choosing authenticity over originality.

dav adé
Jan 20
2 min read

tldr;

originality is an exhausting race to do something "first." authenticity is the simple act of doing something "true." in a world where machines can copy any style, your personal perspective is the only thing that can't be mass-produced. at the BLANK arts society, we’re trading the pressure of being new for the power of being real.

why being yourself is the only way to be one-of-a-kind.

we spend a lot of time worrying about whether our ideas are "original." we ask ourselves: has this been done before? am i just copying my heroes? is there any point in adding another painting to a world that is already full of them?

this focus on being "original" is a trap. it assumes that the value of art is in its novelty—in being the first to cross a finish line. but in 2026, the finish line has moved. with ai able to remix every style in history instantly, "newness" has become cheap.

the only thing that still has high value is authenticity.

the original vs. the authentic

there is a subtle but massive difference between these two goals:

originality is a search for the "new": it looks outward. it compares your work to everyone else's. it is a performance.
authenticity is a search for the "true": it looks inward. it doesn't care if a million people have painted a tree before; it only cares about how you see that tree.

you are the only variable

you might use the same tools as a thousand other artists. you might even use the same techniques. but you cannot have the same perspective.

your "truth" is made up of your specific memories, your unique fears, and the way your physical hands move. even if you tried to perfectly copy someone else, your own authenticity would "leak" into the work through your small mistakes and personal choices.

at BLANK, we think those "leaks" are the most interesting part of the art.

stop innovating, start documenting

when you stop trying to be original, you gain a superpower: you can finally be honest.

you don't have to invent a new language to speak; you just have to say something that matters to you. the irony is that by being as authentic as possible, you end up becoming original by accident. no one else can be you as well as you can.