To Thine Own Art Be True
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” - Oscar Wilde
I think it’s fair to assume that most artists would like to stand out from the crowd. There’s a desire to have our work seen, to give it a platform and a space of its own, and to have it recognised as something we have created. Of course, some would disagree, and there are artists who create purely for themselves, with no intention of ever sharing their work. For the rest of us, though, we create because we enjoy the process, but also because we want to share what we make with others. I make no secret of this. My work is made for a gallery, which is somewhat ironic, given that it seems harder than steel to get the damn stuff into one. But that’s another conversation.
I was chatting to a friend the other day, who is in the final year of his Events Management degree. He was talking about how this is the point where it all starts to count, and how important it is to build up real world experience and develop ideas. We were spitballing a few thoughts when I suggested that, perhaps, finding a niche is where the real value lies in the long term.
Having left him with my profound idea (sic), I got to thinking about how my own approach to art has developed over the years. When we start out, it’s easy to believe that originality is the key to standing out. But originality is a slippery concept, and after several thousand years of documented art, it’s fair to say that most things have been explored to some degree. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to say, but it does make the pursuit of originality a rather daunting place to begin.
The next step, perhaps, is to consider uniqueness. But that, too, is a somewhat loaded concept. We might create something entirely unique at a particular moment in our lives, but if we continue to follow the same approach, that uniqueness can quickly become a recognisable formula. It’s at this point that I think we start moving into more useful territory, finding one's own voice.
This is less about creating something nobody has ever seen before and more about understanding how we see the world, what draws us to make work, and how we translate those interests into something meaningful. It’s about developing an approach that feels true to us, rather than trying to satisfy some arbitrary expectation of what art should be. In doing so, we begin to establish a more honest relationship with both our work and the people who engage with it.
Which brings me back to the conversation with my friend, and the idea of finding a niche. Perhaps it’s not so much about discovering an entirely untouched corner of the creative world, but about finding something we genuinely connect with and having the conviction to explore it. By committing ourselves to an idea, allowing it to develop and giving it the time and attention it deserves, we begin to create a body of work that has its own identity. It becomes something we can continue to investigate, question and develop, rather than simply moving on to the next idea in search of something new. Of course, this might mean that fewer people take an interest in what we do, but perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. Those who do connect with the work may be more invested in it, and that connection could prove far more meaningful than a fleeting glance from a much larger audience.
These are, of course, just my musings, but I do wonder whether authenticity and finding a niche are two of the most useful things an artist can develop at any point in their career. Authenticity gives us a reason to believe in what we’re doing, and hopefully allows others to connect with it, too. Finding a niche gives us somewhere to begin, but not necessarily somewhere to finish. Over time, it can become the very thing that encourages us to look further, dig a little deeper and keep exploring.
Standing out from the crowd isn't really about trying to be different at all, it's about finding something that matters to us enough to keep coming back.
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