Selling out? or becoming successful?

close up of Hosta leaves in oil;
a work in progress...

Today I spent the day working on an oil painting series which I am hoping to take to a fine art publisher. When painting for this sort of market, it's important that the content appeals to the masses. The more prints sold = the more royalties you'll make. Of course this sort of income is limited since it'll take about 3,000 prints to make you $300. That's why it's also a good idea to think about a theme that is broad enough that you can continue to pump out fine art to add to the collection.
I must warn you though, there are people out there that will tell you that artists who paint for this purpose "sell out". I know because I've seen this sort of attitude in my prior studies when I was in a liberal arts program. However, I'm here to argue that without making money – you're not really in the industry are you? Money is what fuels our jobs (ANY job really). It's a reality. When art isn't a hobby, it's important to remember this. So be courageous and ignore the nay-sayers.