barely/hardly.

User_garyI could barely/hardly become an artist because of my rugged fingers.

Which words could be appropriate here?

Please help me.

Both will make sense, but even better will be "I could with difficulty become an artist..."

Thank you Feebs11.

But, I think, there is difference between meanings in your sentence and my sentence.

You said (I could with difficulty become an artist..........), it sounds me as (he has become an artist but he finds difficult to maintain as an artist because of his rugged fingers). It implies (His hands become rugged after he became an artist).

Originally the context of the sentence indicated that "he" is an artist and that it had been difficult to become one because of his hands. My sentence to me makes perfectly good sense and is logical.

You have now included another factor - that the person is not an artist at all.

If you want to say he could not become an artist, then :