May not be you, or your work or your talent. Could just be that “timing” thing. If you launch, publish, release or ship too soon, you run the risk of no one understanding. If it’s too late, everyone is already on to the next thing. There’s nothing more frustrating than great art at the wrong time. Took Huey Lewis 17-years to become an overnight success. Took the Beatles nearly 10-years of performing before they first landed in the U.S.. Took Jay Z 15, Obama 20, Van Gough 200! Heck, it took me and my partner a good 10-years to get our company to a place where we could finally smile and take a breath—even take a limo once in a while!
Even though you may think others are somehow “luckier” than you, and even though some music bloggers will insist that “if you haven’t made it by now you should just quit,” none-the-less, as a pro A&E, you have something unique to contribute, a distinct talent, something different to offer the world. And the only thing that may be standing in the way of your next big breakthrough is patience and timing.
According to Malcom Gladwell (Outliers), it’s not only the 10,000 hours of hard work you put into achieving success it’s also the year you were born that can make all the difference. Why is Bill Gates a billionaire? He’s smart, of course, and he has tremendous ambition. But he probably wouldn’t have started Microsoft if he hadn’t been born in 1955. That made Gates old enough to take advantage of the opportunities that opened up with the introduction, in 1975, of the Altair 8800, the first do-it-yourself computer kit. Timing may not have been “everything” but it sure was a huge contributing factor.
Although the notion of “perfect timing” may be out of your control, the opportunity to manifest your best work in the time you have isn’t—ask any drummer.
“I think of myself as an intelligent, sensitive human being with the soul of a clown, which always causes me to “blow it” at the most important times.” ― Jim Morrison The Doors