i've put a lot of thought into these kinds of things as of late... not quite sure i'll be able to say this in a way that all facets will make sense to all people who might read it, but: inspiration, or the lack thereof... there are a lot of "pretty" images out there, and images that seem to be striving for that technical perfection, and images that are patterned directly off of other artist's compositions [think Royo], etc... but what truly seems to be lacking in the art that is generated as a whole is the art of storytelling or engagement of the audience... technically sound and "pretty" pictures i suppose have a place, but give me imperfection any day that engages me, makes me want to see more [the next picture frame] or "hear more of the story", makes me curious, makes me FEEL anything over all the pretty pictures in this world...