What If Your Music Never Takes Off?

What if you keep making music for another five years… and nothing really takes off? The streams stay small. The gigs stay small. Nobody in the industry suddenly discovers you. Would all that time still have been worth it? I've spent years caring about streams, views, promotion and growth while also telling myself that the numbers shouldn't matter. Talking to other artists made me realise that those two feelings don't have to cancel each other out. Maybe the goal isn't to stop wanting success. Maybe it's to build a creative life that is already worth living before success arrives. This is episode two of *Notes on Being an Artist*: an ongoing attempt to understand what it takes to keep creating for the long run. Chapters: 00:00 What If Your Music Never Takes Off? 02:03 When 128,000 Views Change Nothing 03:43 The Finish Line Keeps Moving 05:56 A Better Way to Measure Success 07:44 What Makes It Worth Doing? 09:37 Would You Still Make Music? 12:21 Maybe “Taking Off” Is the Wrong Question 13:02 When Quitting Might Be the Right Choice