There are two imperative things I believe any artist needs to be happy and that is the ability to create and the opportunity to create that which the artist desires to create.

I am a happy and successful artist because I gave myself those two things every chance I could however it was through hard work and sacrifice.

I desired to create one of a kind works of art however to afford be a full time artist I welded and sold hundreds of mass produced works of art. It was the massed produced art that afforded me the luxury of creating the one of a kind pieces. The steady income from my massed produced work allowed me to place higher prices on my one of a kind pieces. Each time a one of a kind piece sold I pushed my prices higher and higher. The more I earned and saved the more time I could afford to create the one of a kind pieces. The higher I pushed my prices the more my art was valued in the marketplace and collectors showed up purchasing one of a kind works of art again and again.