Utah Phillips on building a career in music, 1997

What’s the work of a poet? To write poetry. What’s the work of an artist? To paint. What’s the work of a singer? To sing.

Fasten totally on the work. Give yourself completely to the work, till you can do it as well as it can be done, and then people will come looking for you. But forget the rest of it. That will happen if you’re completely fixed on the work. It's a superstition, I know; I believe it.

From the book The Complete Singer-Songwriter: A Troubadour's Guide to Writing, Performing, Recording, and Business