Van Gogh Didn’t Start with Starry Night

or, how imitating other artists helped Van Gogh (and can help you) find your true creative voice

I was recently in Amsterdam, wandering through the Van Gogh Museum (if you’re ever in the city, skip the canal boat and go straight to the art. It’s the afternoon to spend. Oh, and the pancakes, too).

Moving from floor to floor, I watched Van Gogh’s style shift in real time. Early on, his work looked…traditional. Of the era. Not yet the instantly recogni…