Should I worry that my early work looks similar to other artists in my field?

No, don’t worry about it. That’s often how artistic development starts. When you’re learning and developing, it’s natural for your work to resemble the artists who influenced you—you’re essentially stopping at the same foundational places they did. This is part of the process. What matters is that you don’t let this similarity discourage you or make you constantly switch directions. The artists we remember started out influenced by others too, but they stayed committed to their path long enough for their own unique perspective to emerge. Focus on the work itself and trust that your own voice will develop with time and persistence.

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Asked by an early-career artist concerned about originality · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-04-17