Sean McCabe

Shownotes: http://seanwes.tv/43
Hand lettering gallery: http://seanwes.com/gallery

It should make you feel better to know that we all start by copying. It’s how we learn. It’s how we learn language and how to speak! It’s the same way we learn any skill: we learn by copying the masters before us. It’s how we learn to draw, make music, and program.

There’s nothing wrong with copying to learn.

Did you notice the important part though? Copying to learn. I like the example of the Mona Lisa. If you want to get better at painting, by all means, try your hand at recreating the iconic piece of art—but do not publish this work.

If you copy someone else’s work, that is a derivate work. It doesn’t belong in a gallery or showcase and it should not be published anywhere—this includes your website and all social media.

Copy to learn, but do not publish derivative works. This is a very critical point: posting to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter is publishing.

When can you copy? You can copy to practice. Copy to improve your skills. If you want to get better at lettering, have a field day and go through all of my work and copy it—for practice. Do not post this work because it is not your own. It is not your original creation.

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