Recently I witnessed an artist (not a writer) put work out to the public that I believe needed some polish. Some of my close family and I agreed that it shouldn’t have been released without being improved first. However, this artist was being cheered by intimate friends and family. I’m not positive all of these people actually like the art itself. I think many of them just want to encourage the artist.
This thought caused me to contemplate one (but certainly not the only) definition of success. Perhaps this may be helpful to you:
As an artist, you are successful when none of your friends or family must purchase your work for you to be recognized.
Is it great to have emotional support and praise from those you care most about? Of course! But when people who don’t know you except as a writer think your books are good enough to purchase or to borrow from a library to read, then this is a measure of your success as an artist.
Your turn:
What do you think of this definition?
What other definitions would you like to offer?
