I'm not sure what I would do if my trek required walking through a sacred place, if I stumbled across an ancient burial ground or found remnants of a recent tragedy...but simply passing through for the sake of continued exploration seems a bit impersonal. I'm not really arguing that these explorations shouldn't take place or that it's unique to these specific endeavors (science and "progress" regularly disregard individuals or the feelings of those that came before us for better or worse)...I'm not even really criticizing the specific people who take part as most do seem aware of the spaces, history and emotions attached...but I do think there is a question of respect versus necessity and, at some point, the entire enterprise seems somewhat imbalanced.

One nice thing about a working within a series in comparison to a one-off painting is a relative lack of stress when getting started. There's no guarantee that another addition will work out similarly or as well, but when one has a good foundation to build from you've got some built-in confidence from the first mark made. The bones are there (no pun intended) and, to some extent, you put some existing pieces together along with a few new ones to create something somewhat familiar, but still fresh; A variation on a theme. Again, you never know for sure it will work...but it's a bit more like discovering something that already exists rather than creating something completely novel.

When it comes to a new, one-off painting, you're starting from scratch. Yes you have your typical tendencies, aesthetics, and techniques to fall back on, but until you find that "it factor" , for lack of a better term,  that differentiates it, calls for attention, or adds weight a new painting is just colors on a canvas waiting for a reason to be there...not that there has to be a reason for that painting or that putting down paint isn't worthwhile, but, at least for me, there's an anxiety carried through a new painting until you find something that differentiates it. You never want to feel like a new painting is just a less-old derivative of something you've already done, but there's also no way to find that new thing without going through that process of pure exploration.

All that said, eventually comfort turns to boredom and when a series starts to feel repetitive that's when I think you need to set it aside, end it altogether, or try something a bit out of the box that may not fit with the rest. Exploration and experimentation is what drives exciting creations. Following a set of rules for too long can hamper both the enjoyment of creating and the success of the result even if, for a time, it provides a welcome sanctuary.