What's the difference between artists who succeed and those who don't?

The greatest artists are simply the ones who never stopped. That’s the only difference between them and everyone else. It’s not necessarily more talent or better circumstances—it’s persistence through the bombing, through the quiet periods, through the years of building. If you look at successful comedians, many spent five, ten, or even fifteen years grinding before their breakthrough. Louis CK was stuck for fifteen years before he changed his approach. The artists you know who are famous all went through the same progression: open mic nights, small venues, building a following, then major success. None skipped the hard work phase. Your job is to keep going, keep testing, keep refining, and not give up when things don’t immediately work.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2026-02-19