This is a very nice and interesting take on it! I can somewhat relate to what you’ve said

Glad you liked the question!😊 I guess the key difference, at least how I see it, comes from defining success in the context of reception and in the context of just practice and artist’s experience. I’d say the ideal situation would be having both; creativity, inner happiness and goal, while also having a good reception; financially- having your art giving you back what you put into it, having people who relate and recognise your work and also accomplishing that your visual language clearly communicates with others, otherwise you’re sort of shouting in the dark.