​How do you stay motivated when nobody sees the work?

Lately I’ve been struggling a bit with the emotional side of working independently.

Not the work itself, but the lack of feedback around it. When nobody really sees the effort day to day, it becomes strangely hard to tell whether you’re moving forward or just stuck in your own head.

I didn’t expect silence and uncertainty to affect motivation this much.

People who’ve worked creatively or independently for a long time… how do you deal with this without losing momentum or confidence in what you’re doing?