Being a successful author is something that so many writers desire. What separates the greats from the rest? What do genuinely successful authors have that the vast majority do not?
I know there is an audience for every kind of author, just like there is for every artist. That’s the point. We are all different. We each like what we like, and honestly, there will always be some books, authors, artists, and artists that we simply do not care for. It’s not an insult, but rather that humans have different tastes in what we like to see and read.
Never let that discourage you from writing or creating your work. Your work is your work. You bring your own unique vision and passion to it. You bring it to life in your world, and if you stick with it, there is still an excellent chance that you will also bring it alive in your audience’s world. You will find your fan base. You will find those who understand your vision and exactly what message you were trying to convey. You will find an audience inspired by your work, which is lovely.
I love literature and art. It’s a passion that I hold close to my heart. I love seeing young people rise to the top and learn from those who have already paid their dues in their craft. It is still very possible to achieve success in the art world. A passionate community still cares about words on pages and art on walls.
They care so much that they have conversations with their families and friends about the great books they have read and the talented artists they admire. They learn the names of their favorite authors and will remember them for decades. Dr. Seuss, for so many, instantly takes them back to a childhood full of imagination and endless possibilities. Dr. Seuss taught us to care about trees and that we can truly achieve if only we believe in ourselves. For many, he is the start of a very long love affair with reading and the literature world.
Sometimes it seems like our favorite authors and artists lived some of the most tragic lives, while other times, they are very similar to our own. Sometimes our own level of tragedy inspires us to seek the art world. To put to paper or canvas what is bubbling up inside of us. We put the blood, the hurtful words, the insecurity, the loneliness, and other torments we are trapped in into our work. It’s our release. Our pressure valve lets just enough to escape without damaging society.
Perhaps some could handle the level of darkness that some of us endure, but not all. We remember that, so we give society the watered-down PG version of our existence. It’s what we do; sometimes, it just happens to resonate with society. When the reader is moved by what you are trying to say. The message you are trying to convey in your story. The shame. The anger. The resentment. The love. The grief. The passion. The desperation. The uncertainty. Even the mania. All of it.
The audience cares, and therefore, we continue the work. We must continue to toil away at the typewriter, computer screen, or canvas. So that we, too, can bring to the world something worth remembering long after we are gone from it.
© Kristalin Davis’ Musings on the Human Condition, 2017-2022
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