A little help, please

I have a very hard time asking for help.  Beneath my seemingly reserved exterior, I am fiercely independent.   I'm driven by the desire to do everything myself.  But now I realize that I have no other choice than to ask for help.  I got this studio in a leap of faith, on a wing an a prayer, and I am hoping that prayer will be answered.  It's getting hard to juggle the cost of having a studio and having so many other bills to pay at the same time.  The studio has paid for itself in that it's given me a chance to participate in a wonderful community of artists, though that has not yet translated into a reliable source of revenue for me.

Though I have promoted my art extensively online, so far this years sales have been a disappointment.  My goal was to sell one large painting a month, but so far that hasn't happened.  I've had a lot of items featured in Etsy treasuries, but no one has bought them.  The economy has made things pretty difficult. 

I have tried to diversify by offering tutoring and advertising my design services and my writing services, but so far all that has done has cost me money as I print brochures people have picked up but never acted upon.  I have cut back drastically on my spending as a sacrifice for my art.  I drive less, don't go shopping, have foregone dental appointments, and have cut back on groceries.  It's gotten to the point where I am practically a freegan.  I've done all I can to keep this studio.  All, that is, but ask for help.

If any of you are looking for a concrete way to directly support the arts by giving to an individual artist, I would greatly appreciate whatever donation you can spare. It gets expensive being an artist.  I want to continue to have a space where I can produce and store my art.  I want to enter as many shows as possible, and many of them charge entry fees.  I want to keep sharing my artistic vision with the world.  The greatest hurdle and barrier to entry I have faced has been monetary.  Sadly, this has been the case for many artists, particularly once sponsorship and patronage fell out of favor.  What I really need right now is sponsorship for my art from those who appreciate it. 

Thanks so much for your support.