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Hi Ngaire,
I think these questions have drawn a slow response mostly due to the fact that the vast majority of us (even if we have been doing this our entire lives) feel that not only have we yet to arrive, but that we've only just begun. About half or more I would say are not yet able to do this full time and many that can are struggling and are still waiting for their career to take off. What "taking off" means to one person, can mean something entirely different to another.
From my own perspective, I feel I am just beginning and have funded my art by working a full time job on the side. I don't think I've had a mentor - not all together even sure what that is - but I have taken three workshops in the last several years and those instructor's skill and insight was very inspiring to say the least (Eugene Daub, John Coleman, and Tuck Langland).
Good questions though, and maybe some here who feel they really have reached their goals will share some of their secrets to success (other than raw talent, hard work, and perserverence). I think some of your questions deal with which outside influences were important in shaping that path to success.
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