Dark age of the artist

From an email ...

You go through life and accomplish some things you are proud of. Others recognize their value and praise them. Time passes. Your pride remains strong but fewer and fewer people remember your accomplishments, and finally it seems as if they never existed. You ask yourself, Should I have chosen a different career with a longer shelf life? You begin to feel your professional life was a waste of time.

 I can relate to this, from a writer acquaintance.