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The Weight of Expectations

Edward Schooley
Posted: September 10, 2026
"The greatest artists aren't remembered because they never faced adversity. They're remembered because they refused to let adversity define who they would become." — Edward Schooley, Editor in Chief, Guitar Thrills Magazine

When Success Becomes the Greatest Source of Pressure

Photo provided by: The Richlynn Group

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EDITOR IN CHIEF | GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE TAMPA, FL U.S.A.

Edward Schooley

Founded in 2021. GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE of Tampa, FL Guitar Thrills Magazine of Tampa, FL U.S.A. The GUITAR THRILLS MAGAZINE is excited to bring you some of the music industries finest talent. Including the world of entertainment. Our focus includes the long term goals and aspirations of artists of all sorts. We are an unbiased reporting platform. You are getting insight into the world of music. No, we are not your fathers website for music news. We have grown into our own, and rely upon decades of music experience and knowledge. Guitar Thrills Magazine is a hard act to follow.

Spend enough time talking with musicians, and you notice a pattern.

It doesn't matter whether an artist is just beginning their career or has spent decades performing around the world. Every musician eventually reaches a point where talent is no longer the greatest obstacle. Expectations take its place.

Some expectations come from fans. Others come from the music industry, record labels, managers, or even social media. Every new release is compared to the last. Every performance is measured against previous successes. Every accomplishment is quickly followed by one inevitable question: What's next?

Those pressures are real.

Yet after countless conversations with artists, I've come to believe they are rarely the expectations that cause the greatest damage.

The heaviest expectations are often the ones artists quietly place upon themselves.

Somewhere along the journey, the freedom that inspired them to create begins to fade. Music, once an escape, becomes a test. Songs are judged before they're finished. Performances are replayed long after the audience has forgotten them. Instead of celebrating progress, artists become consumed with the idea that every note, every lyric, and every opportunity has to be better than the one before it.

That's a difficult way to create.

Perfection has never been the standard by which great careers are built, yet countless musicians spend years pursuing it. In doing so, they unknowingly allow perfection to become the enemy of progress. Songs remain unfinished. Opportunities are declined. Creative risks are avoided—not because the talent isn't there, but because the fear of falling short becomes greater than the desire to move forward.

One of the greatest misconceptions in music is that failure somehow defines an artist.

It doesn't.

Failure has always been part of the creative process. Every respected musician has experienced disappointment in one form or another. Albums fail to connect. Tours don't go as planned. Opportunities disappear. The public rarely sees those moments because they are overshadowed by the success that follows. Yet those setbacks are often the very experiences that shape an artist's growth.

Perhaps that's because failure teaches lessons success never can.

It forces reflection. It exposes weaknesses that need attention. It challenges assumptions and demands resilience. More importantly, it reminds artists that their value isn't determined by a single performance, one unsuccessful release, or a difficult season in their career.

The musicians who leave the greatest impact rarely do so because they avoided failure.

They succeed because they refused to give failure the final word.

Over the years, one observation has remained remarkably consistent. The artists who continue to evolve are almost always the ones willing to embrace uncertainty. They understand that growth requires vulnerability and that meaningful careers are built one decision at a time—not through perfection, but through persistence.

That doesn't mean expectations disappear.

They never will.

There will always be another review to read, another audience to impress, another project to complete, and another goal waiting just beyond the one you've already achieved. The challenge isn't eliminating expectations. The challenge is refusing to let them become the measure of your worth.

Perhaps success has never been about proving yourself to everyone else.

Perhaps it's about becoming comfortable enough with who you are that the opinions of others no longer dictate what you create.

As Editor in Chief of Guitar Thrills Magazine, I've had the privilege of speaking with artists from every stage of their careers. While every story is different, one lesson continues to emerge: the musicians who leave the deepest impression are not those who lived flawless careers. They are the ones who continued creating when doubt, disappointment, and failure suggested they should stop.

Maybe that's the lesson worth remembering.

Artists aren't defined by the expectations they meet.

They're defined by the obstacles they overcome.

The next time you find yourself questioning whether you're good enough, remember this: the greatest obstacle standing between where you are today and where you hope to be tomorrow may not be the industry, the critics, or the competition.

It may simply be the expectations you've placed on yourself.

And sometimes, the most important step an artist can take is the one that allows them to get out of their own way.

A Conversation with Molly Tuttle

Guitar Thrills Magazine: As your career has grown, have you found that the expectations you place on yourself have become heavier than the expectations others place on you? And with that success, has your definition of success itself changed over the years?

