Ask YC: Should I quit programming to pursue the arts?

I'm currently a student in Boston who is about to graduate from a business school, however i'm a self-taught programmer. I've taken a job as a developer for a start-up in Waltham after college, and it's a really good gig, but i don't think i'm going to be happy in the long run and here's why:

Last week i was at the Blue Man Group show, and a thought came to me that these guys on stage were probably making about as much as I will once I graduate, but (to me) they're having so much fun doing it (throwing paint around, making people laugh, and whatnot). Then it occurred to me that since i've been going to business school and programming, i've practically lost all touch with my artistic side (I used to paint, draw, act, etc..) and that I really regret it.

I've come to the conclusion that i don't want to spend the rest of my life in front of a computer and what will make really happy will be to pursue my passion in arts and entertainment. However i don't want to give up my bread and butter (programming) because I consider myself to be decent at it and it will pay the rent.

Is there some way I can have my cake and eat it too? And if i do, how do i break the news to my parents? (they are super conservative and expected me to become a doctor, lawyer, or something along those veins).

PG how did you manage to fit it all in your life without losing grasp of either one?

What i mean is to get back on the stage and pursue acting, or start painting seriously and try and get my work in a gallery. In the end, I enjoy entertaining people and creating things (which is why I got into programming in the first place).

My main concern is my loss creativity over the past couple of years due to my career path - and somehow i'm looking for a way to regain that and make it my primary passion in life.

A violinist I know once gave me the following advice: "If you love music, find yourself a job which doesn't involve playing music. If you become a professional musician, you'll find that you have to take every gig which comes along, just to make ends meet; you'll find yourself saying 'dear god, not Beethoven's fifth symphony AGAIN'; and ultimately you'll end up not loving music any more."

I figure that doing a startup is an ideal solution: It "solves the money problem" (as PG puts it), after which point you'll have the liberty to engage in the arts -- without ever being in the position where it becomes a job which you're forced into doing every day because otherwise you'll starve.

You should definitely pursue what you love most, but by being practical you can avoid a lot of the obstacles that are bound to pop up when you take up this pursuit. I think you should stick with the programming, get a day job as a programmer, and try to pursue the arts (acting, painting, sculpting, whatever you like most) in your spare time. Maybe join a part time theater group or make paintings in your spare time and show them off on the Web or elsewhere.

By taking this route you make sure you have enough to pay the bills. Then maybe some day you'll make enough from your artistic pursuits to quit your day job and pursue the secondary career full time. At that point it'd probably be much easier to break it to your parents.

And I don't think you should make any impulsive moves, because what you love today, you might get bored with in a few years. Who knows, maybe in 5 years you'll love programming more, or you'll develop a taste for architecture, or you'll want to be a doctor. Or you may end up being a career artist. In any event you should follow your dreams... but minimize risk as much as possible by using a practical strategy.

Any possibility of a crossover career? Something where the medium of composition is the computer? Something along the lines of computer animation, computer-generated music, etc. Also, web design involves a lot of aesthetic design skill including background art, typography, etc.