You aren’t being taken for granted. In fact supervisors see you as the jewel in their crown. It just takes a while to find the right setting.
You wonder if intimates are right to say that you’re being self-absorbed. Unlikely. Don’t accept a label like that from people who expect you to be at their beck-and-call.
Save your breath. The reason your ideas keep getting shot down is because people don’t know what they want. Give them time to sort things out.
Somewhere along the way you stopped talking to loved ones and began talking at them instead. You need to reverse the trend.
You’re a stone’s throw away from fulfilling an obligation, so don’t give up. Think of how happy you’ll feel to put the whole thing behind you.
Where does it say you can’t make money being arty? Give it a try. You’ve kept a natural talent under wraps for too long.
