I’ve been thinking a lot about originality lately. Lots of people have been asking me about AI and whether it’s going to steal all our work. At the same time, there has been some online discussion among artists about copying - about how horrible it feels when someone copies our work and about how we can get them to stop.

These two separate events got me thinking. Why do we get so frightened by the thought of being copied or of having our ideas co-opted by an AI bot?

As artists, it's only natural for us to feel an immediate negative reaction when someone copies our work. We put our heart and soul into that work and they just came along and stole it!

But, I’d like to suggest a different way of looking at this. Copycats can only repeat what we've done in the past. They can look at your paintings or ceramics and they can mimic the things you have already done. Maybe they can replicate your color choices or copy your compositions - they can even just copy the whole damn thing. But it really isn’t all that important if you are making your own unique work.

You see, you are always creating something new and fresh. Your unique perspective, creativity, and personal experiences give you an edge that can't be duplicated - by people or by AI bots. So, even if someone tries to copy your work, they can never truly replicate the magic you’ve created and they can never keep up with what you’ll do next (and by the time they’ve copied that, you’ll be onto something else).

So, there's another way to look at this: instead of seeing copycats as a threat, we could view them as a chance to challenge ourselves and push our creativity to new heights. Think of the human copycats as a friendly competition, and use that trigger to refine your skills and create something even better than your last work. Turn any anger you feel into fuel that makes you even more amazing.

Likewise, we could also use AI as a trigger to push our work in new directions. For example, we could ask an AI bot to help us think through ideas or to generate a series of prompts to help us experiment.

I recently asked AI for some ideas of how to follow on from the Pieces of Me series - how can I push further into my personal experience? It's ideas were mostly mundane, but one resonated with me. The bot suggested “Close your eyes and visualise a specific memory from your past. Now create a painting that captures the essence of that memory. Focus on the colours, shapes, and emotions associated with the memory.”

I like that idea of going back into specific memories as if I was there, building a list of colours and shapes, and then using that as a guide for my painting. This would also give me quite specific and personal titles for my work as they could come from something very specific about that memory.

In this case, AI was useful as a jumping off point and by using it in this way, we are sparking ideas that feed our own unique creativity, rather than worrying it it might copy something we did last year.

Finally, on this topic of being copied, I want to also stress that our worth as artists doesn't depend on external validation or recognition. It comes from within.

The spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle says that our triggers reflect our ego's need for control and our attachment to outcomes. When we attach our self-worth to external validation or recognition, we set ourselves up for disappointment and frustration. If someone copies us, we fear that we might lose our place in the scheme of things (“If they can do it too, what am I? Where do I fit in? Will I even matter?) Instead, Tolle suggests that we let go of our attachment to outcomes and focus on the present moment, where true creativity and inspiration reside.

If we relate this to painting, it comes back to staying focused on your process and your creativity, constantly generating new ideas and exploring new techniques just for the sheer pleasure of creativity and discovery. When you do that, no-one can copy you because no-one can keep up with you.

Also, when you work this way, you genuinely don’t have an emotional reaction to the copycats because they are replicating something you have already moved past. It’s like seeing someone copy the hairstyle you wore 10 years ago.

So yes, it’s human nature to be initially triggered by someone who "steals" something we made, but I hope we can learn to move past that initial reaction. I hope we can learn to see it as an opportunity to challenge ourselves to create something even better. I hope we can keep creating, innovating, and inspiring, knowing that our unique gifts and talents can never be duplicated.

After all, there’s nothing more rewarding than making a piece of art that surprises and delights you, and no copycat will ever experience that feeling :)