Why I don't worry about my art being 'original'

Is the key to meaningful original art... theft? yeah, I think so.

I think the word "original" is an overused and undefined term in the art world. The line is blurred to the point that no one really knows what it actually means anymore. So let's throw it away. Instead of trying to make our artwork "original" let's strive to make INTERESTING art instead.

This week's oil painting isn't original. Has it ever been made before? no. But is it ORIGINAL, meaning I took inspiration from nothing & nobody, that I wiped my brain clean of all possible sources of influence before making it? Lol no.

I took direct inspiration from artists like Berthe Morisot and Richard Schmid, took my color palette from the Tonalist art movement, and used a reference photo I paid for off of ArtStation.

While this piece may not be "original" I hope it's at least interesting.

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[KelseyRodriguez]

I've been working on a big collection of art history inspired paintings, so let me know if you'd like me to post more painting process videos just like this one!

[allisonaletha]

“It’s not that deep. Just make stuff.” A thousand times YES!! Anybody who says they don’t draw inspiration from anything outside of themselves is lying. It’s literally impossible not to. 😂 For me, golden age illustrators like Norman Rockwell and J.C. Lyendecker are go-to’s for inspiration! Lyendecker has such a stunning way of breaking down values into simple, yet exciting shapes as well as adding unique, almost graphic elements to his portraits. To deny that we’re an amalgamation of many other artists is just arrogance. We are all products of the people we look up to, and that’s a good thing. 💛

[AdamDuffArt]

One of my favourite videos of yours - a wonderful message spoken far better than I could

Not to mention your painting turned out beautifully

[withlovepersephone]

The not using references bs kept me from improving my art when I was a teen. I’ve improved more in a year by paying close attention to references and because of that my original works have become more interesting. I really enjoy your painting process videos! ❤

[MrSpooks]

I just want to say that you have inspire me to become an artist and really take art as a serious career. I live in a country that 90% of the population makes less than $600 a month, your videos breaking down how much you make as a starting artist were eye opening and made me dedicated all my free time to get better.

It is incredible how much you can evolve when you fully commit. I wouldn't be able to do this without watching your videos because I never saw a way to support myself with my art and i needed to pay my bills.

I know that you have received a lot of negative comments lately so I wanted to tell you that your videos have change my life. I also would like to congratulate you on your art and how much it has evolved, the painting in this video is absolutely beautiful. I hope one day when I create my own YouTube channel( I still have to deal with my shyness and put myself out there) we get to do a video together. Greetings from Brazil.

[joy_moth]

"Under the sun there's nothing new" i have the same mindset about originality and i couldn't agree more with everything you said

[lorth]

The way your videos always seem to pop up at the exact right time for me... I've been over-critical of my works in progress, as I felt "stuck" in other people's styles... but I guess this is what I need right now, to absorb everything that inspires me in order to make it my own. Love this video, your painting looks gorgeous and I hope you're having a good day.

[RubysArtsyLife]

Thank you!! Using references is like visual art advice! You practice and use techniques and take what you like and dump what you don’t like for your own interesting art style! I’m trying to create more interesting art myself! So thank you for confirming I’m moving in the correct direction!

[DannyDavies]

This needs yelling from the rooftops often, and very very loud. Thank you so much for talking about this.

[crysvisionaryart]

Everyone has the right to choose what they love in their life, but it wasn't as easy as it seemed because to do something you love,
you have to find your voice and to have freedom, you need to lose something to gain something.
Break the chain lock to experience gifts that have your name written on them.

[elllie]

I have been thinking about this a lot thanks for making this video. Loved seeing you paint and your process

[chelsyescalona]

I´m almost at the end of the video, but I most say that this have been one of the videos I liked the most of you Kelsey, seeing you painting and talking about this is just amazing dear! Really hope you keep making more of this cause is very much inspirational!!!! You are awesome!

[robertafletcher]

This is the first time that I've seen you paint and I loved it. Hope you do more like this.

[BulkBrogan.]

Batman "copied" Zorro
Jojo's bizarre adventure "copied" First of the North Star
Berserk "copied" Devilman
And then Dark Souls "copied" Berserk
Hell almost all Disney classics are adaptations of other stories
Things that seem original are a blend of many inspirations at once
Not something entirely new that no one has ever conceived of anything vaguely similar before
That's impossible

[FlRELAlR]

The rocks turned out great, but I really love the many colors and textures in the grasses. Thank you for the video!

[kerenvalentin]

You are absolutely right, there is no originalism. We are all made up of various elements, whether in art or in life. We all have facets from the world around us, from our genes to our thought patterns. We have been influenced and molded since we were born. Art is no excption, we are swayed by other artist, by nature, by dreams, and by our emotions in poetry, whatever we draw, paint or write we are drawing from other sources within us that have shaped our life's. Kelsey you are absolutely correct... Being Interesting is far more effective than trying to be original, when in reality there is truly no originality.
Awesome video!! I Loved your landscape, have a great week!

[krzysztofmathews]

Very good topic!

One of the things that we know in art history is that formal Art education prior to the 20th Century was literally all about learning how to draw or sculpt from using “Master copies” in a limited range of subjects and themes. Students would literally draw as accurately as they could from a print or an écorché ( representation of a flayed figure showing underlying anatomy). They were also restricted to particular themes such as Biblical stories, Greco-Roman mythology, or specific historical events. What this achieved was to help them develop a deep rooted grasp of fundamentals. Prior to, and through the European Renaissance, one also saw a very structured apprenticeship system where one would learn from the literal ground up with the basics of mixing pigments and preparing materials for the master painter. We see very similar systems in place in parts of premodern East Asia, some of which exist today in art forms like ceramics or woodblock printing.

What was NOT happening was a master craftsman or painting instructor simply handing a brush or other tool to a youngster and declaring “Make whatever you want”. Unfortunately, that is what you often DO see in the Fine Arts departments in various universities, but with the additional added caveat that this work should somehow also not be like something that the instructor has seen before. The result being that aspiring students then contort themselves into a state of acute neurosis trying to somehow guess what sort of experiments will be “unique” and yet also interesting and seemingly substantial enough to garner approval.

Again, a very good subject for discussion!

[the.artists.journey]

I have to tell you...

You are one of the few inspirations that brought me to creating my own path.
Thank you so much for being here!
Keep your light bright!

[ChantelleArts]

You’ve made some really good points here! References are necessary to improve and, sometimes we don’t even realise when we have been inspired by past subjects and use them as a reference ☺️

[arkanimation]

There's this book called "Steal Like An Artist" and it pretty muchgoes along the same thought process you did hear. I fully agree I used to have friends who shamed me for making works that had similar concepts but I had my own take on the ideas. They were not very creative nor did they challenge themselves. This message needs to reach younger people. This is great!