It's NOT easy.

I was reading Elsie's blog today on the struggles of being an artist.  Check it out {here.}  I want to share my response to Elsie regarding my pursuit of an unorthodox path.

I totally get it. My husband and I
are both artists living in Los Angeles. It's such an expensive city.
And nothing is easy here. Even something seemingly simple like parking
is such a struggle. Parking tickets, towing, paying to park at the
library, restaurants, shopping. It's ridiculous. 



I'm an actress, and I've been nose to the grind stone for years. I
remember when I was in college one of my acting teachers told us to look
to the left, then look to the right. He said, "Less than half of those
people will be pursuing acting within four years." I thought, "Not us.
We love what we do, and we are focused and committed." But, six years
later, most of the people in my graduating class are no longer pursuing
acting. 



Because being an artist is hard. It means sacrifices of time and
comfort. It means very little recognition. It means day jobs. It means
having barely enough money to get by. It means that my paycheck is
often imaginary. It means never EVER retreating. Even when it would be
so much easier to have a 401k, 9-5 job. 



We are artists because it's a visceral need within us. A desire that
cannot be hushed or denied. I get it. I get it so much I could cry.
But I take comfort in the small benchmarks that keep me sustained as I
go. Because I would be miserable pretending to do anything else but
actively pursuing what I live, and love to do. 



Ashley