I find painting flowers very liberating. I loved getting in close and tight to art as a child. I loved the painting if I could see the brush strokes. If something in the scene grabbed my attention I loved getting in close and seeing if it was detail or abstract that grabbed me. I loved the ones that as you got closer you saw it was a trick of abstraction and your mind filled in the blanks.
My most intimate access to art was at home. My mother was our primary care giver, so was largely responsible for imprinting our early inspirations through the art she chose to hang in the house.
Note: I find it interesting that my Mom loved art and hung what was beautiful and meaningful to her and not necessarily what was popular. I hang all my own Art in my house. I don’t know if that would change if I had a studio where I could hang it. I have a few pieces up that are Typography or by other Artists. I have 1 poster print of a Picasso. It’s a Bouquet of flowers held by 2 hands. It’s a part of my family history so a real keeper. Absolutely of no other Value.
But basically it’s my Art in my house. So insofar as my kids taste in art runs its foundation would be in the value their Mother placed on her own practice. Food for further thought.
Lately, and I will admit due to the Algorithm on Instagram, I have been heavy into Abstract Figurative/ Portraits in my Muses and Myethology 23 and recent Gazing in Wild Wonder collections. That type of Art uses different muscles than my Flowers and Landscapes.
I love energy in my Art and the Art I appreciate of others. Even in a still life, there needs to be a sense of vitality, not sunshine and happiness, rather an aliveness, that jumps to me.
It is all fine to refer to the Data and Analytics available to you through your Social media platforms, I encourage you to use it. Just remember to practice a balanced diet. Just because one of my posts of a Watercolor face has the highest number of views and likes than any other, doesn’t mean all I should paint is Faces.
Niches are Nice buuut, very constricting.
So bring on the Blooms!
Do what you need to do to sustain your Creative Spark when what sells and what you need to paint are not in alignment. It doesn’t make you less of an Artist. It will definitely make for a more contented one.
Maja Larson Studio 
I do very much agree with you. The most interesting artists are the ones who are continuously exploring and are posting their explorations for all to see. I often will go back even years on an Instagram gallery to see all the creative pathways an artist has taken. If we were all concerned with algorithms all the time, I think we would lose our own creative freedom and identity. And in the long run, I am not so sure that having a gazillion followers means anything at all. I tend to communicate frequently with the same 20 or so artists because we have an affinity of some kind. Thanks Maja for reminding us to follow our hearts!
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Hugs Louise you are so right! I love that you deep dive into the history of an Artist through their Socials. Not something we were able to do ack in the day, follow those footprints 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
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