> Things are only worth what people are willing to pay for them.

This is just not true. Some of history's greatest artists were commercial failures in their lifetimes, often living very hard lives, only popular after their deaths.

Of course nobody wants to be a financial failure in their own life and an artistic success after they die. They want both financial and artistic success while they're still alive.

I don't think that everyone should be entitled to a good living just because they want to make art - after all, most of it is going to be crap and peoples' talents are often better utilized elsewhere - but I'm just saying that I don't think someone is a fool or a bad artist just because they're struggling to stay out of poverty. It's hard to judge that kind of thing.