Are You Cheating in Art 1

Are You Cheating in Art?
| Part 1
Having ‘Imposter Syndrome’ for artists is quite commonplace even if it isn’t identified as easily.
It’s not rare to find an artist who isn’t sure of his / her work and how good it is. A lot of it is also
attributed to the all-famous and much written about “The Creative Gap”. The Gap that most
beginners struggle with. A term coined by NPR’s Ira Jeffrey Glass that talks about ‘The Gap’
between your taste and your skill that exists when you first begin any artistic endeavor. According
to the theory, a lot of beginners build a taste/benchmark so high that their current skills still can’t
match up to. The learning curve, therefore, struggles to keep up with their constantly building
knowledge of really good work and what they are personally able to create. The result is constant
dissatisfaction with their work and inability to come to terms with their achievements.
The solution to this is quite obvious - Patience and being your own benchmark. However, it
doesn’t end at this. Imposter syndrome is far more difficult to overcome in the artistic arena
when the boundaries of being authentic and original are oftentimes quite blurred. Many artists
struggle to walk the thin line of being authentic and honest in their art. In the era of social media
and digital footprints, it’s overwhelming for artists to showcase their work while ensuring they
don’t offend someone or get involved in some copyright infringement dispute.
In this series, we shall try to identify different aspects of creating art and the perception of being
inauthentic in traditional artistic endeavors. We shall navigate through the following:
1. Inspiration, interpretation, and Imitation

2. Tracing, Gridlines, and tools/instruments
3. Shortcuts and art supplies
4. Techniques and tricks
5. Editing Software and Digital Art
Let’s begin with the most common topic of concern when it comes to Authenticity in art.
Inspiration, Interpretation, and Imitation

Subconsciously creating art that might be inspired by some forgotten influence on your mind
ethically should not be a problem. Being original has so many ways of looking at it. Inspiration
can be drawn out of anything. In the olden days (or today), artists even had muses to stir their
creative juices. Some draw inspiration from their surroundings, some from experiences in life.
Many drew inspiration from existing artwork also. Japonaiserie was the term the Dutch post-
impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh used to express the influence of Japanese art on his own
work.
An Inspiration is someone or something that gives an artist ideas for doing or creating
something. A nostalgic experience, a movie, a song, an old forgotten memory, feelings, and a
person you admire or hate could all be inspirations to create art. Art is mistaken to be a product
that needs to be consumed. It’s an experience that unfolds emotions within an artist or a
spectator. It is a culmination of emotions and a form of expression that an artist has tried to
capture using his/her skills and knowledge. Inspiration could be found in anything and anywhere.
There can be no lies or inauthenticity in that.
An Interpretation usually stems out of an Inspiration. Ideas and experiences can be interpreted
in more ways than one. A sculpture could interpret an oil painting in his own style. While two
painters could interpret the same sunset in two very different ways. Having the same subject of
admiration and inspiration can sometimes be viewed as unoriginal, which I feel is quite unfair to
the artist. Expression varies from person to person and an interpretation of the same subject by
different artists can still be a different expressions of art.
An Imitation is the attempt to exactly copy an existing form of art. When the exact technique
and style are adopted to create a replica of an art form it’s an imitation. Imitation could be a
great way to learn and build skills for beginners. Learning from existing styles helps one develop
his/her own style of work. It also helps get a deeper understanding and insight into the effort
that went into the original artwork.
However, criticism when selling an imitation as an original is quite unavoidable and quite legit.
Giving due credit to the original artist that may have inspired your interpretation or imitation
goes without saying. In addition to that, the original artist should be comfortable with the
commercial sale of the imitation of his/her artwork as well. These are quite the unsaid and well-
understood rules of the art world. It never hurts to give due credit to the person behind the
inspiration.
Listing down a few places where giving credit is absolutely essential:
1. Give credit to the photographer whose work may have inspired your painting or any form of art.
Please make sure that the photographer is aware of such usage of his/her work if it hasn’t been
made available for public use yet.
2. A painting/artwork replica needs to be attributed to the original painter/artist, provided the said
artist is comfortable with replicas being made of his/her work
3. Never hurts to mention the inspirations behind your work when you display it
4. If an artist has explicitly prohibited the use of his/her work, it is advisable to avoid using it without
permission
In the day of social media and unavoidable digital footprints, finding out who’s stealing your work
is not that difficult. Unauthorized use of someone else’s work could lead artists into unnecessary
copyright battles and unavoidable social ostracism across platforms and communities. Giving due
credit to original work is always the best way to navigate your way through showcasing your work
as a beginner.
Keeping these three key ideas in mind, a piece of art should be about expression and emotions.
Striving to generate emotions in your audience is the soul of any creative endeavor.
Understanding the difference between an Inspiration, interpretation and Imitation goes a long
way in making peace with your work and finding the whole process of creating art fulfilling and
enriching for the soul.
In our next piece in this series, we shall talk about Tracing, Gridlines and tools/ instruments to
achieve great artistic results. The article that will help beginners to identify the process of
creating genuine art and feel proud about it.

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Are You Cheating in Art?

1. Inspiration, interpretation, and Imitation

Inspiration, Interpretation, and Imitation

Listing down a few places where giving credit is absolutely essential:

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