It's a fair question and I appreciate the way you asked. I chose both the arts and social services because they are meaningful to me, I'm passionate about them, and the work is aligned with my values. However these fields are among those that are undervalued, under-resourced and therefore can be highly exploitative. I have a master's degree in social work that cost tens of thousands of dollars and four years of time and energy to get. Initially I didn't take too significant of a pay cut (I worked full time in commercial theater while pursuing my degree), but my earning trajectory was lowered overall.

I believe in people's right to quality and culturally affirming health and mental health care so I have stayed in the field. It's disheartening to realize that a lot of policy makers and organizational leaders don't share those beliefs or think it's okay to exploit workers and community members in the process. I think that's what drives a lot of people from the field. In my experience, even when people can/are willing to find ways to expand income or sustain a side hustle, it feels like an ongoing gut punch to be so undervalued and like your just a cog in an oppressive machine.

Sorry if that didn't completely answer your question. tldr: it's complicated and people have all kinds of reasons