#dontcopycreate

[adultlearnersallegedly]

Inspired by… or just copied? A public service announcement from your friendly textile tutor.

At some point in every student’s creative journey, we ask you to research artists in the field. Sounds grand, doesn’t it? Like we’re preparing you for an undercover mission in the wild world of contemporary stitchery. And in a way, we are. We want you to look, think, and get inspired.

But here’s the thing: “inspired by” does not mean “squint at their work and make a slightly blurrier version of it.”

No shade, but let’s call it what it is—if you trace someone else’s creative path and claim it as your own, you’re not following in their footsteps. You’re wearing their shoes and hoping no one notices.

Being inspired means spotting a colour palette that makes your heart do a little jig. Or thinking, “Ooh, I’d never have used stitches that way!” and then taking that spark and running off in your own deliciously weird direction with it.

Creative borrowing is a time-honoured tradition—but it only works if you transform, reinterpret, or add something new. You’re not a photocopier. You’re a maker. A thinker. A glorious, glitter-shedding magpie of ideas.

So yes, look at artists. Research them. Pin them to your mood boards and mutter “genius” under your breath. But when it comes time to create? Make it yours.

Because honestly, the world doesn’t need another [Insert Famous Artist] knockoff. But it could really use what you have to say.