If you're at the start of your creative career, it's hard to conquer self-doubt much less muse on how you'll manage success.
A new writer slaves away on his first draft until it's perfect. He's too afraid to release it into the world and face critical feedback.
An artists looks at the white blank canvas with fear and dread. She wonders how she'll ever paint today, much less ask somebody for advice on what she created.
At least writers and painters can practice alone.
Aspiring comedians have it the worst. They open themselves up to small public failures, night after night.
Before he became famous, Steve Martin spent years tours dinner clubs and restaurants testing and refining his unique surreal brand of comedy. He said,
"Everything was learned in practice, and the lonely road, with no critical eyes watching, was the place to dig up my boldest, or dumbest, ideas and put them onstage. At night, preoccupied by the success or failure of that evening’s show, I would return to my motel room and glumly watch the three TV channels sign off the air at eleven-thirty, knowing I had at least two more hours of ceiling staring to do before the adrenaline eased off and I could fall asleep."
Putting your work out into the world - whether it’s a book, album, film, app or even a comedy show - can feel like you’re walking out onto the street wearing no pants.
- How long will it take before someone notices?
- How will people you know react when they see what you’ve done?
- And isn't all this public work just a little embarrassing?
Somebody might notice. And yes, it could be a little embarrassing. But a public failure is more instructive than a private masterpiece.
The Nature of Creative Success
You can't control the nature of success. It's an ephemeral beast that Steve Martin, like many others, learnt to make peace with. He said,
“It was only until the late 80s, I kept thinking I was going to go away. But I never went away. So why am I wasting all that grief? I survived somehow by the skin of my teeth. Some of that is luck."
Yes, you might need luck. Yes, being in the right place at the right time helps. So does a margin of safety. And yes artists like Steve Martin possess an abundance of natural talent.
But for now concentrate on the one thing you have control over: the work.