I kind of cringed when I wrote that subject line. I used to think like this. In the past, usually when my art was not going so well, I would look outside of myself for answers. Maybe I hadn’t sold anything or was just feeling kind of unconfident about what I was making. It just somehow seemed that everyone in the world was doing better than me. What ever it is, sometimes when things aren’t going so well here, we look over there, to see what others are making.
And then, if you see art that you love and it appears to be doing all the things that yours is not, such as selling or appearing any number of ways, all better than your own work, it does seem logical that you just might make your work more like that work. In fact, you just might try, when nobody is looking, to copy that work.
And that is a problem. Not so much because, as we all have found out, it is not so fun, but because it is not at all the right path to lead you back to where you belong. Where you should be starting. Where you should be paying attention: your Art.
We need to be inspired. It is essential to look at others work. Especially work that is going where you would like to go someday. But we need to do it with a particular set of questions and goals. Ones that help us get the benefits of looking at others work but also keep us in our own artistic lanes. Remember there is something in this art that is calling you to it. And that is what we are after.
Here are the questions I use when falling in love with someone else’s art.
What specifically are the qualities of the admired art that attract you?
Really go deep with this question. Write down the specific aspects you admire.
Compared to your art… Is it more colorful? More loose? Is it the subject matter or the feeling of the finished work that draws you to it?
Does my art have some of these qualities already?
It might be possible that all you need to do is strengthen these qualities in your own work to improve it. In other words you just need to push your art further.
What would I change about this admired work if I were making it?
In other words what don’t you like about it?
In asking and then answering all three of these questions, you are framing this attraction in terms of your own art.
Let others work help inform you about where you want to go. The whole creative world is self-referential. All of us are influencing one another. The successes of others should inspire you. After all, if it possible for them, it is possible for you too.
Take a dive into what others are making, but do it looking through the lens of your own art. You always need to be driving your own car. Not somebody else’s. There is no room in their car anyway for you. Drive yours. Stay in your lane. Sure, listen to the radio as you go, but don’t try to become it. Just listen and let it inspire you as you go. It is the soundtrack to your movie. Your art. Your life.
26 Comments
Hi! I’m
Nicholas Wilton
the founder of Art2Life.
With over 20 years experience as a working artist and educator, I’ve developed a systematic approach that brings authenticity, spontaneity and joy back into the creative process.
Join me and artists from all over the world in our Free Art2Life Artists Facebook Group or learn more here about Art2Life.
It has been said that nothing hasn’t ever been done before. Learning from those whom you appreciate is inspiration. Copying is a guide to know where and how the source was initiated. Thanks for the post. (In the art of calligraphy, all we do is copy to learn. We then take it to our own way of expression…same, same.)
Yes especially true of calligraphy…
Well said! Thank you for a clear path to appreciating and being inspired by others!
So true! Lately, I’d like to me more like Leonardo da Vinci. (who wouldn’t?). Not that I want to do portraits, but I love the feeling of deep spirituality that he brings to his work. I’m trying to do that as an abstract artist. If nothing else, it’s a great exercise and practice.
yes…
This is the best advice I’ve heard for awhile, for it requires the artist to see differently. We must search for attributes rather than copy the form. Copying has its place when we are young and learning. However, the artist must come to trust in the relationship between themselves and the forces that propelled their work. Andre Gile once said, “Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist the better.” Whatever you wish to call these forces, as artists we must strive to create the conditions where we transmit these forces to others. When we are successful, the heart knows and both the audience and ourselves are filled with joy.
That is great Carey—thanks… love this…”Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist the better.”
If someone else paints a horse and you paint one but different then theirs you are not copying them. It is only a copy if you are painting something EXACTLY like someone else. Subject and everything else like the back round and claim it is a original by you
I always find your posts really profound and well written Nick and this one isn’t any different. We all look at other artists work and with social media it seems like we do this more and more. At least I know I do it more than I would like to acknowledge. What I like most about your post is that by giving us these 3 questions to really think deeply about and to write down our thoughts, we actually can move ourselves forward in our art in a positive way and not dwell on “everyone is doing better than me” kind of feeling which social media has a real tendency of doing. You’ve given us a way to look, learn and move forward in our own personal way. Looking around us as artists is going to always be important but now we can do it in a positive way. Thank you for that.
Michela- Happy Thanksgiving! Yep– only move towards what can bring you and your art alive…the answers more often than not are from inside rather than outside of ourselves…
This is a really helpful post, and has made me think hard about my own feelings (generally of inadequacy) when I look at other artists’ work.
This is great advice on how to truly be inspired by and learn from others’ work. Thank you for putting it so succinctly.
Good recommendation
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
This is very helpful. I like the car analogy.
This is a great post. Thank you. If I am inspired by anot her artist’s work, I like to paint something simular in my art journal. I usually end up going my own way with it because it’s just not me but it gave me a good prompt and sometimes a new technique to try. It can help get my creative juices going again. The times I have tried to copy something it usually looks awful and just doesn’t feel right. I develop a relationship with my paintings and for me copying just seems like I’m trying to step into someone else’s relationship without knowing the dynamic’s of that relationship. I don’t know if that makes sense to anyone else. We just have to go through our own process with our work. Art should be an extension of who we are.
Very well said Amy…I think many people can understand this…
Thankyou for sharing this. I have been feeling very low lately and looking at my own art thinking everyone else’s is so much better. I shall print this off and look at it during the periods I feel low.
Yes — don’t go down that road… there is nothing there of value for you…yay
Thank you Nicholas. Just what I needed to hear. With love and gratitude.
You got it Nicholas! exactly right! No matter how hard we think we could try to be like another artist it just can’t happen. Intuition always takes over, and it will always look like a poor knock off if intuition didn’t take over. There is no nourishing our soul if we painted in that way. Its empty and emotionless. Perfect blog! are you on Instagram Nicholas? Id love to share this there. 🙂
Spot on Nicholas !! I have found being on Instagram , while it can be a positive experience, I find myself comparing my paintings to other people’s work , and getting discouraged about the direction of my own work. I think staying in my lane is great advice. Thanks .
Thank you Nicholas, You always say what I need to hear. Much appreciated.
Great questions to ask, thanks as always for your inspiration. Sure don’t want to be a radio LOL!
Case in point: New exhibit has opened at the Seattle Art Museum. Its abstract, about a half dozen artists. Examples of their work are online for anyone to enjoy. A few of the pieces beg the question, “why am I doing this when this is so out of reach?” When that pops into your head then reality takes over and I see then a “workshop”. I’m going my own direction for my own enjoyment so of course I’ll keep doing this. So the examples then become a teaching tool maybe getting me closer to what I want to create, not as a copy, but has guidance to bettering the techniques to take me down my own path. I am pleased with your thoughts on this so that I don’t have to think of my work as forgeries or a substitution for my lack of imagination or creativity.
Such a great article! I have always known that coping is a flat out NO NO! it’s cheating and lying to create a copy, put your name on it and then sell it! What I look for in another’s finished artwork is…. technique (s). Once I got in trouble for taking a photo of a gallery piece. I wasn’t taking a pic of the whole piece, but a small portion that displayed a tecniques I would have liked to try. I will always ask up front now. It’s a very touchy subject. The problem for me then, is defining the tecniques I love in the artwork, and then trying to figure out how it is done. Please let me know, a tecnique is not something you can copywrite, correct? ???? Thanks for a thought provoking article. :))