Vincent van Gogh

Sold only one painting during his lifetime, lived in poverty, and was considered unstable. Today, he’s one of the most celebrated artists ever.

Herman Melville

Moby-Dick was a commercial and critical failure when published. Melville died poor and obscure; today, the novel is considered one of the greatest works of American literature.

Emily Dickinson

Wrote nearly 1,800 poems, but only a handful were published (and those heavily edited) while she was alive. She’s now seen as a towering figure in poetry.

Maybe there's a lesson in there.