I sometimes feel self conscious about painting the same themes over and over. It’s what I do. Every time I paint fish swimming in the treetops, it comes out differently. Every time I paint, I learn something new. Something subtle, maybe, about how colors mix together, how different brushes release the paint, and how various paints and brushes work together with my hand to create a line. Each painting builds on the previous one.
I recently heard a speech that encouraged the practice of drawing the same thing every day. That was validating. If you draw the same thing every day for a year, you will become very familiar with it, and you will probably get bored with it. That’s when you begin to improvise. You will find out what works for you, and you’ll discover things that you don’t like. Either way, you will learn things to improve your art. Without realizing it, you will develop your artistic voice. You will discover new ways to express whatever it is you have to say.
We don’t have to reinvent ourselves in order to be interesting.
We can keep doing what we are doing, and we can improve our craft and our storytelling. We can grow and improve with authenticity and subtlety.
I don’t think we need to find our next big thing. Maybe our next big thing is not out there waiting for us at all. Maybe it’s more like a seed inside of us that just needs to be tended patiently.