outside of meal plans I'm not really sure what else I'd do as a nutritionist either though, however... But I'm sure that's something I'll figure out as I go. :) It would feel really nice to make art without ANY ulterior motive for once o__o Thanks for the feedback!

I'm in my final year of engineering school, and while I was tempted to major in art or even music, the job stability and unique opportunities that presented themselves to me simply do not compare to those in the professional art field. You've got to ask yourself, what will provide more for you? And what are you giving up? What kind of relationship do you have with you art, is it something you want to turn into a business, or shall it remain personal?

You can always make time for art as one can do for other necessities of an individual (exercise for example), but what you will have a harder time making time for is the education you will receive pursuing nutritionist studies, assuming you will undertake training. That does not appear to be something you can pursue as independently as an artist.

One of my regrets right now is not having/maintaining enough relationships, and I do feel like a career in nutrition would allow(force) me to come out of my shell a little bit and interact and make more long-lasting connections. Although selling myself as opposed to my art is a little more intimidating, I think the payoff would be greater as it would also encourage personal development.
Of course monetarily nutrition is a lot more stable. I'm confident I could be successful doing either, but I think I'm considering art as much as I am because it allows me to stay in my bubble of comfort.

I do however feel like I could really make a business out of it. Unfortunately I feel like art hasn't really been personal for me in a long time. Which I guess could either be a blessing or a curse, I'm not sure.
Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate it.

Not everyone has an eye for an art.
It's not just studied, it need the certain calling
(Not sure if that's with the nutrionist too, as you say they are both your passions)
But personally I have more respect for an artist.

Take the one you're more comfortable with, an people will back you on your decision.

I've thought I was going to be an artist for my entire life, honestly. I thought it was my calling. But I'm not going to lie, I feel ashamed to show people my art because of the content so I don't know if I respect the career as much as I should. As much as I enjoy drawing them, if I did it on the side, I wouldn't have to stress about showing my work when people asked to see it after I told them I was an artist full time. So really both have their comforts and discomforts.
Thanks for the feedback!

I would say pursue the nutritionist side of things. You can always do artwork on the side, but being a full-fledged nutritionist requires a degree. If you really want to do both and for your income to be more stable, I'd say go with that.

However, I worry about this option, because I believed I would take a similar option with a military--pursue a longstanding career in the military and do artwork on the side. "Oh you'll have plenty of time to draw and do this and that", they said. Sure, I had a couple of hours to myself in a day, but I was too exhausted to do anything with them. I ended up exhausted, disappointed and depressed with my work because the military career I'd thought I would be happy to pursue ended up eating my life away and I had no life or energy for anything I really enjoyed.

I don't wanna see the same thing happen to you, y'know. Even worse would be the fact you'd have to get a degree for it, if you ended up disappointed with the work a degree to end up exhausted and unable to do other things you love all the time.

For the sake of freedom--which, honestly, I do feel is more important than hefty income--I'd say continue along the path of the artist. I do believe you'll be much happier and more fulfilled along that path.

Yeah that's exactly my fear. I'm very "all or nothing", so I'm scared I'd choose nutrition and be so caught up in it that I forgot about art all together. I go through phases currently where that happens and I find it difficult to push anything out because my focus is somewheres else. At the very least, I don't know how passionate you are/were about the military, but I feel like I'd be more fulfilled than exhausted if I did nutrition, hopefully (not to say it won't be hard).
I have until next spring when the next semester starts (unless I do an online course) so in the meantime I'll have no choice really but to stick with art, and I'm sure when that time comes around I'll have made up my mind.

It's difficult, but I do feel it's possible to do both. Many people juggle art with a job. It would be interesting to have you do nutrition blogs, and then art blogs on the side. Doing something other then art would also give you more time to experiment with that art, since commissions can leave you stagnated.

But I understand how it feels to want to pick one. For example, I do want to experiment with my art, but I also want to stick to one style since people are going to expect a general same style when commissioning you. It's hard to make decisions.

And I also get how tough it is to want to do something and feel you aren't going to be heard, like with the blog. But you always start somewhere, you did with art, i feel it's worth trying out.

