Abstract and conceptual painters face different demons than representational painters, but neither group has a monopoly on either authenticity or originality.
Painting is at once a form of meditation and an utter, complete personal engagement with life.
Friends often think it must be fun to be a painter... When it's going well, it's far more profound than mere fun; when it's not, it's not fun at all. In either event, painting is always deeply fulfilling.