Moving Target

March 25, 2025


If you've been honing your craft for any significant amount of time, you know that the path to artistic fulfillment is far from linear. The more you grow, the more you realize that your definition of what constitutes your best work is constantly evolving. It’s like trying to hit a target that’s always shifting, moving just beyond your reach, no matter how skilled you become. And in many ways, that’s the beauty of being an artist.

The Evolving Bar

When you start out as an artist, the bar for "good" work is relatively low. You celebrate the small wins, the first sketches that show real promise, the first time you complete a painting or a drawing that truly speaks to you. In the beginning, you might not even have a clear idea of what your "best" could look like. You’re working instinctively, learning from your mistakes, and pushing your boundaries without even realizing it.

But as you continue to grow, something incredible happens: your vision starts to sharpen. Your technical skills improve. The way you see the world, or the way you express it on a canvas or through a lens, evolves. Your mind begins to conceive of things that you couldn’t have imagined in your earlier work. What seemed like a masterpiece months ago now feels like a stepping stone, a piece of the puzzle you’re still putting together.

This is the moving target. Your idea of "best" begins to shift the more you learn. The closer you get to achieving one vision, the more expansive the next one becomes. The bar rises, and as a result, your quest for perfection feels endless.

Power of Consistency

So, why does consistency matter so much in this context? When the target is constantly moving, it can feel like no matter how much effort you put in, you're never quite reaching the end. But here’s the truth: we don’t know how good we can be until we’ve committed to going all the way.

Consistency is the key that unlocks this growth. It’s not about perfecting every piece you create, but rather about showing up and working through the challenges day after day, even when you’re unsure of what your “best” will look like. By consistently creating, you’re allowing yourself the space to experiment, fail, and eventually succeed. It’s through the act of constant practice that you can push beyond your limits and discover new heights in your art.

The reason this is so vital is that the act of creation is often a process of refinement. In those quiet moments of practice, you begin to see patterns emerge in your work, areas where you can push yourself even further. You might not realize it in the moment, but your skill set is expanding, and your eye is becoming more discerning. And before you know it, what you thought was your best is now just a glimpse of what’s to come.

Emotional Journey

One of the most profound aspects of artistic growth is its emotional aspect. At first, you might feel frustrated by how much more you can improve, how much further you have to go. But over time, that frustration transforms into excitement. There’s a thrill in knowing that you’re not stuck. Your journey as an artist is ever-evolving, and with each new challenge, your creative abilities grow.

This emotional journey is a reminder that your “best” isn’t a fixed point; it’s a process. Every time you complete a new work, it’s a reflection of where you are in your growth at that moment, but it’s also a reminder that there’s so much more ahead. The act of creating becomes less about achieving perfection and more about the joy of pushing yourself to continually evolve.

Keep Going

Your best is not a destination—it’s a series of moments strung together by persistence, self-reflection, and passion. It’s about embracing the constant expansion of your vision and skills, even when the target feels just out of reach. It’s about trusting the process and understanding that the only way to know how good you can be is to keep going.

An artist’s best is always in flux. It’s not static or definitive. It’s ever-expanding, and that’s what makes the journey so exciting. The bar will keep rising, but with each new level, your work becomes more meaningful, more personal, and more reflective of the artist you are becoming.

It’s the consistency, the relentless pursuit of growth, that will push you past the boundaries you once thought were insurmountable. Keep aiming for that moving target. You never know how good you can be until you go all the way.