>>177316If you're employed full-time by a company that isn't completely crap, you should be able to get by with the essentials. Health insurance/medical expenses, well, don't sever your ties with your folks.
If you're purely freelance, and have the whole range of skills (networking, reliability, art skills, speed, self-discipline, etc) with a bit of luck and hard work you can do very well for yourself. On the other hand, you might want to take that crappy guaranteed part time job to be safe, and I've seen competent freelancers take crappy jobs because there is zero work on the ground. Personally, I prefer job security.
>>177314It can be a very rewarding industry, just not always in terms of money. :)