On Stealing

0 CommentsTuesday • January 24, 2012 • by Imei

Editor’s Note: Today is the first day in three months I did not have to hit the alarm at 5:30AM to drag myself out of bed for the before-work exercise routine. I thought I’d celebrate with writing a blog post, and going back to my routine of writing more often than not, instead of writing obligatorily once a week because that was all the time I could afford between two demanding areas of my career in heathcare. I have rewarded myself with a cup of coffee, almond milk, and a piece of dark chocolate, and a 7:30 AM workout. 

While reading Steve Job’s official biography, I was intrigued at the author’s mention of Job’s admiration of Pablo Picasso’s quote,”Good artists copy, but great artists steal.” I had to wonder about Job’s adherence to this philosophy since the world has seen the early days of the development of Apple software and hardware that did not appear to a copy or a steal. Still, I believe Jobs was a type of artist — a consumer artist, if you will — and he did steal ideas from the world around him, such as rounded corners on square icons, which he saw everywhere in design.

From my previous blog post entitled Lusting for Brand Spanking New Art, I’ve already shared my opinion about the lack of new art forms being created, especially in music. What I see is artists who copy and steal, and I believe that good artists do steal. Personally, I don’t think all of that is wrong. If you lift something word for word without credit and without due, that’s plagiarism (and that’s wrong). If you make a tune, write your own lyrics, and put it to the same beat as another popular song, your end product may sound like a copy, but it wouldn’t necessarily be considered stealing. Instead, it’s called pop music! Popular musicians often listen to the music of others and readily list their inspirations. Within their albums, you should be able to trace a lineage of previous musicians; the artist applies his or her style to make it her own sound and give it her own distinctions.

In response to a crowd-sourced question I launched about Picasso’s quote , Twitter friend Paul Sogge wrote this: “It’s a clever statement, whether it was really said by Picasso or not. To me, “stealing” in this case means to make an idea or technique one’s own so that it can be incorporated into something brand new. I think there are really two important distinctions implied here. The first is to differentiate great artists from those who are technically proficient enough to mimic good art, but do not add anything new. Vapid beauty. The second is a response to artists who only want to create something completely new. The unreadable novel. To take an idea from the past might be stealing, but it isn’t shameful.  To take something from the past without adding new value is petty theft.”

 

On Being A Thief: Shameless Stealing VS. Petty Theft

1. Ask permission. While many artistic ideas are free flowing and often un-trademarked acts, I generally think it’s a good idea to get permission to copy an idea you saw in someone else’s production. In the process of asking, you show your respect to another artist.

2. I promote shameless stealing. Several Seattle area dancers have already encountered my practice of writing them with a note like this: “Recently I saw your performance of ____________ at __________. I’d like your permission to use your idea and take it in this direction __________________. If I were to perform this in public, would you like to be credited by name, or any promotional materials added to my show?”

3. Study the concept you are stealing thoroughly. A technical copy of something known may be

boring. A radical adaptation, contrast, or enhancement of the idea could be divine. An example: I have always admired how certain Middle Eastern dancers were true entertainers. She would use expression and comedy to get her audience “with her.” Simply copying her moves from Youtube videos would be a boring and overplayed steal. Practicing “being in the moment” using Butoh and meditation are ways I stole the spirit of these artists, and when I need this spirit, it’s available to me.

During a recent bellydance performance with a live orchestra, one of my zills fell off at the end of my opening number. Instead of picking it up and breaking the routine, I didn’t give it a care. At the end of the song, I turned to the side, drew my arms in the form of holding a rifle, and gave the zill an imaginary bullet! And when I looked up at the audience, they were laughing with me. They were with me.

The point is not whether I played the zills perfectly. The point is that my audience was enjoying this moment with me. Did I steal that idea? Probably. Do I know where I stole it? No, I don’t. Have I studied the concept of humor and comedy in dance? Absolutely. Why do you think I have been attending local dance performances at On The Boards (Zoe Juniper) and Intiman Theater (Whim W’him)?

4. Copy, but don’t paste. Many of us learn to draw, play instruments, and write by studying and copying others. My first poems seem like copies of other poets. Their meter, flow, and energy lack my personal stamp, but that’s why they are a copy, and that is why they stayed in a folder, unpublished but not useless. It’s perfectly fine to spend hours copying others. Classical piano practice was entirely an endeavor that begins with copying, finger movement for finger movement, known works. I just did not expect to get up on a stage and have anyone willing to pay to see me practice scales, just like I did not expect anyone to pay to see my student performances in dance. These were still a stiff and uninspired copy of my teacher’s choreographies. They lacked improvisation, style or personal flair, and the essential energy or spirit of the Artist. That would only come with time and investment.

5. Avoid petty theft like the plague. You see this in the tech world all the time. One company makes something incredible, and later, several other companies try to copy it (with a few changes). Even when the copies are less expensive, the market tends to reward the original creator. Why? Likely, the original creator is more passionate about its product in a way that the copy cat is not. The copy cat is chasing the market, often like the copy cat artist is chasing an audience for attention. They will find a few willing to throw some dollars at a cheap thrill– a copy.

If you focus on creating something you are passionate about — that you believe in, and can’t stop thinking about — you are invested in making your art a reality. You are not focusing on copying someone else’s idea, even if your original thought began with a “steal”. You are then making something “new”; you are adding your own distinction to your endeavor (or as Sogge said above, you’re adding value).

When a band member once said to me, “Keyboardists — you’re a dime a dozen, and you can be easily replaced,” I laughed. Does she really believe that? Similarly, there are over a hundred bellydancers in the Seattle area that could try to dance at the professional level (i.e. employable), but does their sheer numbers and the limitations of venues make any of them replaceable? I would argue, this would only be true if they were copying each other. If they stole ideas from the greater world of art — better lighting, better audio, appropriate costuming, spectacular timing, and physical agility — their dances would only be that much more improved and enjoyed by the masses. If they watched – and stole- other forms of dance in order to develop their own style of movement, they would be adding value to the form. If they studied the Masters, and then added their emotional expression, they would have something to contribute.

Watching other performances and styles is not petty theft: it’s research. Listening to other bands and playing their tunes as covers is not a rip off: it’s an act of expressing one’s own style while walking on familiar path.

We’re living in a digital age where many artists are afraid of being ripped off, having ideas stolen, or being copied. The longer I think about this, the less I worry. If you’re any good, people will copy you. This is just a reality. As an artist, you have already done your own share of copying and stealing, consciously or unconsciously. That cannot be stopped. Nor should it be.

What you want to focus on is what element YOU add to your art that makes it your own. You will know this when someone copies you, and the copy is flawed. You will never have to worry about how good you are, or if there is too much competition. You will be unique. Your art will be sought after. You will be respected for what you do. You will find your niche.