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The Art of Imitation

"Nothing is original, there's nothing left to say
You won't be the first or be the last to bleed
Every broken heart as far as your eye can see
It's a copy of a copy of a copy."

-Louis Tomlinson ('A Copy of a Copy of a Copy', an Unreleased Song)

Do you think you're entirely unique- every single part of you? Do you think all that surrounds you are one of a kind? If so, then you're terribly wrong.

Everything is an imitation of something else. We humans were made as an imitation of God in His own image (as the biblical narrative goes, that is.) We humans, creatures of high intellect and high productive capabilities, have made a great deal of inventions over time but all these inventions are just progressions of things that already exist in nature. Even the topic I chose today is inspired from a lecture by one of my professors and the above comparisons that I drew out are his own. Yes, everything is a copy of a copy of a copy. Everything in this world is an imitation of already existent things. And no, that does not undermine your talents or your work. It only enhances it, so please do not be offended as I elaborate upon this notion.

How does a newborn baby pick up a language? How does a toddler learn to draw? How does an artist find inspiration for their work? 

Yes, the answer is imitation.

People mostly attribute a negative connotation to the term 'imitation' but I've never really agreed with that. Because in my head, it's not really something negative. It's comforting.

Dwell on this thought for a moment- wouldn't the fact that someone else has gone through the same struggles as you have, that they have suffered and endured it and came out of it alive, bring you a sense of hope- a sense of relief and calm? Wouldn't that make you feel less alone? Wouldn't that make you feel acknowledged? That's the true purpose of imitation.

To imitate is a human instinct. There's nothing that we can derive which is entirely original. Knowingly or unknowingly, we imitate the people and the things around us. Haven't we studied how our ancestors, the ancient cavemen, communicated by grasping the sounds of their surroundings and then imitating them? That's how language was born. It is through the art of imitation that everything in this world was born, even art itself. And therein lies the sheer beauty of it. 

For everything to be a reflection of something else is absolute. Instead of treating that as a shortcoming, use it to the best of your benefit. Make everything your source of inspiration. Make everyone your muse- even a complete stranger who passes you by on the streets. Make the tune of your favourite song the tune for the messy lyrics you jotted down in the back of your notebook. Make the words of your professors the theme for little poems that you type out in the notes app on your phone.

Imitate!

Imitate all that surrounds you. And invent. And then re-invent.

Imitate anything and everything and make sure that even the very last drop of your creative ability is used before you end up six feet under the ground. Leave an imprint of your own here on this earth before you go- something that someone else might one day imitate. 

Take inspiration and become the inspiration. 

Imitate and be imitated.





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