Imagine you worked your ass off writing a book or painting a piece. You spent years, countless hours, and immense effort just to see it being totally neglected by the audience or readers. And, parallelly, you see a writer who has written a generic self-help book makes thousands of sales. You think, is it worth my effort?
If you have felt like that, you are not alone. History is filled with such examples. Vincent Van Gogh, known for the Starry Night, barely sold any of his paintings while he was alive. Fernando Pessoa, the author of The Book of Disquiet, had seen any fame. Now, his book became a mainstream success. He never got to see how famous he is now.
Sometimes your work is way ahead of the time. Or, in most cases, it is not marketed enough. Whatever the reason, own it. Feel the emotions. Don’t let resentment eat you up. Your time will come. One day. Always find a way to improve yourself and your work. Try to present your thoughts as clearly and precisely as possible.
We all know comparison is a thief of joy. If you are a first-time author or creator, it is natural to compare yourself with established people in your field. Their success dampens your spirit and makes you feel you would never see the spotlight. But we should remember that we do creative things for the sake of creating, not for the sake of money and fame. They are secondary.
If they are primary, you will never be content with your work. You will mimic famous works. You will follow viral trends. You will go after controversial and shock-value content. In this process, you will lose your authentic voice. You will not produce anything of great value.
I understand why some creative people do this stuff. It’s very hard to make a name for yourself in a creative field. There won’t be such support you will get. People around you pass negative comments and belittle your work. You feel you need to prove yourself and make people shut their mouths. In desperation, you try to do what worked. But no one knows why it worked in the first place, including the creator himself.
Whether people cheer you on or not, you need to believe in yourself and the work you do. If you felt the calling, you need to focus on updating your skills. Do the work more frequently. Make it better with every draft. Learn ways to market your work and yourself. At least one person finds your work valuable. Do it for that person. Sooner or later, that person will become a hundred, a thousand, and a million.
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