"Being universal" is a good thing. While it may or may not be
possible to make art that is for all people anywhere, giving it
a good shot is bound to enhance the scope and the power of your
art. I am not saying it is a bad thing to make art that will mean
something only to the people living in you own street during the
first three weeks of this year, but I am saying that there will
probably be aspects of your art that could be appreciated by others
if they got the chance, so why not give it to them? You can of course do both at once. If for instance you have the
characters in a story speak a type of slang found only in a small
community at a specific time, at least have them talk mainly about
things that will be interesting to most humans most of the time.
Or vice versa. If you are painting or photographing a specific tree, try not
only to describe that specific tree, but catch the things about
its nature that says something about many other trees, or perhaps
even talks about human nature, or whatever interests you. It may or may not be impossible for one person to be interested
in everything, but expansion is power and central to life. Drill: make a sketch for a work describing a specific tree that you
see or know. Drill: make a sketch for a work describing a universal tree. Drill: make a sketch for a work combining both of the above.
Being universal