legitimate work worthy of compensation?

I've been wondering lately how I'm going to manage through January & February while I'm laid off from the Whale Museum. I will have no income and as I have been living paycheck to paycheck that means (barring miracles which I am actively encouraging) no money. I really do not want to scrounge around for servant work. I already hate the rich. If I have to pick up their used dental floss from their hairy bathroom floors just to maintain my current level of poverty I fear my resentment will impair me as a human being with a soul.

I decided to surf the internet for artist's grants with full knowledge that even if I found one it is too late to help me through this winter. I didn't find much except I did find some data to support my theory that artists get no respect in terms of work. This from a survey taken by United States Artists.

Lee Krasner ~ Self-Portrait ~ Oil on Canvas

"In a survey of attitudes toward artists in the US a vast majority of Americans, 96%, said they were greatly inspired by various kinds of art and highly value art in their lives and communities. But the data suggests a strange paradox.

While Americans value art, the end product, they do not value what artists do. Only 27% of respondents believe that artists contribute "a lot" to the good of society.

Further interview data from the study reflects a strong sentiment in the cultural community that society does not value art making as legitimate work worthy of compensation. Many perceive the making of art as a frivolous or recreational pursuit."