Find people who think like you and stick with them. Make only music you are passionate about. Work only with people you like and trust. Don't sign anything.
“Being called a huckster and a charlatan started several years ago, so that's something I'm accustomed to. In most cases, it doesn't bother me.”
“A friend should be one in whose understanding and virtue we can equally confide, and whose opinion we can value at once for its justness and its sincerity.”