On Exploring New Artistic Styles

It’s easy to get attached to one’s habits and patterns. When an artist becomes satisfied with one approach to things, then any opportunity to really grow and discover new ways and experiences is immediately stunted. Every artist is capable of self-reinvention, but fear of change and unfamiliarity with the unknown are two common impediments to artistic growth. Still, if one enjoys sticking to the same formula, there is nothing wrong with this either. More important than self-reinvention is self-elevation.

Repetition is important and fundamental to one’s improvement in any art or endeavor, but repetition of method and process are double-edged swords. If a songwriter is attached to writing in one mood, such as a style characterized by uplifting piano melodies with no desire to explore other sounds and moods, then, the ability to truly discover one’s artistic potential is locked into a static state. But again, there is nothing wrong with sticking to the same formula. In the end, an artist should create based on his or her desires; nothing more, nothing less.

Creativity is one’s expression of a desired state. Whatever direction or form this state takes has to simply channel the artist’s imagination. We all inevitably change, so, why fear the natural flow of things? Why not just keep experimenting with new styles? On the other hand, resisting change and sticking to one style can also be a way to solidify one’s artistic identity, but at the expense of discovering new possibilities in one’s path in music, painting, cinema (etc.) In the end, whatever direction an artist takes is the right one, because the choice to create based on one’s creative intuition is far more important than any other motivation.

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