1.) Not that hard. You harvest things like roots, rocks, and trees from "nodes" in adventure zones. Nodes are all over the place, and easy to spot. Your cursor will turn into a hand when you put it over a node, and then you click on it to harvest. You build harvesting skills just like any other skills, and as they get better, you will be able to harvest in the higher level zones (to make higher level items). Most other items are store bought, like fuel.
2.) The thing about being an artisan is that from artisan level 1-9, you can make everything there is to make. So can anyone else in those levels. (Every time you reach a new artisan level, you can buy a new book with more recipes.) So while there are a few things that sell in those levels (like the level 5 elm strong box), you'll have an easier time making money once you reach level 10, when you become more specialized. Also, when you reach level 10, you'll get a new set of crafting buffs which will make it far easier to craft pristine items, so you might want to get to 10 before you bother with the money-making stuff.
3.) Lots of things sell well. Provisioner is one of the more common classes, but also very useful, and on my server at least, food and drink still sell nicely. My (level 16) scholar sells jewelry easily, and will be a jeweler someday (if I ever get there :). Armorers, tailors, and sages (spellmakers) also run brisk businesses. I don't know how the furniture business is atm, but the carpenters who make furniture also make strong boxes, which are in high demand. The ones I'm not as sure about are alchemists, weaponsmiths, and woodworkers. Someone else will have to tell you if their stuff sells.
Edited, Mon Jul 18 12:32:33 2005 by Lierta