Embrace your imitators
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery — and a reminder that creativity is an art of constant movement
An artist I follow on Instagram — a tattooist, in fact — was asked whether he had any plans to take on more apprentices. His answer was blunt: no, because he’s sick of apprentices stealing his style.
After bouncing around in my head for a week, his answer has turned into a question: can style be stolen?
Rather than a physical product, the tattoo artist sells his unique brand (excuse the pun). The brand is his style, and since it’s a visual medium, that style can be copied. It can be shared and spread to other studios, with Instagram the platform of choice for copycats wanting free advertising. And what’s worse, the copycats we’re talking about are former apprentices — how ungrateful!
But I’m not sure that’s really the issue. He still has his style — only now someone else has a bootleg version. And since the thieves are former apprentices, it’s safe to assume that the quality of the work is lower. After all, his brand is not just style but exclusivity: he’s exceptional, world-famous and has an awe-inspiring waiting list. People will continue to pay a premium for his work.
We’ve all seen or experienced plagiarism. In fact, I’m sure all professional writers have been tempted to plagiarise at one stage or another. Usually, that temptation is fleeting, but a small number of writers try their luck. In fact, sometimes it leads to a high-flying career.
Style can’t be plagiarised, though. It can be studied. It can even be copied, to an extent (and learning to emulate a successful writer is a smart career move for aspiring copywriters). In fact, in many fields, copying someone’s style is an entry requirement.
For a lesson in the power of copying style, take an art class. Even better, visit an art museum. Or listen to The Beatles. All artists start by copying their heroes, and the greats become those heroes themselves. And the very best? Their style never stops changing.
Our tattooist wants to protect his style because he is happy with it. He doesn’t want people copying his style because it’s what made him successful and famous. That jealousy, in my view, is a warning sign for the great creative threat: stagnation.
For every thieving apprentice, there are hundreds of aspiring tattooists with Instagram accounts. They will copy because they want to learn. If you’re good, expect to be copied.
I say embrace it. Find someone you admire and copy their style. Study their every word and composition and draw them together as techniques. Apply what you’ve learned to your own work: is it better?
If so, congratulations: you’re forming your own style. Over time your style will become more unique and you will find yourself being copied. Embrace it: take someone under your wing, or at the very least, share what you know.
The other day I asked my Twitter network for a bit of feedback on a new business card design. One respondent asked if I minded her taking notes from what I’d written on them.
Of course not! Short of copying it word-for-word (which really would be plagiarism), she can do what she likes. It shows me that my style works and that I got it right (this time around).
Now, I have to figure out how to do it better.
I write copy, content and other branding communications for businesses. If you’ve got an interesting project in mind, contact me by clicking here, or visit my website to read more.
