DISCLAIMER: Hey, Soo Hyun's "My Thoughts" are exactly what the title suggests. They are merely my thoughts, opinions, and what I've gathered, organized into writing. I do not write with the intention of aggravating or offending anybody; rants are merely written for my sake, and the majority are simply to sharing things I've noticed/learned. Though peaceful discussions are more than welcome, I do not wish to argue with anyone about the subjects presented. Comments or messages of aggressive nature will be ignored, and/or in extreme cases, may be deleted.
UPDATE: You guys MUST read this blog post by Illana from Makeness Media. Totally changed my views- though I still get a little angry when I see people copying, I mostly feel sorry for them, and makes me want to work even harder to improve myself and my work.
I've been waiting to share my feelings on this subject for a loooong time,
Call me childish, but I absolutely despise it when people copy/imitate my work.
I've turned to Google more times than you can count with questions on imitation, copyright, photography laws, etc. Apparently, I'm not the only one who isn't a five year old, and gets a little worked up over people "imitating".
But my question is, when is it imitation, and when is it downright copying?
By definition, imitation means "a thing intended to simulate or copy something else", and the definition for copy is "make a similar or identical version of; reproduce". So I guess you could say they pretty much mean the same thing, but one of those words has a much worse connotation than the other. Why? Because people will use the word "imitate" to defend themselves when literally copying someone else's work, style, or copyrighted materials. "Imitation is the finest form of flattery", they always said. Boy, are they wrong.
For some reason, I've always had people copying me. No, I'm not some conceited, paranoid smart-a**, acting like she's too good for anyone else. I acknowledge when my work sucks, and I know that I can always improve. So I'm definitely not just talking about people who coincidentally happen to wear the same shirt as me that one time, or friends who accidentally decide to join whatever club/sport/activity I start. I always logically assess the situation and try to give the other person the benefit of the doubt- but sometimes, it's just too obvious.
Over centuries, people have copied. It's certainly not a new concept. As Picasso once said, "Good artists copy; great artists steal". See? Even in the ancient days. People still copy (or "steal", as Picasso put it) all the time- in art, in writing, in education, in philosophy, you name it. Copying has always been justified by saying they're just "getting inspired", or saying "imitation is the finest form of flattery!". And I suppose it's really defined by whether or not the person being "copied" is alright with it or not. I certainly don't hear any complaints from Piet Mondrian whenever his art is recreated in classrooms (but then again, he's not around to express his concerns anymore). However, having a third grade class re-create a century-old dead artist's painting is one thing, and copying someone's modern, new ideas and approaches to art and work is another- it's simply degrading.
I guess I've finally come to terms with this pet peeve of mine; I understand why it bothers me so much. When you copy someone, you are literally stealing not only their work, but a part of them. When people go on to copy things I've worked hard on developing, for example, my blog- my photo style, the way I conclude or sign off a blog post, my blog theme, how I the way I write or format my blog posts, writing style, etc- it makes me feel as if they're only watching what I do, asking questions, or being my friend, just so they can "get inspired" by me. It bothers me more with intellectual things rather than superficial- so go ahead. Copy my clothes, the way I do my hair, wear my makeup, whatever. But there are certain things I've come to love and respect about myself or the way I do things. When people start copying things like the way I write, take pictures, film and edit videos, etc; things I've gotten complimented for being "original", "fresh", or "unique"; that's when it really starts bothering me. It just makes whatever I've been doing less original, and it makes the copier less original. So nobody wins. Another thing is, though sometimes it takes me a while to get started on something. once I get into it, I give it my all. So when someone goes to replicate it, or start doing things the way I do it, it really dampens my mood.
Over the years, I've asked myself. Why do these people copy others so much? And trust me, it's not just me that these people happen to copy. I've noticed that people who copy me, tend to copy others in our same group/school/activity as well. But, why? Why can't people think of their own ideas, ways of doing things, and their own personality, for heaven's sake? Upon talking to others like me and scouring Google, I've formulated my number one theory- they really just aren't comfortable with themselves; they aren't secure in their own ideas and themselves, so they look to others for ideas. Another thing could just be that they like your idea better than whatever they had. Again, they're insecure about their own ideas.
So if you're one of these people, who copy others, I have some advice for you (I'm not going to yell at you). Please, just believe in yourself. Trust in yourself, your ideas, and who you are. You might surprise yourself- someday, you may find that you are the one at the top, and you can thank yourself for it all. And even if you don't, at least nobody will secretly notice and despise you for copying them.
