It often strikes me how many artists and would-be artists are worried about fitting in.

Artists will respond to something I say with "I'm so glad you said that - I was worried I was the only one." Or upon meeting an artist who paints the same subject, they might say "oh good - I thought I was weird. So nice to meet someone else who works the way I do."

This is human nature of course. We are wired to fit in. Many years ago, our survival depended on being accepted by our tribe, and we still rely on others for love and community and support. As children, we grow up being taught how to socialise, how to make others like us, how to blend in. The worst thing for a teenager is to stand out from the crowd, which is why at that age we all adopt our own uniforms.

Then later, when we join the workforce, we are once more expected to fit in seamlessly. If, like me, you move to a new country, there is even more adapting to do. Your jokes come across the wrong way in a different culture and you're expected to speak and act differently. So once again, you shape-shift into whatever works.

But with art, something entirely different is required.

An artist doesn't want to fit in. She wants to make work that stands out. She wants to express things in a way we haven't seen before. True success requires unique expression and that means NOT fitting in. That means standing out as far as possible!

I think this feels uncomfortable for many of us but it's an essential shift to make. We must become OK with being different. Because when we do, our art can begin to sing.