Well, my response to that answer is: “I will tell you if I ever get there…”
One thing that becomes clear with age, diminished ego, or perhaps life experience (how many of us are “old” but not wise? Insert hand-up emoji here – oh wait, I am 50 I don’t know how to insert a hand-up emoji, and heaven knows it means something that doesn’t mean my hand is up…)
For a long time, I believed that success in art would mean galleries, shows, events, sales, rinse and repeat. It kind of means that. It also means social media, admin, and lots of other stuff. More visibility, more opportunities, more validation. If you are a solopreneur artist/writer/podcaster you find yourself wearing many hats.
As an experienced businessperson I have worn those other hats throughout my career, and here is a truth – doing it all by yourself, “Making it”, is not what you think. It is damn hard, and it is very isolating. When you don’t have a community or a “company” supporting you, life gets really hard.
Success, as it turns out, is just another version of the work. The metrics change, the stakes shift, but the real challenge remains the same—showing up, doing the work, and staying true to yourself in the process.
There’s an illusion that once you achieve a certain level of external validation, all the doubts disappear. That’s not true. The people who were worried about money at the start of their careers are still worried about money even when they’re making it. The ones who struggled with imposter syndrome still question their place in the room, even after years of experience. The hunger to create doesn’t go away—it just moves the goalposts.
That’s why Death of an Artist isn’t about an ending. It’s about redefining success on my terms.
I’ve spent years balancing art and business, knowing that creative work exists in both worlds. I understand now that success isn’t about arriving—it’s about sustaining. It’s about making the work I want to make, in a way that allows me to keep making it.
That’s why I built Two River Creative—because artists, writers, and podcasters need more than just talent. They need infrastructure, support, and sustainable business models that allow them to thrive. They need a system that values their work as something more than a side project or a passion.
So, if you’re waiting for success to make things easier, I’ll tell you what I wish someone told me earlier: there is no arrival point. You don’t reach the top of the mountain and finally relax. The climb just changes. The challenge evolves.
The real question isn’t about making it. It’s about making something that lasts.
What does success mean to you?
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