Newspaper discovers the not-so-rare starving artist

In case there were ever any doubt, Australia's Townsville Bulletin confirms there is, indeed, such a creature as "the starving artist."

As proof, the newspaper points to a 2003 report on the country's artist incomes, which found that half of the 1,063 professional arists surveyed earned less than $7,300 a year (I'm presuming that's Australian dollars, which is about $5,500 U.S.).

The article briefly shifts focus to Australian artist Queenie Chan (Tokyopop's The Dreaming), who's found work, and some degree of financial security, thanks to the Internet.

"I got my job because of a computer and a fast cable modem connection -- I upload my finished pages directly to the Tokyopop servers, whereas something like that would have been unthinkable five years ago,'' she told the Bulletin. "Back then, if you wanted to work for an American company, you had to either mail your work, or move to the U.S."