success

they say that fear of success holds people back much more than fear of failure. i believe it. it's safe, easy, familiar to fail. success on the other hand, brings responsibility, pressure to continue succeeding, judgment, and the big one that gets me - people not liking you!
in school, i used to get answers wrong on tests on purpose just so i wouldn't get a 100% - i didn't want people to hate me because i was smarter than them.
so i think if i really want to be successful as an artist, i need to come to terms with the fact that not everyone will like me and not everyone will like my art. bottom line.
maybe i should start practicing?