The great American writer and journalist Jack London once said, "The joy is not in doing your work successfully, but in just doing it." And indeed, you can call a person happy if they have managed to monetize their own hobby. However, not everyone will actually agree with this.
For example, relatives of the user u/Honest_Cantaloupe159, the author of today's story, have always wondered why she's trying to build a business on her art, and doesn't follow the corporate career of her older sister. And recently, at the sister's wedding, this reached its apogee... However, let's take things just in order.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post is an artist and her older sister picked a corporate job and found success
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The family and the sister herself have always criticized the author for dedicating so much time to her hobby
Image credits: u/Honest_Cantaloupe159
Image credits: Godisable Jacob / Pexels (not the actual photo)
However, the woman recently started her small business of selling paintings and is very proud of it
Image credits: u/Honest_Cantaloupe159
Image credits: Jonathan Borba / Pexels (not the actual photo)
At the sister's wedding, however, the bride told the author that her job is 'not real' and is just 'a small hobby'
Image credits: u/Honest_Cantaloupe159
The author left offended, but took heat from her sister and mom soon after for allegedly 'ruining' the whole wedding
The author of our story today is a 26-year-old woman, whose sister, two years older, recently got married. According to the Original Poster (OP), her sis has always been 'type-A,' tried to succeed in everything she did, and has made a good career by the age of 28. In turn, our heroine has always been more laid-back and creative.
The woman chose not to pursue a big corporate career, and gradually developed her creative talents. She is an artist, and recently started her own small business, selling her paintings and doing commissions. However, both her fam and her older sister have always criticized the author for not choosing a 'traditional' route.
As you probably understand, running your own business is connected with lots of troubles, and the original poster honestly admits that she had to miss several family gatherings related to the upcoming wedding. But she was present at both the bridal shower and the bachelorette party - and in addition, she helped with a bunch of the DIY stuff for the wedding.
And how upset our heroine was when, upon approaching her sister with sincere congratulations, she heard in response something like: "Well, thank you! To be honest, I didn't expect that you would make it with your little hobby business!"
The author couldn't believe her ears. She tried to laugh it off, saying that it was her job, but her sister continued to insist. The bride said OP's chosen path was 'not a real job', but it was actually good that she was having fun with it.
It seemed like it wasn't a direct insult, but the older sister's words just couldn't get out of the author's head. She ended up, without saying a word to anyone, just packing her things and leaving after dinner.
However, her absence was noticed. First her sister, and then her mom, pounced on her with criticism - they say she ruined the whole wedding. As for the original poster's dad, he tried to maintain some semblance of neutrality, saying, however, that his youngest daughter, in all likelihood, overreacted. But the OP didn't think so at all - and decided to turn to netizens for advice and support.
Image credits: Liza Summer / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Well, we don’t know exactly how successful the artist’s business is, but two things are nearly certain. First, any business, especially one based on a person’s own talents, is a great thing. Second, selling your art and fulfilling orders in this area can really bring in a lot of money.
"Whether you’re a professional photographer, graphic designer by trade or an experimental artist, there are more opportunities than ever to share and sell your art online," Forbes' dedicated article claims. "Many platforms for selling your work as an independent artist online exist, from Etsy and Zazzle to Creative Market and Instagram."
According to the data collected by Statista, the sales volume in the art market worldwide by the end of 2023 was $39.4B, and the market is only growing, recovering from the COVID dwindle. However, even in a rapidly growing market, you need to put in a lot of effort for your business to be successful.
“Despite the excitement, your head’s not in the clouds. You understand the road ahead. Establishing yourself in the artist community and making a living from your work is not going to happen overnight,” the Artwork Archive's dedicated blog post aptly says. “But by no means is it impossible! It will take planning, time, effort, dedication, and a devotion to lifelong learning."
In any case, the sister's reaction seems completely inappropriate, and the vast majority of commenters on the original post also emphasized this. "It was rude to begin with, but the fact that that's how she responded to you congratulating her tells me that she was intentionally trying to be hurtful and dismissive," one of the responders wrote. “You did not overreact by leaving. Her response to you was incredibly inappropriate."
And if the original poster was counting on support from the folks online, then she received it in full. "Your sister's comment was hurtful, especially since you were there to support her on her big day. Calling your career a 'hobby' undermined the hard work and passion you've put into your art," another person added in the comments. And do you, our dear readers, also agree with this interpretation of events?
People in the comments unanimously sided with our heroine, claiming that her sister's words were completely out of line
