First of all, welcome to Steemit :)
I find truth in your story, and somehow I find a bit of my own thoughts there too. I've also been an artist since little, and was encouraged to keep creating, until I left my homecountry and had to support myself. I had an exhibition, tried connecting with other artists, went to most of the galleries around the city, but ended up not having any money, so I had to pick a better paid area of expertise. I haven't really been drawing and finishing up a sketch or painting in several years, and I really miss it. Many times I said that I'll find some free time to start sketching, but never really got to do it. Maybe reading your post will give me one more push towards artistic happiness :)
One advice: Don't keep drawing because of some fear that you'll end up loosing your heart (like you dad). Keep drawing because it benefits you, and because you love art. It also doesn't do you well to compare yourself with other [unhappy, unfulfilled] artists. Instead, compare yourself with successfull ones, much much better than you, so you can become better as well :)
Thanks for your kind words. And you make beautiful work, by the way :)
And you're right on the spot on the advice. The only thing worth fearing is abandoning one's heart, no matter how shiny the reason.
Even though making art is a necessity for some (me included), it was never meant to be a substitute for finding one's center (which I've tried to do for many years).
That's what I've found, and it also dissolved any need for comparing myself to anyone else. And I'm glad you've found that out too!