[TheOtherHobbes]

There's a sense in which it's a day job, and you have to put the hours in.

But there's also a sense in which you have to have taste and inspiration. Otherwise you'll just be producing an endless stream of crap.

Unfortunately a work ethic on its own doesn't substitute for taste and talent if you don't have them. You will certainly get better with practice, but talent - or lack of it - is a hard limit.

The people who are really, really good at it have the work ethic and the taste to make the work productive.

They also have the right physical location and the right networking and self-promotion skills. But that's a different issue.