THAT'S EXACTLY IT ! For years (and still am) a hobbyist photographer. Everyone was telling me, make it your job! You're so good at it... So I did! About 3 years later I had a growing business, lots of clients and a lot of work I was very proud of.... BUT IT BECAME A PRODUCT. It was no longer art to me... so I went back to "the rail yard".
This was the essence of the Outlaw Country Music Movement. It was not about the "acting like a badass, " drinking, and raising hell. It was about having artistic control within the studio, and not complying with the corporate blue suits of the recording industry. Guys like Cash, Waylon, Willie, Merle, Kristofferson. They wanted creative control. For example, Waylon had gotten tired of the Nashville establishment force feeding the same old themes, and he was about giving young and relatively unknown songwriters a chance, with the recording of their music. A lot of Jennings' songs were written by some of these guys, like Kris, Mickey Newbury, etc. Willie was having success his first few years in Nashville, but really exploded when he returned to Austin, with more control of the final product. Hence, "The Red-Headed Stranger" album was a huge success.
Nah, leave that murderer out of the spotlight. Only Americans could think it's a good idea to present a murderer as someone who should be taken seriously or be respected at all.
Never knew he worked as a yardmaster on the railroad..... much respect for that. I spent plenty of time working for the railroad and that job is one i wouldn't ever touch with a ten foot pole.
Money becomes the bottom line, of everything. As an artist said before, anyone who sells their art for a profit has sold out and is "commercial". There are only varying degrees of it.