Gosh if I could find a way to incorporate art AND nutrition together I would be in heaven. I just can't for the life of me figure out how to do that outside of just illustrating my own site and stuff. Maybe some kind of mascot? HMMM
I totally get what you mean with the style though. People definitely expect consistency and consistency is just not something I'm great at LOL. I've tried opening up "experimental" commission slots in the past and usually a few people are interested. Maybe try doing something like that...? I noticed people on here are usually pretty open to surprises. Or maybe offer a couple different styles for the commissioner to choose from.

You're right... I joined FA not really worried about whether or not I got my name out there, so maybe I should approach blogging the same way. Thanks for the feedback!

I guess it sorta depends on what you want. Something like animation is full time pretty much, you wouldn't be able to do both. But if you'd be happy doing commissions/illustrations like now then you absolutely would be able to balance it, you just take less work then you would if that's all you were doing all day. You could split the days up, Monday nutrition, Tuesday art and so on!

Oh yes, I've done that :3 I mean more for myself, but I also rarely draw for myself so that definitely effects things :P . I meant that more as "I totally get how hard it is to chose/balance things".

It's hard, but you never have a guarantee you'll get known and it likely wouldn't happen right away. But if you enjoy it, it doesn't matter who's watching at first. I for one would be super interested in nutrient info, especially when calorie amounts are added.

As intriguing as animation is unfortunately I don't think I'd ever have the patience for it haha. I actually really would love to experiment with other mediums and stuff but I find when I go into the art store I just feel so guilty about making any art that's not commissions, you know? Even if I have the time, I always feel like personal things are a waste of it. :/
You're absolutely right! Once I figure out what I'm doing (whether it's a youtube channel or blog or what have you) I'll definitely be making a journal so you can check it out whenever it's available. :)

Oh yes, I totally know that feeling. It's silly to think that way, but, you feel guilty anyways. For me, I'm a workoholic, so I often don't even feel like drawing for myself, but I know it effects me, I can really enjoy myself and do something new when I try things for myself.

You could have both! Many people have a blog, since sometimes talking doesn't give enough info, with videos on the side. Some will have a video once a week, with blog otherwise. You could pick a favourite meal of the week and film how to make it maybe?

As much as I love the idea of that I just don't even know where to begin. I don't know what I'd have to say about it haha it's hard to offer anything original. Maybe I should start experimenting with more healthy meals and share them like you suggested... but otherwise I'm totally at a loss!

Then it's good to start with one, you can always add on another over time. Personally I'd say start with a blog since it's a bit easier to start writing then acting out in a video.

(Of course, how often you post what depends on you, once a week is just an example)

You are an amazing artist, but I can see where you wouldn't want to base a career off that (especially with a stigma against furry art). If at all possible, I'd keep the art as maybe something on the side for extra spending cash, know what I'm saying? Especially since furries are cheap bastards when it comes to paying for commissions (as opposed to non-furries who commission art IRL).

Speaking of nutrition, I'm trying to cut grains and sugar out of my diet. Few weeks back I weighed in at 241 and realized stuff needed to change. I've lost 6 lbs since then just by swearing off bread and popcorn.

Yeah, honestly doing that just seems like the most reasonable option. That way I can draw whatever I want and not have to be terrified that someone will actually be interested enough to want to have a peek at my work. :P

Good for you!! I've done both paleo and keto (neither of which really allow for grains or sugar) and it really does make a monumental change to both your emotional state and your weight. Grains really tend to make me sluggish. HOWEVER I am such a huge carboholic that currently I've incorporated 'healthy' grains into my diet to try and find some kind of moderation and I'm still losing weight/feeling great. Hopefully I can work my way to really limiting my intake of them both. Hopefully you find it a little more sustainable! I know some people function better on fewer carbs than others.

Well I have been studying paleo and keto, and they are effective in that the foods have higher satiety, which prevents me from overeating as I feel full longer. But WebMD says going into ketosis for too long can cause severe liver and/or kidney damage. I only do a mild form of paleo because I can't control portion sizes on my own, so it works for me. Most of my carbs I get from peanuts.

