A career in "X" field has a couple things going for it that making (edit: freelance) art, for instance, doesn't: 1) Stability - You can wake up and know that today, you're going to make about "Y" dollars. Tomorrow will probably be the same. 2) Upward mobility - You can reasonably expect pay increases and promotions and you gain proficiency in your field. If not, you can try moving to a different company that values your skill set more. If those things don't matter to you and you think that you have the skills required to stand out as an artist, more power to you. You'll enjoy setting your own hours, not having to deal with shitty office politics, and you can do your work just about anywhere. You might have to clean your own house until you get famous, though. Best of luck to you!