On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 20:23:57 -0500, wrote:

This puts me in mind of a famous story about my other profession, one that
pays slightly less than pottery: writing. Legend has it that a very
celebrated Canadian novelist, Margaret Laurence, was at a gala and was
engaged in conversation with a neurosurgeon. At a point in the conversation
he confessed that he had always wanted to write a novel and was thinking he
might do it when he retired. At which she exclaimed, "What a coincidence!
I'm planning on becoming a neurosurgeon when I retire!"

Of course, the difference is that just about anyone can write a novel
or make pottery, with minimal training. Whether the novel or pottery
is popular with the public is another matter. The neurosurgeon put
in plenty of years in training before he became certified, and now
he can have a whack at brain tumors and collect big bucks to do so.
I sure wouldn't want to see writing or pottery limited to those who
spent 8 years in training and went $100K in debt to get certified.

Let's face it, these are two different worlds. The neruosurgeon
picked a career in a field where there was an established critical
need, and he paid his dues to get there. However much effort
an artist expends in training (and I imagine it's nowhere near what
an MD expends), it's simply not a "critical need" field.

We can each pick our own chosen path. If someone really
has a craving for material success, there are paths that make
that more probable. Those who choose paths for other reasons
can't expect that the material rewards will be the same.

Another aspect is that MD training is *extremely* selective
about who gets into medical school, but once you are
accepted they make every effort to insure you are a good
doctor before turning you loose. But since anyone can
take up art, and no certification (thankfully!), there is a wider
distribution in skill levels and quality of end product.
If I pick up a novel by a brain surgeon and decide I don't like it,
it's no big deal. Not so with brain surgery by a novelist!



Bob Masta
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