Hey, @Justin Phelps!  How are you? It’s been a while since you posted this very pertinent concern, and I’m curious to know how things have been turning out for you these past few months. Have you been able to get a clearer glance on where to go? Are you currently taking any courses? Have you been making art on your own recently? I was happy to notice you received helpful and supportive advice in the comments back when you wrote this. It’s mainly what I’d have said, too: consider, above all, what brought you into art and why you like to do it in the first place; do some research to get to know actual possibilities and which might be a better fit for you; and maintain a way to keep you financially supported, either through a day job, savings or family. By the way, you mentioned you’d been a hobby artist up to that point a few weeks before your post, but exactly what had you been doing art-related as a hobbyist? I’m asking this because the kind of art you used to do in your spare time for free and for the pure fun of it might show some clues of where your artistic passion comes from and where it could possibly be directed to as a future professional. Hope you’re doing well!

I think it's worth mentioning a few things that maybe haven't been said. It's not a foolish question. Art IS subjective, so success isn't simply dependant on skill/talent. There are many unemployed artists who are more skilled than SOME of their employed counterparts. Sometimes it comes down to knowing the right people, being in the right place at the right time, and sometimes the tides of fashion just change to a particular style/medium. Since you don't control those elements of luck beyond a point, the general advice is, a) do what interests you and b) do it well. Both those things are much harder than what most beginners think. In the normal world people can take 4 years to follow a prepaved path and become an accountant or lawyer, say. Art training is different. It takes MUCH longer than anyone (even art teachers) will admit to do the most basic things (like drawing a straight line). I'm not saying lower your expectations necessarily, since you could always get lucky even without being the most experienced (see above). Mad skillz, again, do not guarantee success, but may not be necessary perhaps because luck (big emphasis on the perhaps). If you still want skill (to increase your chances), yeah, lower your expectations or be born talented. It's not like a normal degree/field of study where it takes X courses and Y years and BAM now you are an ISO certified artist, step right this way for a job.

Ughhh... I would really suggest you keep your day job at the moment because this art thing is gonna take Years... But if you have a decent amount of living expenses saved like maybe a year or two I think you at least are at least in a good position. There's absolutely no set ways that you should start something like art. You already started, at the moment you decide you wanna do this. So why not look at yourself and ask what brings you to art in the first place? Let's say you might like to draw something, great! Then draw it! Then, you might find out oh that thing you draw isn't as good as what you expected, whats wrong? And you learn to observe and iterate on your ideas, and you find out you draw better, and you want to see if you can express more things, and so on... Basically this is how most people do drawings and paintings in the technical aspect. So you don't need to worry too much. A lot of things are in common as of what it takes to do good visual art, like the concept of shape and volume, light and shadow, perspective, composition... It may sound a bit overwhelming at first, but when you actually practice those, you will get those ideas fast. And techniques are the easy parts... the ideas are the hard ones. Welcome and good luck on your journey!

When you say "Art Field" what do you mean exactly? When it comes to art, there's a relatively large landscape when it comes to what it means to be a creative professional. Just like with any career path, I suggest doing research and thinking about what jobs you might qualify for. Job hunting can be a 9-5 job on its own, and its even more difficult if you are entering sought after fields. Here's some initial questions that might be helpful to answer: What sort of art are you interested in, and what creative fields interest you the most? Do you have any experience doing creative work as a job, and do you know if you'll enjoy the pressure? Do you have any physical concerns with your arm, wrist, or back that might make drawing for long periods of time difficult? How much stability do you need from work initially (will your family and/or partner support you as you get started)? Do you have the ability or resources to take classes and get training in specific skillsets? Do you have any local resources for networking and talking to other professionals? I find that the older I get, the easier it is to see that there are many paths into a career, and to keep an open mind about what a job can be. When I went to art school, I imagined relatively vaguely that I would enter the games industry. After school and saddled with my debt, I ended up in a career in software, and worked my skill set to moved me over to working with software for creatives. This path gave me stability, and I while I occasionally freelance, I enjoy not having to explicitly cater my art to the needs of a particular industry. There are many of these sorts of jobs out there, if you gained a professional skillset at your previous work. Galleries need office admins, print shops need technicians and so on. Researching job listings and figuring out what skills you either already have some experience in, or would enjoy leaning into is a better way to get started than having vague ideas of "being an artist." If your dream is to eventually be completely independent and solely selling your physical artwork to sustain yourself, you are looking at a tough (though not impossible) road. You can look towards small businesses owners who sell their work at cons and online, and influencers who use social media to their advantage, but know that it is unlikely to yield immediate results, and you'll need support while getting started.