I have been debating coming back to Reddit for a while now and since this is pretty fresh on my mind I decided to bite that bullet and come back fresh and new. Hello again, lol.

I(24M) have been working for myself for about two years now, I do paintings(both hard and digital) for money, each piece generally can range from 400-800 and my highest paying works can go to 1k-3k(personal highest has been 3,200, yes praise me). I do 2 commissions per week and when I’m feeling really really ambitious I can squeeze in up to four.

I make good money and I’m comfortable, even in today’s state of climate. I went to community college and got my associates and around this time my art career was taking off so I graduated and didn’t go on to university like I planned(but I’m going back next year hopefully).

So, now my issue is this, my family has always been the type of “close knit” but also sort of toxic, everyone had a say in everyone’s lives is what I mean. No one aside from my sisters supported me even leaving college let alone selling art since it’s not a ‘real job’.

Now those same family members have fell upon hard times and are asking me for 2,000 dollars to pay bills, help with mortgage, etc. They’re not asking anyone else, they’re asking me because I make more money than them, but just a month ago I was a future brokey with a fake job?

Mind you, these aren’t relatives these are my mom, my grandma, and my mom’s girlfriend, all of whom had everything in the world to say about me and my ‘not real job’. I know it’s petty but I want to know from people that don’t know me at all, would I be the AH if I didn’t give them any money?

And no these people do not have jobs themselves.