What Is Pursuing Perfection?

the great epidemic of mediocrity

Mediocrity has plagued the modern art world for far too long. Once, being an artist was among the most respected professions—art stood with science, invention, writing, and mathematics as a pillar of human achievement. Today, if I told a stranger I’m an artist, they might laugh—and wouldn’t blame them. The perception of a “successful” artist now revolves around followers, views, and income. In this environment, artists are forced to chase metrics just to survive. If customers are happy and demand is high, why bother innovating? Why push your limits or improve your craft when repeating the same formula guarantees praise? This culture breeds a “good enough” mentality, where cutting corners is encouraged, details are skipped because “no one will notice,” and putting in to much effort into a single piece is seen as a weakness. When everything is just “good enough,” it creates the illusion that there’s nothing left to improve.

This mindset has poisoned the craft

—and I refuse to be part of it.

THEY ARE ALL DEAD

And here’s what truly shocks me: when you search for “the greatest artists of all time,” every single one of them is dead. Not one living artist makes the list. This boggles my mind. Nearly everything else in society has advanced exponentially, yet artists from 300 years ago still surpass most of us today. Even modern artists with the technical ability to paint anything they can imagine often repeat the same tricks we’ve all seen before. Why innovate when “good enough” makes you rich?

But this mentality isn’t just in art—it’s creeping into everything. Is our way of living “good enough”? Our education? Our products? Our politics? Our morals? A truly moral person doesn’t think, “I’ll never be perfect, so why try to be the best person I can be?”

I believe mediocrity is society’s greatest epidemic.

When I paint, I always PP

My art is my rebellion against the “good enough” mindset. I call my approach Pursuing Perfection—PP for short. It’s built on one core idea: the perfect painting is possible, but only through extraordinary effort and sacrifice.

My style is not about what sells or what’s easy. PP defies the logic of modern art, which often strips away creativity and innovation in exchange for money and time. PP does the opposite. Done correctly, it can completely break you.

It’s not uncommon for me to paint for 48 hours straight—no sleep, no food, no socializing—just to perfect a detail 99% of people will never notice. Does that mean I’m slow? Not at all. I can complete a large mural in a month. But it comes at the cost of my health and other projects. While other artists stop, I spend hundreds more hours perfecting the work. By the end, I might earn less than a dollar per hour. But that sacrifice is worth it if I want to succeed.

My goal isn’t to get paid. My goal is to create the perfect painting. I want to be the best. I want people to search “the best artist in the world” and see Griffin Hillard—with undeniable proof that I’ve earned that title.

"get aload of this guy"

Understand: the artists I call “good enough” are extraordinarily talented. Many are better than me right now. But my declaration of perfection is a challenge. It’s me telling them to step up their game, because the bar has been raised. Some nerve for a self-taught 22-year-old who’s only been painting seriously for a year, right? But that’s the point. By raising the standard of what “the best” looks like, we also raise the standard of what “good enough” means. I’ve seen this happen firsthand—in my high school art class and online, with creators like MrBeast redefining what’s possible on YouTube. So why has the art world lowered the bar? The novelty of “overly simple” or “purposely ugly” art has not only gone stale, but crippled the public’s perception of what art is supposed to do. An artist’s job is to inspire society through skill, creativity, and willpower. But society believes those artists died 300 years ago. They laugh at us—and I don’t blame them.

We need a mr beast of art

With audience attention spans shrinking to seconds, how can artists prove their relevance in the modern age? Some of the most talented artists alive have fewer than 1,000 followers. People don’t care about art anymore—and honestly, neither did I. I don’t post or follow art because most of it feels boring and pointless.

We need the MrBeast of art. Someone whose work you can’t look away from. Someone who inspires by the end. I’m going to be that person.

The audacity of me claiming this after only a year should anger other artists. It’s an insult to the dead masters we revere—especially when all I have to show is this website. But that’s exactly why I’m desperate for an opportunity to prove myself.

Our Expertise

Right now, I’m sacrificing everything to paint essentially for free. I’m not in a position to charge what my time is actually worth—hundreds of thousands of dollars for the effort I put into each piece. Instead, I leave it to the client to decide an affordable price. As long as it’s enough to pay my bills and buy dinner, the opportunity to prove my skill is worth millions to me personally. But one day, it won’t be me making the sacrifice. It will be the client, paying what my work true costs. Until then, I’m offering an extraordinary chance: to hire me before the rest of the world catches on. If you’re reading this and considering working with me, know this: I guarantee it will be worth it. I’ll be posting reviews from former clients soon. But for now, understand—this is your moment to be part of something bigger. Because my goal isn’t money or time. My goal is to create the perfect painting. Even if no one else notices the details, I will. And that’s what matters.