Molly Tuttle: That's a great question. I'm not entirely aware of the expectations other people place on me. I know I have a lot of fans who believe in me and my music, and they want to see me continue to grow. I want that for myself, too. I've always been ambitious, but when I first started out, my biggest goal was simply to make a living playing music. If I could support myself doing what I loved, I felt like I'd already succeeded.

As I realized that dream was becoming a reality, my goals naturally evolved. I wanted to play bigger venues, build a stronger team around my music, and eventually tour on a bus because it makes life on the road much more manageable. Today, my focus is much less about milestones and much more about creativity. I think about the records I still want to make, the stories I haven't told yet, and how I can continue growing as an artist.

Guitar Thrills Magazine: Every successful artist encounter moment’s when the path suddenly changes. Looking back, was there a setback that ultimately became one of your greatest teachers?

Molly Tuttle: Without question, the pandemic. I was preparing to make another record and had an incredible run of shows lined up. It felt like everything was coming together, and then suddenly it all disappeared.

Looking back, though, that period became one of the most important chapters of my career. For the first time in a long while, I wasn't trying to plan every move. I had the opportunity to reflect on who I was as an artist, write a tremendous amount of music, and simply trust my instincts. That eventually led to Crooked Tree and to putting my band together after the pandemic. Those things probably wouldn't have happened if everything hadn't first fallen apart.

More importantly, it reminded me why I make music in the first place. I had to let go of worrying about where my career was headed and simply return to making music because I loved it.

Guitar Thrills Magazine: One of the things that stands out in your music is the balance between extraordinary technical ability and genuine emotion. How do you keep perfectionism from getting in the way of creativity?

Molly Tuttle: That's definitely something I still struggle with. When I'm making an album, I could spend a year working on it and still find things I'd want to change. Eventually, you must let go of perfectionism. Ironically, the recordings I'm happiest with are usually the ones that came together naturally rather than the ones I spent the most time trying to perfect.

I think that's one of the reasons I love traditional bluegrass so much. Those old recordings aren't perfect. The vocals might be a little rough, the instruments aren't polished, but that's what makes them feel human. As musicians, we all want to improve, and I certainly do. I never want to stop learning or growing. But I've also learned that sometimes the imperfections are exactly what allow listeners to connect with the music.

Guitar Thrills Magazine: If you could sit down with the younger Molly Tuttle, just beginning her musical journey, what would you tell her?

Molly Tuttle: I'd tell her to trust her instincts and believe in herself. You're going to make mistakes. You'll have nights that don't go the way you hoped and decisions you'll eventually question, but none of that defines you. If you stay true to yourself, keep working hard, and don't give up, you'll eventually find exactly where you're supposed to be.

Guitar Thrills Magazine: Social media has transformed the music industry. What role has it played in your own career?

Molly Tuttle: I think it's been a great way to share music and connect with people. It has really leveled the playing field because artists can reach audiences directly without necessarily having a major label behind them. At the same time, I think it's shortened people's attention spans. Sometimes music gets treated as content instead of art. For me, making albums and performing live will always be the most important part of what I do. Social media is simply a tool that helps people discover the music.

Guitar Thrills Magazine: Beyond the awards and accomplishments, what do you hope people take away from your music?

Molly Tuttle: More than anything, I hope people leave feeling inspired. A lot of my songs are about accepting yourself and being comfortable with who you are. That's something I hope comes across in my music and in my live shows. If someone leaves feeling more confident, more hopeful, or simply encouraged to be themselves, then I feel like I've accomplished something meaningful.

Guitar Thrills Magazine: Finally, for the musicians who hope to follow in your footsteps, what advice would you give them?

Molly Tuttle: Surround yourself with people who genuinely believe in you and your music and work hard. The more you invest in your craft, the more you'll get back from it. There are more distractions than ever today, but if you keep your focus on the music and on creating a genuine connection with people, that's what gives you the best chance for longevity.

At the end of the day, it's always about the music.

Conclusion

Throughout our conversation, Molly Tuttle offered more than insight into her career. She shared a perspective that resonates far beyond music: growth isn't about avoiding challenges but learning from them. Every accomplishment is built upon persistence, self-reflection, and an unwavering commitment to becoming better than yesterday.

Perhaps that's the greatest takeaway from this conversation. The artists who leave the deepest mark aren't defined by flawless careers. They're defined by how they respond when the road becomes difficult. They continue creating, continue learning, and continue believing in the work, even when success isn't guaranteed. For Molly Tuttle, the journey has never been about chasing expectations. It's about staying true to the music that inspired her from the very beginning. In doing so, she reminds us that authenticity will always outlast perfection—and that the courage to keep moving forward is often the greatest achievement of all.

PRS Standard 24 Review from Guitar Thrills Magazine Tampa, FL The World of Rock and Blues Magazine.

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