> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hypebot.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Artists: If You Can't Define Success, You Won't Find It - URL: https://www.hypebot.com/artists-if-you-cant-define-success-you-wont-find-it/ - Published: 2026-09-17T18:35:15.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-17T18:35:15.000Z - Description: How you view the concept of success can actually tell you how likely you are to reach it. Here's what I've found over the years of working with artists. - Author: Angela Tyler - Tags: DIY, career success, redefine success, success, DIY Advice & Tips, #trending, artist tips, tips, advice, artist advice, career advice, Indie Artists, goals One of the first things I ask my artists when they [approach me for a PR campaign](https://wearemp.co/?ref=hypebot.com) is: > *"What three things would make this campaign a success for you?”* Over the years, I've seen a myriad of answers, ranging from the very concrete (gain 1,000 followers! Get 5 million zillion streams!) to the sweet and completely subjective (make a difference, reach the right audience.) At the same time, I hear a lot of talk of ***if only.*** **If only** a label would give me a chance. ***If only*** that venue would book me. ***If only*** I could get on a national tour. All of these answers share the same pitfalls. They’re either too ambiguous or they’re giving a lot of power away to people that don’t even know you. The thing is, all of these are paths to success. But there are *many* paths to success, and in my experience, the most surefire ones are those that involve **you** taking control of **your** career and **going after the things you want,** rather than waiting for someone else to do it for you. Because the thing is, it's not really that you don’t have the tools or the money or the support. It’s more likely that you aren’t quite sure where you’re going, and you’re hoping someone can direct you there. And it’s hard, I get it! Especially when the answer might constantly be shifting. But more likely than not, that’s the thing that’s holding you back. And the good news? We can fix that. So I want to propose something different. Instead of hanging on to an elusive idea of what success is, something intangible that ebbs and flows, let's define it. Get clear on what you really want. And then, let's make a plan to get there. # Success means knowing exactly what you want. And I mean down to the nitty gritty. By far this is the one I see most artists skip. Their goals are arbitrary at best. - **Sign to a label.*Okay, what label and why is it a good fit for you?*** - **Tour more.** *Okay where? And why, what will that get you closer to?* - **Make enough money to go full-time.** *What does that mean? Someone in rural America might get by on three grand a month, where someone in New York City could barely pay rent on that. What do you actually need to make and how can you make it?* In order to make things happen for yourself, you need to know what you're going after and why. The more specific you can be the better. You don’t want to sign to a label, you want to sign to Hopeless Records because you feel like they’ll understand your need to maintain creative control while helping you grow, and you know the majors might not allow for that same kind of freedom. Which brings me to the second point... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3a/95/3a957c06-c825-4057-9939-0a274cc16d23/content/images/2026/09/3-23-masterpiece.jpg) ***+Read more:*** [*"The Band Member Day Job Conundrum"*](https://www.hypebot.com/the-band-member-day-job-conundrum/) # Success means understanding why you’re doing this. What I’m really asking is, how do you want to feel, and how can we make that happen? This is something I had to get very clear on when I was pivoting Muddy Paw PR and deciding how to enter my tenth year in business. How I wanted to feel when I started the company at twenty-five and how I wanted to feel in my mid-thirties were pretty different. Naturally, my priorities and lifestyle had changed and I needed goals that reflected that. Maybe you can relate? For example, when you started playing music, did you want to tour the world? Stay out until two a.m. every night? Make friends in every city? Perhaps. But what about now? If you still want that, then great! But what if you’re more of a homebody. (Happens to the best of us) You have steady relationship or a full time job or a family. Suddenly touring six months out of the year not only isn't feasible but it's not even really what you want anymore. That's okay! Ask yourself what feelings you’re chasing *now*. There's no one right direction, but the more you can hone in on specificities, the faster you can get where you're going, because you won't be distracted by the things you think you're supposed to want. # Success means celebrating little victories. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but even when you hit your major milestones, the feeling is fleeting. You’ll celebrate, of course (as you should!) but the way our brains are wired, especially as creatives, it’s so easy to go: *“okay great! Now what?”* So we have to make a conscious effort to celebrate the little victories just as much. It’s so easy to miss them otherwise. This one is tough. But it really does make a huge difference in how you feel about yourself and your relationship to your craft. Try not to downplay your accomplishments. This industry can be so brutal, that if you don’t take the time to acknowledging the little things, it’s not likely anyone else will either. # Success will change over time. Let it. You aren’t the same person today as you were a year ago. What you view as success now will almost certainly change as you continue to grow. That’s okay, let it. You’re not doing yourself or your career any favors by keeping a chokehold on the past. If you're always fixating on the next thing and never appreciating what's right in front of you, odds are you'll struggle to ever feel successful. Even when you are. So appreciate the little moments, the friendships, the bandmates, the fans that make this all possible. Make time to reconnect with why you started playing music in the first place, and don't be afraid to be a little foolish in the pursuit of happiness. At the end of the day, this is your journey and yours alone. Success is what *you* make it.