Those "friends" don't seem like good friends to me. I don't look at art, or upvote it on steemit. It's not my interest. But your title attracted me.

You have good art skills. You can always improve them in a different style, etc. Keep working at it if its your passion, but don't expect to make lots of money if that's what you want.

Don't be an economist if it's not what you want. You can find something else. Economists don't even know how the economy works. Look into alternative media to understand more on how the economy really works.

You need to spend more time thinking about what you really want, andif you can make a living from it.

Good luck. Take care. Peace.