A movement forms when: – the work keeps evolving while imitators stay static – the idea expands beyond a single form – viewers begin to reference the thinking, not the image
As Marcel Duchamp showed, once the idea is stronger than the object, imitation loses its power.
“Then you can choose to take the high road, consider that imitation is a form of flattery so to speak and decide to not spend too much energy on the issue. Publicize your art as much as you can and make it sure serious buyers and art galleries know that your style is genuinely yours. Copycats usually get tired after a while: after all there is not much personal satisfaction in copying and they will often go from copying one artist to copying another. What they are copying is also something you did in the past, and because you are the creative force behind the art that is being copied, you often moved on to the next step in your art journey being always one step ahead. You own the creative tools, they are just replicating an end product.”
