Stick with what you know

I had an interesting first-time visit to Home Depot today. (I'm on a crazy kick to build as many panels as possible while I still have the space to build them)
Let me preface this by the fact that I always him and haw (is that how it's spelled?) about going to my usual lumber supply spot, Discount Builders on Division. First of all, you have to know the secret code to be able to get into their parking lot. The store is situated on a corner where every one-way street and freeway in the city meets. If I could construct a map of the many twists and turns that I took trying to get there, it would look like the inside of a Rubik's Cube.
My first visit to Discount Builders, I walked in with shoulders high, measurements in hand, ready to stun the staff with my amazing lumber knowledge. I had to fight my way into getting some wood cut, as well as dodge the raised eyebrows. I ended up walking out moderately fulfilled, ready to build my first panel, but couldn't shake the feeling of the burning stares and dusty snickers from the staff and clientèle.
My second visit to Discount Builders, I tried to joke with one of the staff members about my difficult time trying to get help with lumber cutting and I mentioned that "everyone gave me funny looks when I walked in". His slow response was "Well, that's because you're funny lookin'."
So, I was surprised this afternoon when I walked into Home Depot and asked where I could get some lumber cut and was directed by a sales associate to the "Self-Cutting Station".
No Problem.
My dad has been working with wood since I can remember, I've seen a zillion pieces of wood being cut with a hand saw...
Starting on the first 1 x 2, was a bit challenging. The whole "Station" was built for a 7' tall man, so I had to stand on my tip-toes just to position the saw correctly. By the end of the fourth cut, I was completely sweaty and had begun to see a little trail of smoke rising from the wood.
I've decided to stick with the old tried and true. I now know the secret street to drive down to get to Discount Builders, and even though I'm funny lookin', they'll at least cut my wood for me.

*A question that was raised last week*

When visiting a solo show at a gallery, aren't you ever questioning why there are so many pieces that are almost exactly the same? Not just a show that displays the artist's current body of work, but that the artist has taken the same figure or image and only altered it slightly in numerous ways? You've seen shows of this artist a few times over the last two years and it's been the same. In the beginning, the artist defines the work but at what point does the work define the artist?
On one hand, the viewer can deduce that the artist has asked him/herself multiple questions, and has tried to answer those questions in different ways, which is the path that can (and should!) lead the artist into more and more questions and possibly a new body of work. But does this mean that the artist hasn't grown? If you have one style of work that is best known to be unmistakably yours, can you ever climb out of the creative sink-hole and move on to a new subject or medium? Is the artist just forced to supply for the market's demand, or are they feeling some strange fulfillment in obsessively cranking out the same thing over and over? I can think of a handful of local artists that have made their mark in the art world, with a distinct style. Are these people ever allowed to venture outside of what they're "known" for? Does it have to be super-genius in order to be respected? Or will they be looked down upon because they're trying to do something that's "not them"? I guess this could be the difference between commercial and non-commercial.
I came up with a few words to help myself understand this a little better. "Diversity Within Sameness". Maybe it's been used before, but the two words "diversity" and "sameness" really work well together in this instance. It's like having a balanced ecosystem with a variation of life forms. It's important to be able to grow and learn and create new, inspired work, even if you're trying to answer the same questions over and over again. There are artists that have been working for years and years on the same few bodies of work, and even though their work may appear the same, there is a big chance that they've been inspired throughout, and they've uncovered ideas that they didn't even know existed.