Van Gogh’s Tragic Mistake: Are You an Unrecognized Genius?
????D Grant Smith ??♂???
Growth Farmer & Storysmith | I help visionary leaders turn their message into a badass magnet—so the right people listen, trust, and take action. Clarity. Power. Impact. Let’s make your story unstoppable!
In 1890, a man in his late thirties stood in a wheat field in France, his mind a storm of doubt and torment. Vincent van Gogh—now regarded as one of the greatest painters of all time—believed he was a failure.
He had only ever sold one painting.
His work—bold, emotional, revolutionary—was rejected by the people he thought should value it. He spent his days painting with furious passion, but the world did not see him.
A few months later, he took his own life.
Now, his paintings are priceless. His name immortalized. His genius finally recognized.
But what if things had been different?
The Tragedy Wasn’t Just His Death. It Was That He Never Got to Enjoy His Own Greatness.
Van Gogh wasn’t just a struggling artist—he was a visionary. But his story never reached the right people while he was alive. He wasn’t positioned for success, and the people who would have truly valued his work never had a chance to celebrate him.
The world now calls him a genius, but that didn’t matter when he needed it most. He didn’t get to experience the joy of seeing people moved to tears by his paintings. He didn’t get to walk through galleries where his work was displayed in places of honor. He didn’t get to see the impact of his passion in real time.
He created, but he never got to receive.
And that is the real tragedy.
How Many Visionaries Are Living That Story Right Now?
How many innovators, creators, and thought leaders are brilliant but unseen? Not because their work isn’t good enough, but because their story isn’t reaching the people who would truly appreciate it.
How many passionate leaders pour themselves into their craft, only to wonder why it feels like their impact is going unnoticed?
It’s not just about making money. It’s not just about selling more. It’s about experiencing the full expression of your genius while you’re here to enjoy it.
Van Gogh’s work was never the problem. His visibility was.
Your Genius Deserves to Be Seen, Felt, and Celebrated—Now.
If you’re creating something extraordinary and you feel like the world isn’t seeing it, maybe the problem isn’t your work. Maybe it’s your message. Maybe it’s the way your story is being told—or not being told at all.
The difference between being overlooked and being recognized isn’t just talent.
It’s clarity. It’s positioning. It’s making sure that the people who would be profoundly moved by your work actually know you exist.
The world doesn’t need more hidden genius.
It needs seen genius. It needs you.
If I were a marketer, this is where I’d tell you what to do next. But I’m not, and that’s not how this works.
Instead, I’ll leave you with this—genius shouldn’t be posthumous. Recognition shouldn’t be delayed. Your story deserves to be seen, heard, and felt while you’re here to experience it.
What you do with that truth is entirely up to you.
??Costa Rica Retreat Visionary | Empowering Leaders through Experiences | From planning to execution, we manage every detail so you can enjoy a smooth, profitable, and stress-free retreat or event.
4 天å‰This is a great point. Appreciate people while they are here.
Pro-human. Calling out the crap. Writer - witty wordsmith / cunning linguist. On a Mission. "Better to live one day as a Lion than a thousand years as a sheep." 'Non Ducor Duco.' Unapologetically me.
6 天å‰Great minds need to be good at selling... which is an art itself.
Growth Farmer & Storysmith | I help visionary leaders turn their message into a badass magnet—so the right people listen, trust, and take action. Clarity. Power. Impact. Let’s make your story unstoppable!
6 天å‰Is your work done in the Love of people and service? How clear are you on who you’re here to serve (Love)?
Author, "The Path to Perfectia" series ?? / Founding Member, Octopus Movement ?? / Editor-In-Chief, The Daily Stuffing ??
6 天å‰Tis the great paradox of brilliance. Those with the keenest powers of observation of the human spirit also have the most distaste for the gross, base, muddy things required to get those works out to a mass audience. The best comedians I've *ever* seen were at Wednesday open mics in New York who will die unnoticed and unappreciated.