If you're going to stick with it, there has to be something there beyond a desire for sales or widespread praise.
Success, too, has its downsides. My wife is a painter--and if you think it's hard to make a living at writing, try painting. She met another painter who makes a huge income, but that painter complained, "My first sales were paintings of boats. And for years now, everyone comes to me wanting a boat. I'm bored to death of them. I want to paint other subjects, but this is what pays, so I keep doing it, as frustrating as it is."
Look into fiction writing, and you'll find few writers whose publishers will let them write outside their genres. Those writers may want to explore, but the publishers know what has sold in the past, and they want more of that. The only major author I can think of who sells big in multiple genres in Stephen King.
Self-publishing has been a godsend for those who like to explore. You can write anything you want and push it out at will. You might not make money at it, but you can do it.
At bottom, you have to choose your definition of success and failure. If you define success as being accepted by editors and critics, receiving praise and prizes from the publishing community and hitting the bestseller lists, all of that is beyond your control. It's like fishing for likes on Instagram.
If you define success as getting better at your craft, writing something that you and the few people you really respect like, then you can find fulfillment. I often think of gardeners who pour hours into their roses, not to get rich or to receive recognition, but just because it pleases them and fulfills a deep inner appreciation.