From what I've read, the only real danger would be from consuming too much protein. That's why with keto it's really stressed you take in most of your calories from fat. I know a few people who are following keto full time and I haven't heard any health issues but I haven't done nearly enough research to guarantee it one way or another.
Your best bet would just be tweaking paleo like you've done so that it's something more suitable for your lifestyle. When I did paleo I still ate legumes too and I still felt great so I don't think it's a biggie.

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/26/264.....36fef1ea0c.jpg

Do art while you're in school for nutrition, then once you've done that do nutrition with art on the side!

Maybe even do little doodles to help illustrate nutrition concepts and whatnot.

That's the nice thing about art, you can do it in your free time if you want :3

Yeah haha that seems to be the most reasonable of all options. I feel like if I went exclusively one way or another I'd feel like crap for giving one up. Finding a way to incorporate art and nutrition would be a total score... HMMM!
Thanks for the feedback!

"making art doesn't help anyone or change their lives"

Who told you that? Because they're wrong.

Well I mean specifically the art that I do. I absolutely agree it can, but I'm not going to lie, I don't really have any desire to make art that's "political" or life-altering with its symbolism. I feel like my art is very shallow in its meaning right now. Maybe because I've just done commission-work for so long... but either way, if I were to pursue being a freelance artist, I can't imagine changing very many lives with it. The education portion of it may be a different story though I suppose!

I do see what you mean. For myself, I like being able to make people happy and smile by seeing my art, but it feels different then making a larger change.

Shallow isn't always a bad thing though (although I feel the same way you do! I used to have such an imagination as a kid).

Yeah, seeing peoples reactions when they get exactly what they want is really fulfilling but it's very short term.
I've really come to terms with accepting 'shallow' art. I don't think it necessarily needs to have a deep meaning for me to enjoy it. There's so much pressure on it to be some kind deep-seated eye into our soul haha but really all that matters at the end of the day is that you enjoy it I guess!

For sure! I even put that pressure on myself often. Deep is fun, but hey, cute characters being cute is fun too.

sounds to me like you've got a career and a hobby lined up.

Haha yes, it's just choosing which one to be the hobby and which to be the career. ;) Nutrition seems like it'd allow for more balance, however, so I think I will probably choose that one.

Making a career out of art is certainly the harder path, especially getting enough income to not only live, but to save up and retire too.

"I feel like such a small fish in a big pond and I don't know if I have anything to say that hasn't already been said. I don't think I have anything innovative to add to the overload of info already out there."

But you might teach someone something they hadn't been taught that will change their lives!

Yeah! Honestly that's what I mainly want to do. I want to have consultations where I really help them incorporate proper nutrition/health into their way of living... I think it's just the blogging/vlogging where I give my opinion to the world that has me more scared. I might be better off sticking with more one-on-one work for that reason.

Totally. I love art, and I live to create- but it is so important to me I don't want to have to create. I am also interested in holistic nutrition, but am studying to be a social worker- helping people, and creating art are my passions, so I understand younthere. But for me, if I had to create to survive, I would burn out quickly. To me, helping others seems more sustainable.

Yeah, I think you're right. Pushing out art consistently seems more difficult than researching, motivating, educating and talking to people on a daily basis haha.

Being a nurtitionist is nice because you can have an extremely flexable schedule depending on what you do with it! so you can also have time for art! (maybe not fulltime but still enough time to do both a good amount!) art is a skill you can carry forever in your life and you will have the opportunity to pick it up whenever you please~

Yes exactly! I think pursuing nutrition is really the best way to get the best of both worlds. :)

I think that no matter how you tackle it you can do both these things not neglecting neither one. As you said You can teach people how to eat healthy and how to draw. I think drawing tutorials can be done with passion and care and doesn't have to be too frequent because people have to practice practice practice what's in them anyway.

"Embarrassed about furry art" I don't know how to respond to that. It's art, just a different kind of wine. Your art is beautiful and you shouldn't be embarrassed about it.

