a 'successful' artist

[Andrea]

Sounds like a vicious circle for those whose parents have not shown the right path from the start, or at least it must be very trying to the patience.
They say it takes at least 10 000 hours practice to develop a top skill even if you have a basic talent. That means approximately 6 years of training as a full time job.
But I guess you have to pay the bills during the time, so lets say you´re working with your art only on Sundays, which means you need to practice for at least 25 years before you even close to being able to live on it.

I guess I have some years left before I catch up