I discovered the risks of imitating another artist’s creations and the importance of being authentic in art class.
He dressed in bright pastel shirts, ornate ties, brown or black creased pants, and polished shoes like an artist’s work. Thin silver bracelets swayed, and square-ish rings were a signature.
Teaching students the principles of Fine Art was more than a profession.
Mr. Geraue taught you how to be authentic.
I loved Art class.
My fondest memory. An assignment to create a Halloween design on a poster board. The best pictures would proudly hang in store windows around town for fall celebrations.
Each student received two large poster boards, one chance to make a mistake and one to get it right. It was a tough choice of what to draw.
I wanted to win.
I want my artwork noticed by the residents of our small town. After all, we were known as Crazy Carleton’s, and kids at school picked on us.
Nobody fancied our family.
Winning the contest would make me better at something.
Creating a Masterpiece
I lacked the skills to create such a masterpiece. Thank goodness my brother came to the rescue by ordering a sizeable creepy poster from the school book club.
It was perfect.
The wolf-like creature with large yellowish fangs and claws stood towering on its hind legs and half stride, jumping over a broken log in an eerie forest.
It was dark, creepy, and screamed Halloween.
Grabbing his poster, I shot to the back porch window and placed the poster board over the wolf-like creature. It was a perfect fit. I could see every detail.
Excited, I ran back into the house, grabbed the scotch tape, and secured them to the window, bellowing YES.
Creating Art is hard work. Tracing each line and minor detail is tedious. Making the colors just right was nearly impossible. Pressing through, I finished the masterpiece a few weeks later.
The Halloween design was splendid and sure to be a winner.
Learning to Be Your Authentic Self
I walked into class with pride and confidence and handed in my masterpiece. My hopes of winning diminished, the teacher said,
Linda, it looks great, but next time don’t copy another Artists work.
I stood dumbfounded.
How did he know?
In ninth grade, I didn’t understand the risks of copying an Artist’s work. My Art teacher was aware of my personal strengths and weaknesses, which I needed to overcome.
He taught students to think creatively, taught them how to express themselves authentically, and assisted them in reaching their fullest potential.
He encouraged you to be authentic.
Copying an Artist’s work leads to failure because you don’t think outside the box. You deprive yourself of reaching your fullest potential and becoming the best version of yourself.
Copying someone’s work is not authentic. It’s a replica of an altered version. Your abilities and personality can’t shine through someone else’s artwork.
Your growth becomes stunted, and being the best version of yourself is never achieved. The masterpiece you could create fails because you copy.
I learned the perils of copying an artist’s work is that you can’t grow into your authentic self.
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