It’s All Been Done Before

There are so many cop-outs we can use when we’re avoiding something. There’s not enough time. It’s too hard. I don’t have any good ideas. It’s simpler to keep on doing the same. I’m too busy. No one cares.

It’s all been done before.

This is the one that seamlessly waits in the wings of our thoughts, a viper waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It aims to suffocate our creativity, in particular, and burrow us into a mindset of normalcy once again.

Granted, we do live in an age where art is ever-abundant and more accessible than ever before. I mean, look where you’re viewing this post right now. At the end of the day, if you’ve got a laptop or phone screen right there in front of you, you could be anywhere in the world looking at the same thing as someone in a completely different place. Art has transcended distance; it has the ability to be experienced from virtually anywhere. From Instagram, to eBooks, to Google searches, and even online museum tours, access to art is right there.

Seeing as though so much creativity is at our fingertips, it can have one of two effects:

1. We can relent that there’s nothing more that we can offer and stop creating altogether. After all, by now it’s all been done before.

or

2. We can allow others’ art to spark our own inspiration and recognize that our perspectives are each unique, and by logic since we’ve never lived before, our art has never been done before.

If we go with option one, then what seems like a multitude of voices will quickly become the same few. The perspectives will start to become more and more familiar. Creation will begin to fit neatly inside boundaries. That is the “enough” mentality. Art is only as good as it propels more art, more inspiration.

Option two offers a different outcome. When more artists are making art, that’s when there becomes a flurry of world perceptions sparking a blaze of creation. It takes a little trust within each of us that our perception and perspective matters, and that’s when we can contribute to encapsulating this moment in time.

By trusting our own creativity, we give ourselves the chance to expand our world and this world. In the pictures on this post, I’ve shown you three different artists who are pushing the boundaries in their craft and creating a fresh perspective every day. We are among that group, friends. Let’s go into this world invigorated, not defeated, as it all most certainly has not been done before.

Much Love, Quinn

Post Prompt: In this blog post, I’ve listed three different artists (from three different mediums!) who have inspired and influenced me in my creativity. List the artists who are sparking your creativity at this point in your life, as well as what you can glean from their work.