Focused artists see the process of completing a work through because they care, because they get a sense of fulfillment from it, not b ecause of a neurotic compulsion. Until they have experienced it for themselves, many people have a hard time imagining anyone making a self-motivated longterm commitment to anything, and yet upon occasion it does happen. Great artists are self-confident rather than egotistical. Egotistical artists no matter how great are frequently turned down by collaborators and media producers. Such artists end up costing too much in time, aggravation and money.
Egotism is the extroverted face of insecurity.
Artists do need self-confidence in order to believe in the value of their work and to persistently and honestly put their work before the public. This is a true act of courage. Great artists are more sensitive than cynical or angst-ridden. Cynicism protects artists from having to be vulnerable to experience, in fact it keeps them from feeling and experiencing anything but the blackest side of life, since that is where they choose to place their focus. It is easy to choose to live a life of tragedy.