How to Copy Others For Fun and Profit
Is it OK to copy the work of others?
(In this article, I’m talking about copying other painters. Please note that this can be applied to copying the work of others in any area - spreadsheets, business models, etc…)
I once saw a painting by James Austin Murray. It was pure black and completely captivated me.?
Sidenote: For years I’ve been interested in creative constraints. Some examples include, doing a photo shoot with a single lens that doesn’t zoom, or making a painting with a single color of paint.
I believe these practices help expand my creativity to come up with new ways to create something interesting and meaningful without using more tools as the answer.?
But that is a tangent for another time.
This black painting by James Austin Murray captivated me for about 5 seconds before my mind started to obsessively try to figure out how he made it and then quickly screamed at me, “We must try this… in blue.”
When you copy someone, you will automatically infuse your own essence into it, thus making something different and your own, thus not copying.?
This concept, I believe, is what makes it ok to copy. This concept also proves that there is no competition.?
It is nearly impossible to create a perfect copy of someone else’s work - especially in the arts. An artist making a piece of art will always leave their fingerprint, their essence, in the work.
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So how could you possibly copy someone else if you have your own fingerprint and essence?
Off I went to copy James’ painting, but I wanted to make it a different shape than him, I wanted to make it in my favorite hue of dark blue, and I wanted to make it curved.
This is how I was infusing my own artistic fingerprint and essence into this piece. I didn’t consciously say to myself “How am i going to make it different so that I’m not copying him?”
These ideas just naturally occurred to me. I couldn’t help it. It’s the way I wanted to make my own art piece.
So I did it, and it unlocked a whole series of paintings with this new style.
I had fun making them. And now a handful of people are having fun owning them and looking at them.?
If I hadn’t “copied” James, I would have been robbing myself and others of enjoyment.
My invitation to you is this: copy something that inspires you, and let yourself have fun with it.
For more inspiration and practical exercises to help you connect to your creativity and do what you want in life, check out my magazine, XIX.