bipface said:
imo, artistic success is when you are satisfied with the result.
whether anyone else can appreciate it is just a bonus.

Depends a lot on whether you had a plan to begin with, IME.
If you never clearly worked out what you were aiming for (eg. via thumbnailing and prep sketches), it's weird to expect a feeling of 'finished/success' to magically materialize. More likely to just aimlessly overwork or doodle.