[Alexandra Tyng]

I am wondering why the people answering poll # 2 do not get to answer the following questions that are asked in poll # 1:

--I received support and encouragement for my decision to pursue art as a career from friends and family.

--Now that I am a successful artist (let's assume) it is the same people that once discouraged me from pursuing art as a career that are now my biggest supporters.

--I am making a decent living as an artist.

--I rely on my spouse for the majority of my financial support.

And why do those who answered poll # 1 not get to answer the following questions in poll #2:

--I plan on going back to school to study fine art.

--I attend artist workshops.

--I think a formal education is somewhat worthless and everything I need to know to succeed can be gained by practical experience, practice, and networking with other artists.

It seems that the polls were started with certain stereotypes in mind, and they might lead to skewed results with little basis for direct comparison. (Maybe my M.S. in Ed. is starting to come in handy; we did this kind of analysis in my most boring class!) I suggest we combine these into one set of questions and rephrase the questions so they are more neutral. Then we can ask the same questions of the two groups.