This is a question I would like to ask.
After looking at all these wonderful bead blogs, I feel I am "filled" with other people's work. It's a good thing, eye candy and soul candy. Then when I start beading, I find that under my fingers often come colours, themes or patterns that I have liked in other people's beading.
This is not a problem for me, but I hope it isn't either for fellow beaders.
What do you think about that ?
Cheers
Hélène
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9 comments:
Personally, it's no problem for me. I think that even when something/someone inspires me and I'm strongly influenced in my work, in the long run, it filters through my own imagination and ends up with my own imprint.
An artist friend of mine used to close her email with this quote:
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
If there anything REALLY new in the world?
I think there is a huge difference between inspiration and duplication. If an artist is clearly making a copy of another artists' work and calling that copy "their own", I think that's unethical. Otherwise, I agree with lj, inspirations with a personal imprint belongs to the owner and not the original inspiration. I've studied with other artists and I was positively influenced by their work. I had to "break away" to let all that good inspiration cook. I think this is a valuable discussion.
Teresa Sturnfield
Helene -
I agree that seeing someone else's work helps us to think another way, see with new vision, be more creative. I think we always interpret through our own "filter", so it's really hard to copy someone else's work. I think it always looks like our own in some way.
To illustrate, I read a quote describing a newborn baby -
"He looks a little like his mother, a little like his father, and a lot like himself."
If something I've created influences someone else - even if they say "I DON'T like that, I'm going another direction" - that is the artist's vision at work.
It would be amazing to find that my work actually inspired someone else! We don't think anything about learning a new technique or color combination from a book or class, and really, the world is our classroom. This is certainly no problem for me.
Thank you for your wise and soothing messages !
I'll definitely try to hide my sources and will explore thoroughly your blog, Lois ! lol
I think what lois b said is really right on. We never mind taking a class because we like the teacher's style that is being taught but think somehow it is wrong to look at a private artist's work. I don't know about you or others but I find it almost impossible to copy even when I am doing something from a pattern that expects it. I think we learn what we like or don't like, what we can do or are not up to doing by seeing others work. Learning to be true to ourselves may be the most important lesson we learn.
Well Freebird, I am not counsciously trying to copy other people's beading - except native american beading patterns I have from a book for instance and that like you I find impossible to copy exactly - it's just that I connect to blogs and sort of connect also in spirit to some works I see, and then somehow I realize that what I do is like a direct quotation from something that has moved me.
Then I feel embarrassed because I wouldn't like people to feel "ripped off".
But then I'm a little er complicated at times :o)
I have been told all the art masters (Rembrandt and the ilk) learned by literally copying other's work. Then they were allowed to start doing their own. We should feel we have been paid a compliment if someone likes our style, not ripped off. Now, if we try to sell that copied-somewhat work, that would be something else. When you realize you are getting too close to copying you could at that point dig into yourself and veer off and see where it goes. I think someone who worries about being a copier probably won't be; your'e right- it's complicated! By the way, totally off-subject, how do you get those accent marks on your name?
Hi Freebird, the accents come from my French keyboard - you might be able to find them in special characters...
Kind regards.
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