I am an experimental musician and I struggle with similar issues. I have been working hard honing my craft for roughly 15 years. As a result, I have gained a moderate degree of respect within my small artistic community. I have toured most parts of the United States and have played in the Netherlands and Mexico. To this day, I am nowhere near breaking even on the investment I have made in my work. Often, when I play shows, I am paid “gas money.” However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to even pay for my transportation to and from the show. The only time I am able to get paid a reasonable wage is when I play an event that is grant funded. However, in this economy, in the United States, that is incredibly uncommon. This seems to be a problem in many fields. A friend who is an anarchist historian doing really important work preserving, and translating important texts, has the same struggles. I have not thought about these problems in the context of Etsy before. So, thank you for your insight.