It’s no secret that it’s hard being an artist.  What we do requires study, practice, discipline, self-sacrifice, emotional engagement – all things which are often absent from our instant-gratification-loving, technology-driven, modern, American culture.  In a time when our society seems to consume ever-increasing amounts of cheap, thoughtless entertainment, the fine arts and the artists who produce them are hardly ever given the respect or resources they deserve.  School districts all over the country have cut funding for their arts programs; local theaters, symphonies, and opera houses struggle to stay afloat; and many free-lancing professional artists face misunderstanding about or opposition to their requests to be compensated fairly for their work. Read more