A “failed” artist.

Background. I’ve always been a “creative” type since I was a child. Wanted to go into music out of high school but stage fright kind of killed that. Took a digital media course at a local community college. I was really into the film making side of that but ended up getting hired at a local radio station through that and hated it. Quit that and for a while just worked with my dad steam cleaning carpets and doing nightly cleaning at a car dealership. Around 22 got into drawing and eventually got good enough to where I started getting some decent gigs and eventually was starting to pay my rent doing that. Had some cools clients, worked on a couple indie games that never came out, had some not so good clients. Everything was going decent even if I didn’t always like the work. Then AI happened. Around that same time I got married. As AI images got better I got less and less work and I eventually got tired of scrounging for jobs and about two years ago decided to get a different job. I felt like a huge failure having to get a different job. A year into this job I had my son. Now I’m an assistant kitchen manager (nice way of saying head line cook) at a popular local bbq place. I started on prep, got promoted to smoker, got moved over to the line, then got promoted to head line cook. At first I enjoyed it but now I feel like I’m hitting a ceiling and am getting restless. I know I don’t want to be doing this forever. I’m still making art on the side just for myself but I don’t think I ever really got over the anger and frustration of what AI “took” from me. And I know I’m one of many. I used to know a lot of artist in the entertainment industry and now I know two that still work in it. I’m trying to decide what to pursue going forward. When I’m being husband and Dad I’m the happiest person alive but it’s when I’m not those things and I’m by myself or at work my mind goes to some not so great places. I’m trying to find a field that would bring me some level of fulfillment and also allow me to provide a decent life for my son. I’m almost 32 at this point. I see other people my age that went to school and have high paying steady jobs and I wonder if I went the wrong way? Rant/vent over.