The career arcs we see succeed have an embarrassingly similar shape. Year 1: one solo show in the home city, two group shows abroad. Year 2: a second solo, the first institutional acquisition (even a small regional museum counts). Year 3: a museum loan — work on the wall in an institution the artist does not control. Year 4: the gallery roster shifts from regional to international. Year 5: the first auction comp lands at-or-above primary, and the rest of the practice re-prices around it.
No shortcuts. No viral moment. The arc is mechanical and it works.