30/30 #17

Infringed. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery..." Until you tune into the auditions of a highly watched dance competition to see the routine you'd spent hard earned sweat and hours on...and you aren't the one dancing it. Or that moment you hear your heart and soul on the tip of a tongue you'd not given permission to speak it, line after line of your talent under their name. Originality is hard to come by these days. Seems like everyone is playing copy cat and not even attempting to mask it.

There is no shame in admiration, to find something unmistakably beautiful about something unmistakably beautiful is only human But to lay claim to it, taking ownership for art you haven't created is as absurd as me saying Hey, you like that sun up there? Yeah, I don't mean to brag but those rays, that was all me...

I'd prefer inspiration over imitation as flattery Don't get me wrong, no ones knocking themselves out to be like me but if they were I'd like to tell them to stop. Take the best parts of what you love about someone else's art and let it lead you to create your own Use only the feeling of their words, of their movement and of their creativity. Respect is not something easily earned, so if you want it you have to work for it Working does not equal copy and paste You shouldn't spend all your dignity on infringement, you're only cheating yourself that way...