Scott Adams is the guy behind the popular cartoon Dilbert. He has made his millions from it and is one of the few famous cartoonists in the world. Adams says that he isn’t the most talented artist, nor the funniest guy around; but with his extensive business experience (Dilbert is an office-based cartoon), minimalist style and above-average sense of humour, he can combine a few decent skills into one skillset that is rare.
Musicians are often obsessed with sounding like their idols or comparing themselves to contemporaries. This attitude can often lead to despair even whilst you reach a great level (but not as great as x or y). You definitely need to be of a certain level to earn a living as a musician but, if you are decent at in a few areas and are easy going, a team player, someone who listens well and are organised and reliable, then you have more than enough to be consistently in work.
Don’t get me wrong, I advocate being as good as it possible for you to be in as many relevant areas as you can, but you can be smart about it; concentrating on a few skills that will allow you – like Scott Adams – to stand out.
He goes into it more in his excellent book.
