Into The Trap
What does success look like and why is it so hard to feel it?
It's the trap of comparison. At what point do we feel validated in our success? Is it about the amount of money that has been brought in, or perhaps the kind reviews of your title?
There's a lot of discussion around what it takes to make it in any creative industry, but it seems to be at the forefront of publishing. Why? I suppose it has to do with the breakdown of finances in publishing. An artist gets their pay, as does a colorist, letterer, editor and if you're really lucky, a script writer. The publisher though? That's a trickier feat. Someone put up all of that money to get the project created, even if it was just enough to run a campaign. They may never see that money come back, and in some cases may end up paying more out of pocket in the end.
How then do we find the feeling of success? I have pushed it out of my mind that this industry is monetarily successful, and now I lean more into the community itself. When people band together and lift each other up, and you can become a little part of that, that feels like success. When you feel heard...or read...that feels like success. Meeting new fans, or other creators who respect your work feels like success.
Still, there's the nagging feeling of "that should have made more". That's a hard feeling to push past, and it seems to always reside there. Sometimes a project you're passionate about doesn't fund nearly like it should have. Sometimes it's the economy's fault, but sometimes it is our own fault.
It's the reevaluation and the pushing forward that are real marks of success. I have seen people fail to fund a campaign, and then turn around and do it again with it becoming their best campaign to date.
There's no true rhyme or reason to this stuff. How do I know that? Because I'm not seeing anyone becoming a millionaire and then dipping out. The best we can do is try, and in that, eventually, it will feel like success.
Now, this all comes before my company launches our highest goaled campaign this summer...so I may need to read these words again later.
As always,
Do better, be better.