What does art mean to you?

What is art to you? Is it your dream, a hobby or your future or current  career?
Do you do art for money or because you love it?

I've always been asked  why didn't I go to Art School. I guess I've always thought that 'artists with diplomas' are a bunch a snobs. And that's how it is here where I live. I know the majority of people from Art Uni and I can't stand them. They mostly went to Art school just because it's hip and it sounds nice to say you are an 'artist'. Most of them don't even have talent. I kid you not. I used to teach a girl how to draw hands(I'm not good at them either...but she kept drawing characters without hands...they were always keeping their hands in their pockets or at the back). Another thing I noticed is that people who don't go to art schools turn out to be better or even more successful.  The best examples are great actors who never attended Art school or musicians who never went to Music School and they are still better.

To respond to that question I asked you...I never went to ART School because Art is my guilty pleasure. My hobby. I draw to keep my mind off grim things. I draw because I like to.

Another thing I never understood is why people look down on digital art. Traditional art is always put  above digital even if the first looks worse. All digital artists were traditional artists at first. They just wanted to try something different. Digital art is just as valuable as traditional art. In fact they go hand in hand because you can't be a digital artist if you aren't a traditional artist. We all doodle on our notebooks. And there is no button in any program that can draw by itself. Yes there is the 'undo' option. Yes there are brushes and filters and a lot of other things.
DO you know how many times I've lost all my work because my computer shut down? Or viruses that delete your files or infect them so that you have to delete them by yourself. You say traditional art is expensive. And digital isn't? Digital software cost. So do tablets and computers. So does electricity, Some say that in traditional art you paint with your hands. And as a digital artist you paint with your feet? For almost 3 years I painted with my finger on my laptop's touchpad. Does that sound easy? Another saying that bothers me is that it is said that traditionally you paint from your heart. Does that mean that digital artists are heartless ? That they do not put heart into  their work?

Both mediums are great. You shouldn't compare them if you never tried them both. And if you do you will be subjective because you will choose the one that you liked the most. It's wrong to say one is less important than the other.

The sad thing about art is that ideas and talent are not enough. You need money. You need to know people that can help you. That's why there are a lot of untrained artists that are good at what they do but never really stand out because they do not have the money and the connections to become famous. The best example I can give to describe this are starving artists. There is a park in the center of my city in which old painters try to sell their work. They are there since I was a child. The same old artists with ragged clothes that you can see even during in winter time, out in the cold with their beautiful paintings. It's a sad picture. I know.But I guess they do love art. Because they chose art over other professions.

Tell me your feelings about art. Your dreams. Anything you might want to share.