copying

it appears that i have a certain rule for myself that is incredibly important to me and completely irelevent to the rest of the world

the simplified version of the rule might sound somthing like "THOU SHALT NOT COPY SOMEONE ELSES HAIR STYLE, PIERCING PLACEMENT, IDEA, OUTFIT, POINT OF VIEW, DRAWING, WAY OF WALKING, OPINION OR PREFERENCE IN FOOD... ECT."

what it means is that there is very little left that i am allowed to do, think, eat, wear, like, draw ect. because pretty much everything has been done.



But.
this week and this month i have been fighting the all powerful hold that this eleventh commandment has over my life
i have been fighting by way of art.
i have been drawing things that other people have drawn.
looking the drawing in the face and knowing that i did not think of it myself
looking at it and realizing that i love it.
then drawing it
exactly the way they saw it
exactly the way they drew it... (thats the goal at least)

and when its finished
making myself appreciate it for itself and for its closeness to original.

now
i know that artist do this all the time.
painting from photos (photos they took themselves or otherwise)
drawings for life...
if we draw from a model are we copying life?

well
anyway
ive been fighting this impulse down...
the one that tells me that this is cheating
and i have been copying
and i love it
and its so straightfoward.

put the shadows where they put their shadows and thier lights where they put their lights.
and copy.