Random thoughts on influence & derivation
July 31, 2009 11:31AM | Filed Under Inspiration |
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As far as I can tell, most artists worry from time to time about their work appearing derivative. After all, nobody likes to be accused of being a copycat or somehow lacking integrity or original thought.
Influence and derivation is something we have bounced around in the Twelve by Twelve Collaborative Art Quilt Project see: Open or Secret? and Influence and Derivation.
Sharing online can be a two-edged sword. When I first started blogging, I was inclined to put up anything along the way. These days I am much more circumspect. Kristin referred to Robert Genn’s post Silence is Golden which makes a lot of sense to me. So I filter what I put out there for public consumption but should I also shut down the computer so that I limit what I see and what I might absorb without being aware of it? For now, I choose to keep my computer on.
In the end, I create because I have to. I am also driven by a work ethic that says practice, practice, practice, refine, develop and grow. I may or may not have yet found my own unique voice but I undertake my work in good faith and spirit. When I choose to publish or exhibit a work, I am not afraid of thoughtful critique also made in good faith and spirit. What more can you do?
this is something I battle with all the time - should I limit the time spend looking online, there is just SO MUCH amazing work to see - and is what I do a result of having absorbed someone’s ideas either consciously or subconsciously.
Comment by Erica — July 31, 2009 3:49 PM#
Brenda,
Thoughtful subject this, I’m a writer and poet as well as a quilter and have always hesitated to share what i’m working on, likewise with quilts. I so related to To Robert Genn’s post. Thanks for raising this; it is something most creative people explore from time to time, our western culture and education is so based on approval from others it can be hard to step past this and judge our creative product for ourselves and accept the criticism that can come if it is different. As you say no one wants to be a copycat.
Comment by Judy — July 31, 2009 4:13 PM#
Interesting post. I think that we are supposed to be influenced by others work. But influence is not to copy. But to be inspired by or to take something a step further or to personalise is part of the natural process of design. And often there will be an accidental overlap ( See my comment on Rennie Mackintosh roses where I thought there was an influence and you had made something new and fresh and individual, when in fact you had never heard of the man!) For me the comnputer on/off debate is more about getting the time and the balance right between ‘looking at’ and actually ‘doing’. Your post has also made me rethink a dilemma I frequently come up against - is it right to be inspired by art/design which is clearly of someone elses culture? Maybe it is coming from a post-colonial era but is it still plundering if I take inspiration from an artifact even if I am not removing the actual artifact to the British Museum? Time to write my own post not a long comment on your blog I think!
Comment by Helen Conway — July 31, 2009 5:19 PM#