“You Should Copy”

I always shied away from copying anything directly, thinking that it there is no glory in that, and it would stifle my creativity in the long run. I was probably right about the first part – there is indeed more glory in trailblazing – but I could not be more wrong about the second point. Here is a story how I’ve come to understand it.

I was hiking in Israel with a group of young professionals, and at that time I was actively pursuing photography as a hobby. Hiking in mountains and deserts of Israel, I had plenty of opportunities for unbelievable shots, but I struggled to make more than a handful of good ones. The worst part was that I had them in my head, but no matter how hard I tried, my photo frames were not quite there. It was starting to get frustrating – I had a vision, and I knew every feature of my camera, but something was missing. A grim thought started creeping up in my mind – maybe that missing piece is the talent?

But I am not the one to give up easily, so I decided to talk to a professional. Not a psychiatrist, but rather a professional photographer in our group.

So one night, after a lot of hiking and snapping half-baked images, and after a nice dinner and some drinks, I asked the question, “Daniel, I have these stunning photos in my head, and I know how to use the camera, but I just cannot make them happen. Does it mean I have no talent? Can it be fixed?” His first reaction was laughter, which gave me a glimmer of hope. But it was his response that I carried with me since and recalled every time I started doing something new. “I know exactly what it is – you have a poem in your head, but you do not know the language to write it with”, he responded. That sounded promising, so I demanded more info.

He went on to tell me that expressing a vision or a creative idea in photography requires building a library of images, techniques, creative devices and other tricks of the trade. And “building the library” is not just reading about them in a book or seeing someone else use them, but actually using them – just like with words when you learn a new language. “Ok, so how do I get there?” “You should copy.”

This one was tough for me to get – all my life to me copying was somewhere between giving up and cheating, and here I was told that it a key to unlocking my creativity… But I trusted the guy, so I demanded the details. He went on to describe how initially you copy just to get the hang of a tool or a method – for example, see a photo you like and then just make one that looks similar, or see a creative approach you like and then do something yours copying the approach. Then you have it as a part of your toolbox, so you can apply it almost instinctively when it feels right, like a musician who hits just the right notes when improvising. Then you start tweaking it, and then finally you make it truly yours, original, and maybe even better than anything that existed before.

Right after that trip, my company got acquired, and I no longer had time for my photography. But the advice stuck with me and helped me get a jumpstart in many areas. It does work! And why wouldn’t it? It’s a common approach in creative learning. Musicians learn to play and compose by playing music created by others, painters train by making replicas of masterly paintings or painting something inspired by the greats, and so on.

In fact, what reminded me of this story is observing how my newborn daughter is learning to be a human. First 2-3 months she copied facial expressions, without even understanding what they mean, and now she has her own unique charming smile and uses it remarkably well.

She is yet to start talking, but she is already well on her way by replicating any sound she hears from people around her. Even copying without fully understanding what or why helps. Learning by copying is programmed into our nature, so next time you need to learn something new or get to a new level in what you do – copy!