How do you define success in the art world? In my opinion, success is ultimately defined by one's own terms. It's up to the individual. For example, some bands want to sell a million records and others are happy with just getting their music out there and heard by somebody. I don't think there is anything wrong with either of those viewpoints. However, what I do think is wrong is creating "art" in which the sole purpose is to make money i.e. achieve commercial success. The motivation to create art should come from within. It should be something the artist is driven to do no matter what the consequences may be. Achieving commercial success should not be the driving force behind creating the art. With that being said, I don't think there is anything wrong with achieving commercial success with art. I believe artists do deserve to monetize their art, but figuring out how to make money from the art should come after the art has been created, not the other way around.
There is certainly no formula or way to predict which works of art will stand the test of time, but I don’t know how it would be possible to achieve longevity without the artistic integrity I’ve mentioned above. There are always people trying to make a quick buck off of the next fad or trend, but most products of such efforts are merely a flash in the pan, here today and gone tomorrow. Most are disingenuous and beyond the immediate satisfaction it may bring the consumer, there is nothing below the surface, because the "artist" has bastardized their art simply to serve a target market. I realize that this very thing happens all the time (insert your favorite candy coated, radio ready pop star here) and some are able to make enough money off that limited shelf life to never have to work again, but that doesn't change the fact that it is fundamentally wrong in my book. I think the Mona Lisas of the world connect with audiences on a much deeper level than anything contrived would ever be capable of, and therefore, such works are capable of transcending cultural and generational boundaries.
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