Comic Precariat: Give up or burn out?

When art is more of a calling than a profession, it has a lot to do with self-exploitation. How then is the rent to be paid or a family supported? Comics alone rarely provide a livelihood; mixed income streams have always been the norm. With books, only a fraction of the retail price reaches those who wrote and drew them. And the broader conditions are not getting any easier.
Is a new artistic precariat emerging here? Or has it been here for a long time? Give up or burn out – new forms of organisation can point to alternatives. What strategies might there be to improve the situation for comic creators?