Be inspired to create not imitate

Hi There!

So glad that you decided to pop up here and check out my blog. It’s been years since I’ve last blogged and even that didn’t last very long (Oops!). But, if you are here, I believe that means that you saw the campaign that I’ve started on Instagram called #inspirationvsimitation.

Photo and artwork by @valster73. Do not use without permission.

I wrote a very long caption to go with the post on Instagram that kick-started the campaign. But in all honesty, I felt like there were still other things that I wanted to mention or address on this topic that I couldn’t fit in the IG post. And so, with the encouragement of a dear friend, I’ve decided to write it all in a blog. This blog.

In case you missed the post/caption on Instagram, let me give you a bit of a background story first (and if you have read the caption, I’ll just be repeating a few things).

Several months ago I discovered someone copy my artwork along with someone else’s. This was not the first time it had happened to me, and like the previous incidents, the person copying had no idea that there’s a difference between being inspired and copying. Most, if not all, in my cases, the copying was done out of innocence. Now, I know there are also people out there who malicious rip artists off, but this campaign is not for them. According to Jessica Hische in her article on “Inspiration vs. Imitation”, she wrote, “they are evil and cannot be helped.” (link to Jessica Hische’s article: http://adcglobal.org/jessica-hische-inspiration-vs-imitation/ )

And so, in most of my cases, the person copying was still learning, and claimed to be inspired by my work, but in reality pretty much copied my entire work or major parts of it.

Now I understand that copying is part of the learning process, but you can’t claim it as your own work. Yes, you did draw it/letter it/painted it but you did not come up with the original idea/layout/design. I love how Jessica Hische explains it in her article that I mentioned before.

“When you’re learning, it’s not wrong to copy people—to learn from them the way that they learned from others before them. What many young artists have a problem realizing though, is that the work you create while practicing and learning is completely separate of what you do professionally. Just because you can play OK Computer cover to cover doesn’t mean you should record an album of your renditions and release them under your name. You know that any such action would leave you up to your eyeballs in legal problems. Copy all you wish in private, and once you feel confident in your skills, create your own original public work.”

It’s pretty sad to see that most of the time the people who copy other people’s work usually don’t even mention the original artist who “inspired” them. They just flat out copy. Sometimes they do tag the artist but there tend to be no explanation in the caption, or if there is, it would usually say: “inspired by”. I do understand that we all draw inspiration from somewhere but there is a difference between copying and being inspired.

As much as artists and creative people love to inspire others, I believe I speak for the majority of them that imitation is NOT the highest form of flattery (contrast to what Oscar Wilde said). Now I’m not saying, “oh better not tag the artist so I don’t get in trouble.” but learn to give proper credit if you do copy or draw inspiration from someone. And if you are unsure, just don’t post it. Remember, not everything you make needs to be on the Internet.

Another great article that speaks on this topic (that I highly recommend you read!) is by Steven Bradley, titled “The Line Between Inspired By And Copied From, And How To Stay On Its Right Side.” This article not only captures my heart on this issue but also gives you some practical tips on how to do it. You can find the article here: https://vanseodesign.com/web-design/inspired-by-copied-from/

For me personally, staying away from work that is similar to mine helps a lot. I recently shared a bunch of lettering accounts to follow on Instagram, and if you saw it and checked out the people I recommended, you’ll notice that a lot of those accounts have a very different style than mine. In fact, I don’t actually follow a lot of brush lettering accounts. Not because I don’t like them but it helps me avoid creating something too similar with others in my field. Also, it pushes me to be more creative because I need to create it in my own style.

I also love what Steven wrote at the end of his article. He writes, “No one should look at your work and think it’s a copy of another design. If they connect your work to the original inspiration, that’s okay, but they should never even think the word copy.” I think this is a great way to measure if you are copying or not. Have people look at your work and show them the original artwork that inspired it. If they are too much alike, then go back and make more changes. I know this is not the most exciting thing to do but this will help you in your creative journey in the long run.

I am no expert in the design and art world but I hope this article helps and can shine a light on this issue about inspiration versus imitation. I’m not here to rebuke or condemn anyone, but just want to create an awareness on this topic in the design community, especially for the young ones who are just starting. For some of us, not copying someone’s work is just common sense. We understand this. But to some, this is not as common as you think. And so the heart behind this is to educate people and to encourage people to create, because isn’t that what creative people / artists / designers are supposed to do? To create, not imitate.

Sincerely,

Vallery

P.S. If you’d like to join the campaign #inspirationvsimitation on Instagram, you can create a post with the phrase “be inspired to create not imitate” and use the hashtag #inspirationvsimitation so that we can all see it. Share in your caption your story and thoughts on this issue and tag a few fellow creatives to join you in the campaign.