I Hope you will be happy with your life where ever it will get you

Aw, thanks so much! I'll probably pursue nutrition and just make a youtube channel and stuff for drawing on the side so I really can get the best of both worlds. <3 Appreciate the feedback!

Whoever said:"you can't have everything" has just been proven wrong. Great job!

One thing I will say is I feel one artist con doesn't have to be true. The one I'm referring to is changing the world with art. I think your art CAN change someone's life. I look at your art and many others and strive to reach that level. So it definitely helps and I thank you for that.

Aw, thank you so much. I really appreciate that. :)

If you do go down the nutritionist road, a word of warning: There is an awful lot of bullshit in that field, as I'm sure you're aware. Please please check the accreditations of any course you do - remember that it is very hard to tell the difference between real information and pleasant-sounding nonsense when you're just a student.

I'm unclear on the legalities of this in the US, but in a lot of countries "nutritionist" is an unregulated term, which means anyone can offer a "nutritionist qualification" or call themselves a "nutritionist" even if they have more or less zero understanding of actual human biology. This is probably why you see so much competition in that field - there is zero barrier to entry even for people who know absolutely nothing about nutrition.

In Ireland and the UK, a "dietitian" is the legally-protected term, and I suspect the situation may be similar in the US. If you want to get work in hospitals or alongside doctors, you will almost certainly need a real dietitian qualification from an accredited institution.

I've looked up quite a bit about the school I'm considering. Here, each school has its own trademarked name (I would be a registered holistic nutritionist) and it seems to be to be the most common in Canada. The title is only given to graduates of my school. Dietitians are like another breed of nutritionists and I've looked into that too, but I'm far more interested in the holistic side of it as opposed to the "lab-coat" kind.

Im in the same boat, thanks for making this journal cuz its helping me too

Glad it's helping, goodluck!

Why not both?

Seriously, use art as a means to helping you achieve the nutritional portion of your passion. Nothing ever has to be one or the other, the latter gives you benefits and better pay, while doing art as a hobby can provide supplemental income which can be saved for extraneous expenses.

There is a lot you can do in Nutrition, you don't necessarily need "new" ideas to be a nutritionist or do something else with that area of interest, people pay out the wahzoo to talk to someone face to face, help them plan their new childs diet, help them make better choices and etc.

But also keep in mind that I have never been one for "alternative" practices and it is because traditional medical research has a lot to offer as well, like vaccines for one example.



Just a little aside: "There have been several published scientific studies that dispute the efficacy, beyond the placebo effect, of (alternative) holistic medicine in treating any known disease. The American Cancer Society recommends that if holistic medicine is to be used at all, it should be used only in conjunction with conventional medicine and not as a replacement" But this is medicine, not necessarily nutrition.

I would like to try and approach it in a unique manner somehow. It's easy with art because every artist has their own technique, but while there's some differing opinions in nutrition, the information is a lot more straight forward.

Good nutrition is most effectively used as a preventative measure, but that being said it definitely does have its healing properties. It only makes sense that giving your body the proper fuel would allow it to run properly and enhance the healing process found naturally already in the body. I don't shun conventional medicine by any means but I do think proper nutrition goes a long way in treating most illnesses. Have a look into Gerson Therapy, it's pretty interesting.

Well it depends on the illness, if it is virus, there is not much you can do then try to keep your body hydrated and eating as well as you can. If it is bacterial, sometimes it will go away on its own and sometimes it won't, in any case if it has been more than I think 7-10 days and nothing has improved, one definitely needs to see the doctor.

I also did some research on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Gerson
Just to get an over view, and there are definitely problems with it, even before I read the bottom concerns, and not surprisingly those were all concerns that were coming to mind. Thank you Biology Degree.
[Yes being vegetarian can cause a lot of problem if one is not taking supplements to get all the needed minerals and vitamins. Also consider that there are proteins in meat that your body needs that it does not get from vegetables. It is not just protein amount, but the types of protein. Animals protein is not plant protein.]

In the end it is ultimately your choice, but I think there is the ability to do and achieve both.

