Chapter 1: The Picture of Everything, from The Painter Who Lived Inside the Painting / Not Art Theory by Everybody the Artist
A long time ago, there was a painter who painted a picture of everything.
In this great and wonderful painting, there were all the mountains, forests, deserts, and oceans. There was the sun, the moon, and the whole sky decorated with all the clouds and every star.
From the tallest trees to the smallest seeds, there was every plant and creature too, from the fish in the sea to the birds in the sky.
The painter painted everything, whether great or small, everybody too, everyone and all.
The painter spent a very, very long time completing this painting. The canvas was so large that, no matter how far you went, even if you walked thousands of miles, you could not find the frame. The craftsmanship was so exquisite and the details so fine that even upon the closest inspection, you could not see brushstrokes.
Finally, one day, the painter finished the painting. Tired from their long labor, they put down their brush, leaned back in their chair, let out a satisfied sigh, and fell into a deep sleep.
When they woke up, it was already very late. The painter got up, packed away their brush and all their painting things, gave a final satisfied look at the creation, turned around, and unknowingly stepped onto a painted path and walked straight into their painting.
