My dad used to say this about the people who founded Fruitlands: they thought they could work the land by day and then create literature by night, but it turned out the job of farming was so all consuming and crushing that they quickly realized they were either going to fail at farming or never write.

I believe both parts of that story. I remember visiting the Fruitlands Museum in elementary school, but I don't remember learning much about the commune except that it was extremely short-lived. I take it they failed at farming?

It's enraging. I'd like everyone to have patrons or grants or whatever--except no: people shouldn't be dependent on others' largess. What I'd really like is for ALL PEOPLE IN SOCIETY to be able to meet their needs without having the process totally destroy them.

I like your utopia and wish to subscribe to it.