We crave uniqueness, being special, important, yet we hear that there is nothing original under the sun. This might be a relief or depressing. I say that the compilation that is you is original. Not your feelings, thoughts or actions, but all that you are as one, has never been before and never will be again. You are the same amount of special as everyone else. That’s nifty.

There it is. You don’t actually have to do anything exceptional. You are distinct, along with gazillions of other animals on the planet. When it comes to art, all that you make is distinct. It reeks of you!

In a late night art session, I copied three paintings of an artist I admire, so I could have practice with something I love about his work. I threw out the “copying is wrong” idea that my fourth grade teacher embedded in my psyche. It was delightful! That teacher was full of crap! We copy all the time. It’s even traditional. The problem only arises when we take credit for someone else’s work.

I scoured the web to decide whether I could post a photo of my work, with credit to this artist and I concluded it would be better not to do so. I threw that out the window too!

So thank you, Wayne Thiebaud, for inspiring me with the color of your shadows and the texture of your brush strokes. I found joy in looking closely at what you painted and imitating your work as well as I could. You’ve helped me be a better painter.

To the rest of you, go see some of his work in person! Take your time. Look deeply. It might move something inside that you didn’t know was there.