Being an artist has a lot of downsides, but I'd rather be creative and draw day in day out than spend my days doing a monotonous job. Unfortunately, the world isn't kind to this kind of work. I've spent months trying to get commissions and I've only gotten 2 so far. I'm sure I'll get more as I go, but the amount of work, art and not, is a lot to handle. I've reached a point where I have to do a monotonous job because I'm getting absolutely nothing for the amount of work I put into my art.

Monotonous jobs are okay to keep you stable temporarily. Where you're not solely relying on commission-work right now it might benefit you to really study HARD and improve as efficiently as possible (making kind of a 'class' schedule always helped me) and then invest in a little marketing. The FA monthly ad did wonders for me, so I'd really recommend that. Join tumblr/other social media and stuff like that will help too. You seem passionate enough so I'm sure if you work hard it'll just be a matter of time before you get there. :)

Thanks I'll check them out.

They're not mutually exclusive, you can be both.

Also, I and many would disagree that art doesn't change peoples' lives, even if it's just "furry art" or even nsfw art.

I don't know why people are embarrassed all the time about the things they're into. If you hadn't noticed, it doesn't matter what someone's professions or interests are, someone is going to shit on them. Everybody keeps stuff hidden in their closet.

People always act like "normal people" aren't into this kind of stuff. Spoiler alert: if you're into comics, video games, film, music, what have you, there are plenty of people out there who are into some pretty strange shit. I know some very popular individuals in those realms that are into not only furry art but some even more crazy stuff. Just because they don't actively talk about it doesn't mean they're not into it.

So don't be embarrassed.

I guess it could if it inspired someone to draw, but otherwise I don't know what kind of revelation someone would have looking at furry smut unfortunately.
I have nothing against furry art (obviously) and I respect the artists who do it, but personally I just don't feel like it represents me where I don't actually consider myself a furry. That being said I never intend to completely stop because I DO enjoy it and I love that people are supportive enough to commission me, but the time I have available if I take on a job in nutrition could be used to make some art that I feel might represent me a little better.

I'd say why not both? xD

The nutritional way would be a good sort of "main job". I'm not sure what you do now for a job, but if this involves leaving that and going for the nutritionist, it'd probably be better to start getting some schooling first. That way you would see what it really involves and decide if this is something that you want to go full force with. It may be totally different once you get into it than what you expected. I would suggest talking to local nutritionists and getting some connections. People will go more for those who talk more "real" than a doctor who spews just what they want to hear.

As for art, you can always work on art. I think your list including that it doesn't help people is wrong, I've seen a billion times where art has truly helped someone. It's on an emotional level, which is just as if not more important than physical. If you decide to go on with the nutrition path, you don't have to stop your art. It's not a choice of "Okay, if I do this, I can no longer do that".

So my advice is try nutrition out, talk to some people and look around to see what it's like. If you really like what you see, then get into it and go for it. There's no reason to have to throw art out the window, so you can have both ;]

I'm a fulltime artist currently, so I'd probably continue working as much as possible through school. Although it'll be really hard to make any kind of decent money with all my time dedicated to studies. x__x
I don't really feel like my art is impactful where it's as shallow as it is. Primarily commission-work and otherwise depicting sensuality (which there is nothing wrong with, I just don't think it would be as inspiring as more personal/soulful work)

I really don't intend to STOP art all together... it's just if I were to pursue art I would be willing to put in multiple hours every day to studying, so with art being a secondary hobby I'd just have to resort to improving at a much slower pace. I've just got a hard time balancing passions as I'm very 'all or nothing'.

Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it! :) I emailed a couple nutritionists so hopefully their feedback is eyeopening.

Hmm well. I'm a full time artist and wish to continue this job. No other thoughts. SO yeah. xD

Why do you have to choose? Also, everyone can always add something new to the world. You don't have to view it as a competition. And honestly I personally think the world could do with more good nutritionists. Maybe you can find a way to blend art and nutrition. :3

I'd also recommend this short little book I found on amazon called "The Art of Being Unmistakable." It has a lot of good advice about following your passions. ^-^

goodness if I could find a way to blend them both I would be soo happy. I'll have to think about how I can do that.
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out!

