Persistence Isn’t Enough: The Myth of Creative Merit
There Can Only Be One: The Highlander Myth of Creative Success
This meme has the rare capacity to exist in two states: comfort and erasure. Like Schrödinger’s famed cat, this meme offers hope to some while quietly suffocating others behind the façade of inspiration. Which truth you see depends on where you stand, and who’s allowed to speak.
This meme is making the rounds and everyone is cheering it, saying "don't listen to them" and "you are enough". The text of the meme says:
“Every creative I know was told by numerous people that they should "be realistic" and that they "probably didn't have what it takes." Every. Single. One. The books you read and the movies you watch were made by the people who didn't listen. Be one of those people."
This statement makes a host of assumptions and ignores a variety of systemic challenges faced by minority groups attempting to accomplish their goals without the benefits of racial privilege, economic opportunities and cultural expectations.
The real question in my mind is why?
Why do we paint accomplishment in such a negative light?
Why do we look at other people on their own creative journey and suggest "It's impossible?"
Yet this meme, innocent though it may appear, hides an idealized and romantic narrative of: “they didn’t listen to the doubters” is not just incomplete, it’s often dishonest in how it erases systemic barriers while packaging struggle as a badge of honor.
❖ THE MYTH OF MERIT ALONE
The quote perpetuates the myth that success is simply about perseverance: a notion deeply embedded in Western individualism. While it’s true that rejection is a common rite of passage for creatives, this story collapses the distinction between common struggle and systemic oppression.
Being told “you’re not good enough” by a professor or a critic is not the same as being locked out of an industry due to your race, class, gender, disability, or culture.
When a white, middle-class artist “doesn’t listen,” they still often benefit from safety nets—connections, family wealth, cultural legibility, access to mentors, time to experiment. For marginalized creators, not listening comes with a higher price: alienation, precarity, and erasure.
❖ WHY DO WE DISCOURAGE CREATIVES?
The question: “Why do we paint accomplishment in a negative light?” is psychological, cultural, and political.
Projection: Many people bury their own dreams under the rubble of self-doubt or economic necessity. When someone else dares to try, it reminds them of what they gave up. Discouragement becomes a form of emotional self-protection: “If it’s impossible, then I was wise to quit.”
Scarcity Mentality: Creative fields are perceived as zero-sum games. There’s a belief that “only a few make it,” so encouragement is withheld out of fear, envy, or a warped sense of gatekeeping. This is especially weaponized against Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized creatives: “There’s already one of you in the room—don’t expect another.”
(Oh, I knew this one so well from my days in the corporate office. I was often the only Black person there and reminded “there would be only one.” That Highlander vibe was real.)
Cultural Conditioning: In capitalist systems, success is defined by profitability. Creative work that doesn’t make money is dismissed as indulgence. We’re taught to pursue stability, not self-actualization—unless you already belong to a class where risk is affordable.
Control: Discouraging others can also be a form of control. By constantly questioning the validity of creative aspirations — especially among the oppressed — systems of power ensure that fewer voices challenge the dominant narrative.
❖ THE LIE OF THE LONE HERO
The quote also feeds the “lone genius” myth, ignoring the infrastructure behind every published book or produced film. It overlooks the unpaid labor, communal support, institutional access, and generational wealth that often made it possible.
The truth is: many brilliant people did listen when they were told they couldn’t do it and they weren’t wrong. They didn’t have a safety net. They couldn’t afford to fail. And the world never got their stories.
❖ WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE?
Instead of valorizing survival against the odds, we should build ecosystems that reduce the odds stacked against people:
Fund underrepresented voices: Our current political climate is actively opposing such efforts and attempting to penalize people who support them—but we remain hopeful. This is just a temporary return to segregationist thinking, not its final form.
Challenge gatekeeping practices: Every time new gatekeepers appear suggesting a character shouldn’t exist because it undermines a cultural narrative—take, for example, the recent Ironheart series by Marvel—we see the pattern. The series faced fan hostility, rude attacks on social media, and will almost certainly be review-bombed on Rotten Tomatoes before it even airs. This kind of gatekeeping influences what stories get told, further marginalizing minority actors, women, and creatives who do not share characteristics with the dominant subclass.
Recognize mentorship, mutual aid, and community as part of creative labor: The more of us who are successful and share our ideas and support, the better off the mediasphere becomes. Diversity of thought and voice encourages others to bring their unique stories to the world, expanding all of our horizons.
