Art as a medicine
I remember Jodorowski saying no true art is made with the expectation of making a profit.
He also said all true art is a medicine, and must help heal society...
Of course, he does make a living through his art, and so one might say that he has a privileged possition from which to make such pronouncements. He could make a lot more in films than in comics, but he would too often have to compromise the healing quality of his work, something he isn't prepared to do. For that he has my respect. That said he did manage to make a few healing films, and I highly recommend watching them.
What can we learn from Jodorowsky? When we create our art, we should focus on the healing quality it can bring. This may be targetted healing at a particular audience. Not everyone has to get it. One persons medicine is anothers poison. If we focus on making money from our art, we destroy it before we even start. And we will probably fail to make the money anyway. Focus on the healing, and one day the financial reward may come and surprise us when we least expect it.
When I attended the School of Visual Arts back in the 80s, an art critic/professor - Donald Kuspit said that Art is meant to be shamanic - and that the pursuit of money was killing art -back then... I agree. My art sells a little, but I do it to heal myself of the pains of this world we live in- and I am prolific because I am in constant pain...