Dear everybody

Please answer these questions:
What is your art?
What role does your art play in your life?
At what point in your life did you start taking your art seriously? If you don't yet, why not?  
Feel free to elaborate as much or as little as you like on any of these.
If you prefer to answer in your own LJ, please do, but provide a link here so I don't miss it. 

Thank you.  I have a feeling I'll be posting rather a lot starting early next week sometime.