Normalize creative ambition as a form of resistance and survival: For many, just daring to dream is a revolutionary act. Until that’s no longer true, the work of support, recognition, and structural change remains essential.
The books and films that do get made by marginalized creatives? They often exist in spite of the system, not because of it. We should honor that truth—and fight for a world where not listening to the doubters isn’t a revolutionary act, but a normal one.
So why do we say “It’s impossible”? Because for many, it has been. But that doesn’t mean it always must be. That’s where the real work begins.
IN FAIRNESS TO THE MEME'S UNDERLYING MESSAGE
❖ 1. The Emotional Truth of the Meme Still Resonates
Even if the meme is overly simplistic, its emotional core resonates with many creatives. That is: persistence often is the first gate, and for people of all backgrounds, discouragement is real, sometimes even more so from friends, family, or teachers than from systemic gatekeepers.
Why it matters: Emotional validation matters in a demoralizing world. Many people simply need to hear: “You are not alone. You’re not crazy for wanting this.”
How to respond: Yes, persistence is crucial. But let’s not pretend it’s all that’s needed, or available, to everyone.”
❖ 2. Creativity Does Require Risk and the Meme Celebrates That
The meme reinforces the idea that creativity involves stepping into uncertainty. For those who grew up with limited encouragement, the idea of not listening to doubters can be a form of personal liberation.
Why it matters: Some readers will interpret the meme not as a denial of systemic oppression, but as a call to reclaim autonomy—especially for people raised in environments where creativity was seen as frivolous or irresponsible.
How to respond: “While self-belief is empowering, it can’t be the only tool offered. Especially when systemic forces are actively suppressing creative voices.”
❖ 3. Some Marginalized Creatives Did Beat the Odds — And Want to Celebrate That
There are Black, Brown, queer, disabled, and impoverished creators who didn’t listen, who beat the odds, and who see themselves in this meme. To them, it’s not erasure, it’s recognition.
Why it matters: If you deny this outright, you risk alienating those who see the meme as evidence of their own survival. Some readers will feel seen by it, not erased.
How to respond: Such stories are valid—but exceptional. “Yes, many of us beat the odds. But we shouldn’t normalize the idea that you have to be extraordinary just to be heard.”
This is typified when comedian, Chris Rock, jokingly points out that he is a world-class creative talent and he lives next door to a dentist, just a “pull your teeth out dentist”, who is rich enough to live in Beverly Hills...
❖ 4. “Don’t Listen” Can Be a Useful Reframe in the Absence of Gate Access
For creatives without access to traditional publishing, studios, grants, or networks, "Don’t listen to them" may translate to embrace self-publishing, community-led platforms, or alternative economies of creativity.
Why it matters: It empowers people to go around the system when they can’t go through it.
How to respond: “We should support creative paths both within and outside the dominant system—and ensure those who walk them aren’t alone.”
❖ 5. The Meme Might Be a Reaction to Internal, Not External, Doubt
Some read this kind of meme as a fight against internalized self-censorship. You know that little voice inside that says, “I’ll never be enough.” For many marginalized people, this voice was shaped by racism, ableism, or misogyny, but the meme might not be referring to gatekeepers. It’s talking about us versus ourselves.
Why it matters: Not all creative doubt is external. Many artists battle the wounds they’ve internalized from structural oppression.
How to respond: “The most persistent ‘no’ is often the one you carry within—and we must name where that voice comes from, so we can silence the system, not ourselves.”
❖ CONTEXT MATTERS:
In fairness, this meme offers encouragement, and for many creatives, especially those raised without support, that encouragement feels life-saving. It speaks to the internal war every artist fights, the one waged against self-doubt, isolation, and the fear of irrelevance. For some, “don’t listen” isn’t just about gatekeepers, it’s about silencing the inner critic that was shaped by years of discouragement, bias, or neglect.
There are real stories of marginalized creators who did beat the odds, who see themselves in this meme, and who hold it up as proof that belief in oneself can matter, even in the face of systemic opposition. Their voices deserve to be honored too.
But we must recognize the contradiction: inspirational messaging can soothe without changing anything. We must distinguish between personal resilience and structural access, between emotional survival and systemic justice. Both matter. But only one changes the world for everyone.
That’s why this meme, and others like it, deserve deeper scrutiny. Not to tear them down, but to build something more honest, more inclusive, and more sustaining in their place.
Persistence Isn’t Enough © 2025, Thaddeus Howze, All Rights Reserved