Vanity, vanity, all is vanity

Going through my inbox reveals a variety of artists who promote themselves because they have deep pockets, whether it be a top level advert in an arts website or a self-funded show. Any curatorial sense or talent goes straight out of the window. Its sickening when there are very talented people out there who CANT hire (for example), the Brick Lane Gallery for thousands of pounds for a vanity project, or give a website a big fat fee to have their pathetic painting e-mailed to everyone by Absolutearts (just streaks of blue oil paint that I have done myself and so has everyone else at some point), paying big membership fees to arts organisations and clubs and websites to get top viewing or pay entry fees for competitions while the rest of us are forced to live in the shadows simply because we dont have a rich daddy or a trust fund to help subsidise our hobby! True artists will get ignored while self-important hobby artists who have not scrimped and saved to put themselves through training and pay for materials get all the glory and exposure.
Right now I am using the last of my savings paying for a studio because I cant work in my house any more, its a necessity not a luxury, and I am splitting the rent with other artists. My community arts projects have had their funding cut so I am getting no paid work at the moment and therefore cant fund any shows or attempt any expensive work. Right now I'm having to ask my husband to buy me a roll of canvas.
I'm not failing to be successful because I'm no good at what I do (although I admit I have a lot of developing to do), but because I dont have unlimited supplies of cash to bolster my ego and my prescence...

Watered down ambition

Just on the offchance, I entered some of my urban watercolours for a couple of comps. Now, I dont usually do competitions, because I strongly feel they do little to encourage innovation, usually artists just produce things they think will appeal to the judges. I also dont have a huge amount of self-confidence or influential friends.
Anyway, in the first instance, art competitions being bland and uninspiring, I was right. My work did not get selected for the Royal Watercolour Society shortlist. On the shortlist was a predictable amount of flowers, landscapes, and abstract "autobiographical" scrawls. One or two interesting portaits. Certainly nothing to rock the establishment! What did I expect?
A show that gave me a slightly more positive reaction, at least to start with, was "Pumped Up Kicks" by the Young Curators in Leeds. They were very enthusiastic when I sent them some jpegs, saying it was just what they were looking for, and would let me know. This was some weeks ago, then yesterday I got another e-mail saying they were overwhelmed with work and mine didn't fit in. "Didn't fit in". Story of my life!
I bet the work there is pretty predictable too.. let me see, grainy photographs of yoof in streets, some tag graffiti.. I'll have a look online but I bet it will all look like a First Year BA show.
I dont mean to be bitter and twisted, in fact I'm quite chirpy today, but it all gets so tedious when you try to get in there with something a bit different that you believe in and worked hard with.