How to be satisfied with your work

You can try to chase down clients.
You can try to chase down fame.

But at the end of the day, if you succeed with either of those two routes to “success” in photography, you’re only trapping yourself. You’ll subsequently be at the mercy of clients, or a fickle fanbase. You might have money, or fame, or both – but you lose control of your own daily choices and, in effect, your life.

The only way to truly be satisfied with your work is to do what you want to do when you want to do it, and do it first and foremost for yourself. If something more comes of it, or if you get paid for it, or if other people like it, then great. And if not, well, hey – at least you spent time doing something you like doing and honing your craft while you were at it.