Ron O. said:

I do not mean to sound selfish, and I do not wish to sound like I am discouraging sharing, but I do think it is very important for the artist to please themselves first and foremost. If they are enjoying it, the audience will follow.

Dick McCormack, my old friend from whom I steal lots of songs, put out a promo leaflet once, which had one of the best statements on that point I ever heard. I'll paraphrase it as best I remember:

A performer who performs only to please the audience is a whore. A performer who performs only to please himself is a crashing bore unless he's a genius, which I'm not. You have to strike a middle ground.

Peter.