You may remember him as the guy with the big curly hair who hosted TV art show The Joy of Painting in the 1980s, but Bob Ross is now experiencing a renaissance among Gen Z on social media.

The good-natured landscape painter and TV host died in 1995 – before my generation was born – but his approach to life seems more relevant (and necessary) than ever.

Jump online and you’ll find Bob Ross hashtags have more than 1.3 billion views on TikTok, his YouTube channel has 5.32 million subscribers, and he’s been referenced on popular TV show Euphoria (when Lexi, played by Maude Apatow, dresses up as him for Halloween). There are even Bob Ross Pez dispensers.

As lockdowns shut Victoria down, I found solace in Bob Ross’ slightly lesser known series, Beauty Is Everywhere.

Filmed in 1991, four years before he died of lymphoma at 52, Ross offered tutorials on how to paint sweeping landscapes in honour of the world’s natural beauty. Not only did his gentle laugh and contagious smile capture my heart, his words reminded me that more existed beyond the pandemic – that I could create my own happiness.

So, how has a Florida-born painter from the ’80s – armed only with a paintbrush, his can-do attitude and a few baby squirrels – become a pop culture icon, adored by 20-something-year-olds today?

It can be summed up in one sentence, as Ross says: “We don’t make mistakes, we have happy accidents.”

This is the Bob Ross mantra, and it could not be more appealing to Gen Z if it tried. Ross, with his calm cadence and unbreakable faith in everyone’s ability to succeed, offers the epitome of modern-day mindfulness for the young adult.