
Steal, Don’t Borrow - pitdesi
http://tightwind.net/2012/03/steal-dont-borrow/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tightwind+%28TightWind%29
======
ISeemToBeAVerb
Not sure I really understand the distinctions here. First of all, no one
actually "borrows" anything in art. Borrowing something would imply that you
were going to return it at some point, which doesn't really fit with how that
scenario works. I think a more appropriate way of thinking about artistic
influence is through the concepts of copying and transformation.

Copying is the act of stealing without transformation. In other words, the
work is purely derivative. Transformation, on the other hand, is the act of
combining your influence(s) and using them as a basis for a new idea. I don't
think it makes much of a difference whether this is an intentional or
unconscious act. Both copying and transformation have their place in art.

Most artists start out through imitation (copying) and move on to
transformation. For example, Keith Richards started out by obsessively copying
the styles of American Blues artists, it wasn't until years later that he had
absorbed those early influences enough to go on to transform them into his own
distinctive style of playing. Same with someone like Picasso. His early work
is rooted in traditional realism. Later on he would go on to be heavily
influenced by symbolism and African folk art- which ultimately led to Cubism.

------
payalg
of course, thinking it through is important

