Copy, claim, create

– Getting inspired with intent

Clark Terry, a prominent trumpeter, used the notion of “imitation, adaptation and invention” as a guide for aspiring musicians to systematically discover their own melodic language.

You might find varying versions of the triad, such as “emulation, assimilation and innovation”, or simplified — copy, claim, create.

As Mel Robbin pointed out in her elevating podcast, since any change offers a fruitful ground for creation, the 3-step framework is applicable to virtually any creative act — including self-growth.

Originally imitating related to active listening. For musicians, this meant paying attention to and copying favourite player’s stylistic choices, articulation, rhythm, charisma and so forth. All the things that theory doesn’t cover.

Copying has a questionnable reputation, as some may associate it with being lazy or unoriginal, or simply ignorant.

Writer William Faulkner allegedly said “Immature artists copy, great artists steal.” However, deliberately paying attention, learning from and referencing the people who have done something you enjoy, will only elevate your own creative development.

For example, sushi chef apprentices might spend months or even years in the “nusumo no gei “-stage (“stealing the art”), simply observing and doing only mundane tasks to prove their dedication. This type of imitation may sound extreme for our fast-paced Western optic, but it is exactly that dedication and patience to the culinary art that eventually seems to lead to world known master chefs, like Jiro Ono.

Imitating is a form of sincere flattery (and not plagiarism), as long as the work is referenced and copying eventually advances to adaption. In musical context, this means, for instance, integrating certain accents, solos, rhythmical nuances and effects smoothly in the daily play.

And practice. A lot of practice.

Repetition — the “10 000 hour rule”, if you may—is a way to drill down the variables sopped from observation into personal doing and routines. Copying starts to slowly bear fruits, only when the thing you’ve previously noticed, dismantled and adapted becomes like a second nation to you.

Think about cooking for instance. A recipe is a literal template for copying, by the gram. Bake a Baumkuchen once, and you’ll get a point. Bake it hundreds of times — and you’ll barely need to even glance at the recipe.

I assume, I haven’t baked one yet. ;)

After a while, repetition gets tedious — and brings about a certain positive boredom. That’s where innovation lies.

Now, it’s famously common, especially for the beginners, to yearn jumping to the creative phase as soon as possible. That’s why it’s useful to be honest and aware of personal journey.

The thing is that we’re all a bit polluted with the cocky biopics that describe natural talent; athletes, celebrities and wunderkids who were just miraculously able to acquire extensive wealth or write a bestseller novel, supposedly without any practice.

Likely that’s not the whole true. The stories of hours upon hours or mistakes, errors and moments of self-doubt tend to be less juicy than the end result of stardom and success.

Also the people who are baking in success tend to have, by then, a large entourage of support: coaches, producers and friendly journalists. Even when the success relates to something seemingly common, like “being a good parent” or “living as an expat”, we might not grasp all the work that it took to get there.

All that being said, creative experimentation is wonderful. There’s nothing wrong with studying anatomy and, at the same time, playing around with comical stick figures. It’s the act of abandoning the “copy & claim” process too early, or entirely, that might result in unfulfilled potential.

Just something to be aware.

So, supposedly you’re facing a moment of change. Consider using “copy, claim and create” as a launchpad for your advancement.

1. Think what is it that you’re letting go of and what kind of gain do you feel like achieving. What’s your North star? Where are you heading?
2. Look for people, or things, that inspire you — something that you’d feel excited to examine and dissect with thought. Study them from all angels. Perhaps you even find joy in thinking what those angles might be. You don’t need, and frankly in most cases shouldn’t, imitate the whole person. Maybe they have a certain attitude, style, saying or techique you like?
3. Comprehend what you have discovered and apply it in your daily life. Practice. Then practice some more. And then some more, until the new discovery is so organic that you almost stop thinking about it.
4. Tweak, adjust, improve — “steal” in a sense of working out your own positively mutated version of the original. Create your own J.R.R. Tolkien’s forest.

And enjoy the ride.

Clark Terry explaining “copy, claim, create” in a few words.