One quality that great – artists of any stripe – must have is tenacity.
Because nobody is going to encourage you to keep going. Not really. Not in the beginning especially, when you need to hear it.
Art does not make itself.
Honestly, it can sometimes be like pulling teeth.
I mean, can you imagine working on a movie for nearly a decade trying to get it made?
Taken further: Anyone who wants to be great needs tenacity.
ONE QUALITY GREAT moviemakers must have is tenacity. Warren Beatty plugged on for ten years, putting together the deals that finally got Reds made. Diana spent about nine on Brokeback Mountain. Development time for the films made from my books averages about eight years. It’s not quick work. Diana brings a real avidity and passion to her film work, whereas I mostly don’t.
-Larry McMurtry, Hollywood (Amazon)