We’re all inspired by outside sources. I see nothing wrong with seeing, say, Dave McKean using cheesecloth for texture in his art, and realizing that it’s a great idea… an idea that I intend to use in my own art, in my own way.

Is that “copying”? I’m not sure. Depends upon your definition, I suppose.

But, I still maintain that line-for-line copies just don’t have the same energy as the original art.

And, if someone’s taking an idea that I was working with… even if it looks a lot like my art, it’ll still have that distinctive energy of the artist who created it.

For example, if someone makes (and sells) dolls from the patterns that I share at my website–which is totally okay as long as you don’t claim that it’s your original pattern–the dolls will look different from mine. I’ve seen this.

But, okay, I’m just-a-teensy-bit phobic about people thinking that I’m copying. Part of it is hearing the regular ridicule of the pack of artists all of whom use the same style of hats on their figures, and other similarities. It’s like a clique, and… yes, sometimes, it looks odd.

Every time I hear a comment about that group, I wince and consciously do things differently from other artists.

But, is my knee-jerk reaction any better than those who are copying each other? Does copying–or consciously not copying, have anything to do with art? I wrestle with this issue.

For example, I have wonderful wing stamps that I’m only now taking back out of storage. When everyone-and-her-sister were putting wings on things, I didn’t want to be part of the crowd. So, I put my wing stamps aside.

Now, I’ve decided that whether the trend is fading or it’s here to stay, it’s foolish to stop using wings (which I adore).

Likewise, I’m about to haul out my sewing machine and massive fabric collection, and resume fabric collages. I haven’t made them in over ten years. Others are doing similar work now, but I went through a time of being phobic that my fabric art might look “too much like” others’… even though my fabric collages were popular back in the early 1980s.

I’m slowly realizing that people (artists) whom I like as friends… Well, we have things in common. And, those commonalities will, at times, express themselves in art that may look alike to some people.

I can’t fret about others’ reactions any more. I did that for most of a grim 20-year marriage. So, as I’m recovering my full artistic voice, I’m realizing that there is art that’s frantic to emerge… and so it must.

But, the “copying” issue is still a problem, not just in terms of copyright (which has devolved into “letter of the law,” not the spirit of it), and if I look at the similarities between DaVinci and Michelangelo, and Monet and Manet… this has been going on for a l-o-n-g time.

Related link: Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States