I'm Nykolai, and I've been painting (digitally) for a good 6 years now. What started as a hobby is now my job, and I can't say I can complain about that.
I think painting is something I cannot really live without. I get grumpy when I can't hold a brush or Wacom pen for a while. Though give me a good book and I will refuse to even switch my PC on until I've finished reading it. So most of the time, I have to refrain from going into the book store lest I want to miss a deadline. :)