The fundamental theory of building a career in the arts is simple: find something you enjoy creating that other people value.
Then, do that thing.
If you do it well enough, and often enough, it’s not just the thing you create that holds value — your name accumulates cultural value, and your work has a certain core audience willing to follow you from thing to thing.
The trick when you’re starting out is figuring out what you enjoy doing, what you’re good at, and what your readers truly value.
The trick in the middle of your career is figuring out where your work has accumulated value, and whether the limits it places upon you are worth the rewards.
The trick at the end of your career is feeling satisfied by the creative choices you make, and content with the rewards you earned (and the amount of work you’re leaving unfinished).
