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Bahahaha. I’m a 25-year-old college graduate who currently works overnight at a big box store, and still lives with her parents while trying to recover from royally screwing up her life. And ain’t I a woman?

I can’t speak for all the losers in the world, but being a loser isn’t always about lacking ambition. Sometimes, it’s about having ambitions that are too lofty, vague, unrealistic, or far off the paved trail. Effort and desire are great, but knowing precisely where the hell you’re going is even better.

If you want a high-paying career, the kind that will award you the unquestionable right to call yourself “successful,” you certainly have to work your butt off, but in many cases, much of the path to your goal is already mapped out for you. The steps toward becoming a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, etc., are very demanding, but specific and not too much of a mystery. Achieving your ambition is a matter of having the brains, and then applying yourself to one step, then the next step, then the next.

The steps to becoming a decently-paid writer/singer/composer/artist? Not so well laid-out. You just have to flail around in the dark and hope you become one by accident.

The steps to becoming a decently-paid writer/singer/composer/artist?

I don’t know those steps, but if that is what you want, why not become a paralegal or a teacher and work on your art after work? I used to work at a law firm where one paralegal just published her first mystery novel and another had made a documentary film that was nominated for an Oscar in the “short documentary” category.

Also, my husband and I were talking today about several teachers who became rock stars— Alice Cooper, Sting and Mick Jagger. I imagine that having summers off may have given them time to work on their music career.

Finally, the people who do know how to become decently paid artists are around to give advice or commiserate, at least here in LA, in writers workshops and masters’ classes and such.

Best wishes to you in your creative endeavors. And even if you don’t make a great living, I hope you always share your talent somehow.

I’ll second your step-by-step plan. After a line of duty injury in the Army I went through VA’s vocational rehabilitation for 3 years. I set a career goal and with pencil and paper wrote down the 40-some odd steps it would take to get there. I went step-by-step, never letting more than two weeks go between each step. It worked. Now, I’m in that career, in a pinnacle position. It’s time for another, more ambitious list.

Step-by-step plans work great to those with self-discipline and determination. But are these traits being taught any more or even valued in popular culture? No, they are not.

I am a female artist who discovered that the best day job was to supply something to all the other artists. It can be a product or a support service. Everyone in these fields is waiting to become a star. Meanwhile, they spend the money earned in their real-world jobs on the tools and accessories of their chosen dream field.

My experience of nearly 70 years: you need a comfortable financial cushion to survive in any of the arts. You can marry it, inherit it or earn it outside of the creative areas, but it is essential. After that, you need a group of people who also have that sort of financial security who believe in you and are willing to pay for your work. This is assuming you already have both the talent and the discipline to create something of value to others.

Cover all that, find or make the time necessary to create and actually do it. Learn how to legitimately market yourself. Toughen up to the inevitable rejections and don’t let the successes go to your head. You need to find satisfaction in the process because the achievements come and go.

Contrary to popular belief, the arts are not for the faint of heart. I disagree that it is a matter of flailing about in the dark. Learn your craft and learn it well. Part of that craft is marketing and your work product is something apart from yourself. Practice and practice and practice some more. Love your process and do not fall in love with your results. Study the success and the failures in your field. They will teach you a lot. There are steps to take and absolutely nothing happens by accident. Yes, luck or serendipity can be operative, but you need to be prepared when that moment strikes by having the work product, the work habits and the reputation that would compel someone to take that chance on you.

You are still quite young. You can do it, but it is hard work, it takes a lot of time and you need to figure out how to survive while creating and how to survive between the successes. Talent is walking the streets, which doesn’t meant you need to resort to street walking to succeed. Every music star has a band and other back up in their act. Not everyone writes their own material. Working professionals need costumes and instruments. They need light, sound, technical production, art work, photography, booking, sales, managing, marketing, professional physical presentation assistance (hair/makeup) and gofers. Physical artists need supplies, tools and presentation services (matting/framing/displays). Crafters often need to subcontract parts of their process: (dyeing, spinning, finishing, casting). Everyone needs a venue in which to perform or sell, or exhibit. Work for those who provide these needs and you will work steadily while perfecting your own product. You will also have access to supplies and services that you yourself will need, often at cost. You will learn the business from the inside.

It is not art; it is craft and it is inventory and inventory must be manufactured. Not everyone makes it. There is nothing wrong with finding a productive endeavor that is not your dream and using your spare time to practice your creativity.