When you are an artist, especially in university and the early years, you get a lot of constructive criticism about your work that can be hard to take. You believe in yourself, but the skills are not there. Many times the people in your lives have not been to art school nor have been exposed to the eccentric tastes of that culture that your work has taken on. Naturally, they express perplexion about your art, which can make any student wonder if they have taken the right path.
Shows also may provide discouragement if they are not well attended.
After a while though, you hear repeating comments of every type, and your skin becomes more thick. An artist reaches a point where they know they want to continue doing it even if they are not good at it.
They choose the lifestyle and work routines as things that are strongly appealing, no matter how they personally are received.
To be an artist, you will probably have to work full time somewhere, run your home, be a family member and a spouse, make your art, and promote it. You can realistically expect to have about an hour a day downtime a week, plus perhaps an evening a week to do something else for a break as well. Most holiday breaks are when my new large projects are created, so when I go back to work and hear everyone's stories of camping and reunions, I feel sort of embarrassed that I stayed indoors by myself doing something quite self-centered.
This can be hard for the family, too, who may have wanted you to do something with them.