The power of faith will often shine forth the most when the character is naturally weak.
I went through the whole number, you know. The swing era, the boogie woogie era, the bebop era. Thelonious Monk is still one of my favorites. So a lot of these people had their effect on me.
I'd say you have to be really committed to the field, show up for every audition and to be aware that very few make it in this field.