Just this last week I got a new MacBook, and as I was setting it up, there were a dozen backgrounds to choose from, and I instantly fell in love with a misty lake scene featuring a family of ambiguous waterfowl. Squeal! Ducklings! My first reaction was to sigh and pause a moment to take the picture in - such a great mood! My next instinct was to think, "I'm gonna paint that!" But should I?
Sources, Sources, Everywhere
You've heard it before, 'artistic inspiration can come from anywhere!' Sidewalk cracks, a crowded bus stop, your own dreams, light across a hardwood floor - once you're looking, you'll finding it everywhere. The natural world really gets me excited to paint. I can't get enough of the colors, light, and staggering detail that a study of creation has to offer. Other artists' work can be a great source of inspiration too. Being around creative people spurs me to keep making, even when I'm feeling flat artistically. And of course now with platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, DeviantArt, and others, we can find each other much more easily and share much more openly. Which is mostly great, but you see where I'm going here. A constant diet of that kind of "inspiration" can also have a dark side or two, right? Have you found yourself comparing your skills to others? Maybe tried something you saw online and felt like a total loser when you failed the first time? And other things can happen when you do eventually get good at imitating someone else's work... you cramp your own style and maybe run the risk of something even worse. Let me explain a little more.
Compare and Impair
While copying a master's work is as old a practice as the Pyramids of Egypt, and it can teach you valuable lessons about seeing and craftsmanship, there are two or three potential pitfalls to avoid when you're working with this kind of inspiration. The first is the comparison trap that we already talked about. Beware the bad vibes! If recreating another person's work leads you to a sad, depressed place time after time, what are you doing?? Admiring and imitating Leonardo DaVinci's sketches should be a joy that trains your hands and head to work together, not spirals you into self-loathing. So if you're going to copy, do it for the right reasons - to learn, grow, and appreciate another artist's skill. This is what tutorials are for, and there are GREAT ones out there to try on YouTube for free, and through platforms like Skillshare and Teachable. And if the artist you are appreciating is current (meaning alive today), make sure to thank them for the inspiration or tutorial by sending them a message or tagging them in our social post. And that leads into the second potential pitfall of copying other's work... piracy.
I Was Once A Pirate, But Not In A Hot Way
I will begin by confessing that I have done exactly the thing that I am about to tell you never to do. A few years ago, when I was getting started in watercolors, I copied other artists' paintings and sold them as my own work - twice. Typing that now makes me cringe with guilt, as it should! Here's how I justified it, "Mine isn't as good as there's and I made some changes, so it's not an exact copy." "It's not like I'm making tons of money on it, so it's fine." If someone copied and sold my work as their own, I don't think I would think that it was "fine" in any way. It's one thing to try someone's technique or style, it's another to nearly clone their work. Stealing is always wrong, even in "small" ways like this. I was a jerk. Don't be a jerk, y'all. Nowadays when I copy an other's work or am heavily inspired by someones style, I don't sell that work. I might share it online, but I ALWAYS credit the other artist or photographer. They've taken time to make and share this work with me, and I clearly love it, so I should send them the "thank you" they deserve, and point my friends/followers to my inspiration, don't you think? If you're gonna be a pirate, then do it in a hot way for Halloween, not by thieving artwork.
This collection of stolen art is jar-dropping. Seriously, Zara, WetSeal, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Ford??? Jesus, take the wheel.
We Don't Want No Slow-Mo Grow!
The last pitfall I think one can easily fall into by regularly copying other artists' work and style is cramping your own style. By that I mean that you stunt your own growth by mimicking instead of making. Or maybe you perpetually hop from style to style, never taking the time and effort to develop skill in a medium or method. It is especially common for new artists searching for their unique mark to get stuck here. If you find yourself in this bad habit (I have!), it may be time to take a break from looking at other artists work, and focus on your own practice. Draw from life. Draw for yourself. Don't worry about whether it's "good" work, because all practice, whether it leads to a finished piece or not, is good work. It teaches you something. Look for those lessons and you'll better mature as an artist.
Ducklings Forever
So back to my ambiguous waterfowl dilemma, should I paint that picture? Certainly! It's completely possible to enjoy and use such inspiration in a responsible, authentic way - I can practice for the right purpose, credit the original artist, while still staying true to my own growth. I get that finding and feeling inspiration can be a challenge at times, and taking the time to credit a source can be tedious, but I hope I've given you a few very good reasons why finding and using inspiration in the right way is always worth it. Now get out there and be inspired, you lovelies.
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