"Circle of friends" 5 x 7 Watercolor $100.00
Artists learning from one another has long been practiced, dating way back to the beginnings of when artists were selling their works and learning art. It probably dates back further than that.
I am writing this article to highlight, what is acceptable and moral practices of working with and copying other fellow artists as well as doing these things with artists we don’t know, and artists from History.
Along my career path, I have come in contact with a lot of artists. Many through art groups and memberships, exhibits and festivals that I have attended. And still many others through the internet. The internet is a wide open smorgasbord of art and artists. All connecting and working along side by cyber-side. There are, like with anything, pros and cons of the internet. Though it is great for researching art, getting our own art noticed and ‘out there’, and learning from one another and finding opportunities, sometimes artists run into a bit of trouble. Usually these things are harmless and once noticed, easily corrected and resolved.
From some of my own experiences, I’ve met some very talented artists. But when they start copying, and not being original and true to their own voice, well, that is very disappointing and could hurt their own career as well as hurting the artist that they admire and want to be like.
Most of the time, these artists are harmless and don’t realize what they are doing. They just see the artist they admire, being successful with a niche market, and they want to have the same thing for themselves. They don’t think about carving out their own path. Telling their own stories and visions. At times, it seems, that this type of artist cannot function in their own studio and with their own collector base, until they hear what this admired artist is doing. They copy the price points, the studio schedule, the studio clearings and ‘sales’. Even the destruction and destroying of art because an admired artist is doing it. That could be very costly for the artist that is following. What if the admired artist jumps off a cliff? Do you jump too?
Words are also stolen from blogs and posted as their own, on their blogs. This confuses the collectors when they start seeing the same posts from artist blog to artist blog. They don’t know who started the story and writings first, so they get far away from that situation. This has personally happened to me, so I know what I’m writing about here. Yes, I suppose many will say that I should be flattered, but really, I wasn’t. It was a mess that I had to clear up, which took me away from creating.
I’ve also seen artists start painting the same subject matter, because “Admired artist” seems to be very successful with that subject matter. I’ve even seen talented artist’s style change into something really different and it looks like the admired artist’s work. I’ve lost my respect for a good amount of artists because they have gone this route. I want to see the artist that is painting, not the artist that they admire. I’ve usually already seen that admired artist’s work, especially if it is on the internet. The internet sure does make the art world small, this is something all artists should remember. I want something new, fresh, different, INDIVIDUALISM is what I want to see. I’m sad to say, I don’t find it very often, but when I do...I am so full of joy!
I have to admit that I have fallen pray to “admiring” other artists. Their style, their subject matter, their work ethics. But I work hard to stay true to MY story, MY vision and what I want to say to the viewer. I’ve dug deep to find my inner voice. What makes my art tick. I’ve worked hard to stay fresh with my themes, and series. I’ve worked hard coming up with individual ideas as to how I want to market my art, and at what price points work best for me and my art. These things cannot work for another artist, because we are each individuals and our studios are run in different ways with different expenses that need to be met.
I work hard at being me. And all I ask of fellow artists is to please, work hard at being you.
Now that all of that has been said, Working with a Mentor and studying the works of a Master Artist from history is a wonderful thing. I encourage artists to go to museums. Sketch the paintings there. Take notes on colors used, brush strokes and so on. Study many artists and how they applied paint. We need to learn from one another, but in the end, you need to apply those things to your own voice and work. You need to be yourself and make your own choices. Take initiative to pave your own path, in creating and marketing. I think you will be amazed at what lays inside of you. Art is a self journey, enjoy the ride. And don’t follow anyone off a cliff.
~Debbie
