Living in the Question Mark (?)

I never expect my fellow Instagrammers to read or positively receive my work, but if any are so inclined to read a blurb at this moment, I welcome your discourse. Today was mentally challenging for me as I navigated such depths of the unknown. Numbing. I call this reality living in or within the question mark. Through the haze and discomfort of the storm, releasing my purpose from the mental chains of uncertainty, I am reminded of my hero, James Baldwin's words regarding an artist's purpose. "The precise role of the artist, then, is to illuminate that darkness, blaze roads through that vast forest, so that we will not, in all our doing, lose sight of its purpose, which is, after all, to make the world a more human dwelling place."

Perhaps therein lies the spiritual tug I am feeling, which, against my decision, disallows me to lead a life without the juxtaposition of financially fueling my purpose by maintaining fortitude through labor in which I am unskilled

-or, should I say, less skilled. Baldwin states that it is not the artist who chooses a life of creativity, often revered only after one's passing, but it is the art that chooses the person to express it. Art begets delight in the unknown, by his standards, no? I suppose it is an artist's prerogative to receive such an undertaking, but answer me this: is life without art worth living? Art can not be separated from the artist's spiritual fabric, and because of such a truth, it is the artist's propensity to create that which surpasses all understanding and practicality. So, what now? Each path requires the artist's cross to bear; the road less traveled is the only option available, as each path is unique to the individual. Still, I question, though much of the path conceals nuggets of gold in the unknown darkness, Is sublime the Illumination, the Savior from darkness?