What I'm currently doing is going to school for economics and also building my name as an artist in the furry community. There are many ways to monetize and make a healthy living as an artist (prints, t-shirts, comics, drawing digital graphics and selling them on website-builder sites, etc, etc), but economics is a passion of mine, as well. I'm doing both, while I'm in school (I still have roughly three years left), and should I end up deciding to go the art route, I'll already have things set up for me. If I decide to go the economics route I'll have a large fanbase to help me push through to my master's (which I need to really do anything substantial as an economist).

This said, the amount you help people is up to you as an artist. Plenty of artists do things like tutorials and the like, or you could even host your own support site with tutorials and instructionals on art like http://www.drawing-tutorials-online.com/ and do videos on all sorts of things, from anatomy to furries and ferals in particular, etc. Obviously it's not the same sort of help as a nutritionist, but to say that you lack to ability to make a substantial positive impact would be remiss.

Obviously the biggest thing is the fact that you'd be freelancing and yes, you'd be providing for yourself. https://motivapp.com/freelance-hour.....ate-calculator Is a useful tool that helps you get a rough estimate of what you want to live like and how much you'd have to charge on an hourly basis (obviously this would be in the case of "well it takes me one hour to complete a sketch/colored piece/etc, so I need to charge this much, plus a little extra to cover times with fewer commissions, should those occur" (though that will be less of a point as your fanbase grows, though simultaneously it'll be important to think of the time you dedicate to supplementary income projects as work time.)) Be honest on it, you might actually be surprised with the projected income. I took 30 days off, a year, 14 sick days (even though I never get sick), overestimated on a lot of expenses (I don't spend 30 dollars a day) and even put in my rent/mortgage as a rough estimate as the mortgage I'd be paying on a 500,000 USD home on -top- of the 15,000 I'd be pocketing in profit a year and still came out with less than 50 an hour and these are assuming that I have a 500k house that I'm not renting rooms in, or that I'm single (to which you can estimate how much you'd need to make with a partner (or roommates) by cutting rent/mortgage in half and doubling your daily expenses for food (even though this isn't accurate, because it's assuming your partner/roommate only makes enough to cover half of rent, alone) and you'll see that number drop down further.

Supplementary income is huge for freelancers, which is why it's very valuable to produce something you can sell, whether it's prints of exotic animals, character templates like waitress, brush packs like onta, or bookmarks or whathaveyou.

To see an example of why this is important, use the calculator I linked above and subtract 500 from rent alone and let's assume it's just supplementary revenue coming in. This can be in the form of things to sell (a plus), or this can even be in the form of a patreon, which I still wholeheartedly urge you to try out, if only to see just how many people would pay to see what you do on the side or tutorials or even a personal project like a comic or maybe even something else you could sell, like Vagabondbastard does. Being funded by other people to literally make something else to make money off of. Etc.

Now, as always, I think you should do what makes you happy (and draw pictures for me), but I don't now much about being a nutritionist, in particular. I do know that the more I've examined it, getting into art can be hard at first, for sure, but I think it gets easier as you continue on in the field and your name grows. It's not like you only have to draw furries, too. Look at Doxy/Onta, for example.

Anyway, I got distracted: I'm not trying to push art on you, despite the paragraphs talking about how feasible it is. It's not easy. Art is very competitive, same as anything else. But it's what I'm more familiar about rather than the pros and cons of being a nutritionist.

Additionally, you probably will need to be more outgoing (at least in marketing yourself and possibly attending a con or two) to be successful as an artist, as well, just to add to your list of cons, there. :P

-Hope this helps

Thanks so much ahhh. This was really helpful. I definitely need to think of some alternatives to making money in the art field and take sickness/emergencies into account. I really appreciate it!!

Yeah man, any time. I actually recently started reading up more on freelancing in general, not just in the furry community and there's a lot of opportunities man. This is a talent you've taken a loooot of time to hone. Might as well see what you can use it for.

I'm like the most long-winded, opinionated man on earth.

If you don't think you can make it as a pure artist on commissions, then stick with a job and keep art as a hobby and passion.