In the previous post I suggested that you create your own definition of success, but if by success we mean getting published or finding an audience for your creative outlet, especially a paying audience, how long does it take?
2. COMMERCIAL SUCCESS CAN TAKE ONE YEAR OR ONE HUNDRED YEARS
J. K. Rowling got there fast.
Van Gogh didn’t.
Even finding one hundred passionate followers can take time.
Don’t define the journey only by the outcome. Also consider what you are learning about your craft, about yourself, and about the world.
You can't force yourself not to think about commercial success, but by looking at the process in a larger context you can stop yourself from obsessing about it. And, as we know, often it's when you're no longer desperate for something that it appears.
(My book, Creativity Now, can help you develop a mindset that favors creativity, show you methods for generating more ideas, give you tools for translating your ideas into action, and inspire you with case studies of how others have achieved their creative goals. It's published by Pearson and available from Amazon or your other favorite book seller.)
