I taught sewing at the college level, had friends across the country who made their living by sewing and many who did wonderful work. Still, I was glad I could earn a living by teaching rather than commissions. There were too many things that could go wrong, no matter how skilled I was. When I did have time, I wanted to work on my own things and not have the stress of sewing for others.
An aside is that I did sew for family. When my daughter wanted me to alter her clothes, my fee was that she had to sit with me while I did it. That worked out well, but my husband took his things to a tailor out of consideration for me and respect for my time and work.
It took me a while to learn to say no, but it gave me time to make those ideas that were dancing around in my mind. For me, it was the right thing.