It is reported flat Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime. He often lived in poverty, but he felt the urge to paint. Now his paintings are worth millions of pounds/dollars. I suppose scarcity raises the price, now that he cannot paint any more.
But given that he could possibly have earned more money doing something other than painting, why did he paint? I guess you could also ask why I write this blog, or why does anyone do anything creative? And why some people do not.
Also, you could ask whether Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings have more value now or the moment they were painted. They have more monetary value now, but I would argue that the way they make the viewer feel has always had the same value.
The value of anything we do in life, if done with purpose and mastery, stands for itself and stands the test of time. The question is, what do you care about enough to master and share with the world?
The Fullfilment Project 