"Making it" is 90% luck.
If you remember Youtube back in 2008-2012, you may remember Pewdiepie gaining popularity around that time. To this day, people have tried to figure out what he did that got him to become so famous.
You can analyze it all you want, using as many subjective or objective observations as you can make. He's funny, or he's entertaining. But there are plenty of people who do exactly what he does. So, why him? Why did he get super-stardom while everyone else was left in the dust, with only a handful managing to be successful riding his tailwind?
Luck. He got noticed. That is literally it. Whether it's a girlfriend/boyfriend, a video game, a TV show, or an internet personality, people always have "their guy". More often than not, popularity is like a snowball. Once it gains traction, it just keeps rolling faster and faster, getting bigger and bigger. Nothing seems to be able to stop it.
And now, to route this conversation towards what we actually give a fuck about. Making it in art.
If you've ever been to patreon and really looked around, you may have noticed that there are many sakimichan-type artists out there. But, there are only a couple that "hit it big". It's the same effect. Sakimichan got noticed. That's it. Does it matter that she's very skilled? A little.
Have you analyzed the mid-range to mediocre tier of artists on patreon? It's the same thing. A sea of unnoticed artists, a handful of successful ones and one or two superstars. What makes the superstars so much more successful than the other ones if they're just as mediocre as the others?
Luck. They got noticed.
cont'd
If you remember Youtube back in 2008-2012, you may remember Pewdiepie gaining popularity around that time. To this day, people have tried to figure out what he did that got him to become so famous.
You can analyze it all you want, using as many subjective or objective observations as you can make. He's funny, or he's entertaining. But there are plenty of people who do exactly what he does. So, why him? Why did he get super-stardom while everyone else was left in the dust, with only a handful managing to be successful riding his tailwind?
Luck. He got noticed. That is literally it. Whether it's a girlfriend/boyfriend, a video game, a TV show, or an internet personality, people always have "their guy". More often than not, popularity is like a snowball. Once it gains traction, it just keeps rolling faster and faster, getting bigger and bigger. Nothing seems to be able to stop it.
And now, to route this conversation towards what we actually give a fuck about. Making it in art.
If you've ever been to patreon and really looked around, you may have noticed that there are many sakimichan-type artists out there. But, there are only a couple that "hit it big". It's the same effect. Sakimichan got noticed. That's it. Does it matter that she's very skilled? A little.
Have you analyzed the mid-range to mediocre tier of artists on patreon? It's the same thing. A sea of unnoticed artists, a handful of successful ones and one or two superstars. What makes the superstars so much more successful than the other ones if they're just as mediocre as the others?
Luck. They got noticed.
cont'd
