It's probably already been said, but Van Gogh cut of his ear and likely died from a self inflicted gun shot wound.
But that sure doesn't mean he didn't 'enjoyed' creative freedom throughout all his life...
[...],
I think that some "artsy" folks don't understand that just because they're doing great work that is inherently valuable and worthwhile doesn't mean that they should get paid money for it. This is an unfortunate reality. Just like getting a college degree doesn't entitle you to a job, doing something awesome doesn't inherently entitle you to a paycheck. Thinking otherwise is a fundamental misunderstanding of economics.
Creative freedom is something every single person on the planet should aspire to, a lawyer,
a doctor, a CEO of a major corporation, a politician... not just "some 'artsy' folks".
Maybe if more of them did our - global - juridical, healthcare, economic and political systems
could have evolved into something other than an absolutely chaotic mess.
I honestly believe that "doing great work that is inherently valuable and worthwhile" has to mean
getting somehow paid for it, maybe not with money in some cases, but receiving something in
exchange for valuable and worthwhile work is crucial in my opinion. But most importantly,
I don't misunderstand economics at all, I just think that you should be entitled to survive and live
a decent life (including having some of the small 'luxurys' you are used to by 21st century 'western standard's')
without being required to have a "paycheck".
Receiving something in exchange of any kind of 'work' it's not the same as having a "paycheck".
Just look at US, Spain, Greece or Portugal unemployment figures, for example, and tell me
we (as a whole, as a society) don't desperately need to rethink the way we conceive the notion of 'making a living'...
Clicke me! 