Should artists be paid a living wage?

[babydollhead]

82. I am an artist. Everyday, all day, I create beauty.

I work in salvaged stained glass scrap, and have enough supplies to last me the rest of my productive life and enough to share with the community to teach, engage, and inspire.

I will only create x amount of art in my time, I am 47 and already feel how my body won't be able to haul supplies around, or stand for hours over a light table.
My art is collected and expensive.
There are large chunks of time when I am not working on a commissioned piece and this I use to keep right on creating and not trying to please a client.
In my studio I have a large body of unseen work that stacks up and then I have to put it somewhere with windows and hope the right person sees it and wants to own one.
I take payments over time, and I also work within peoples budgets. In my mind, if someone loves it, they should have it.
People are always asking me to donate art for them to auction off.
If I had money, I would donate money. I have art, so I donate my art to help different charities raise money for things I support.

It is a constant struggle, tooting my own horn, trying to sell art, wishing for something good to happen.
I do it because it how I am alive how i am human how I share my gifts and how my heart beats.

http://www.wix.com/daviea/daviea