Picasso said, "Bad artists copy. Good artists steal."

But what is the difference?

The difference is that ideas also belong to someone. In fact, ideas are considered property of a person even after they die -- it is transferred to their families, just like any other inheritance.

You can get in a lot of trouble if you copy something that someone else already made. This is plagiarism. Good stealing is subtle and not obvious. When you steal like an artist, no one even notices it. To steal the right way, you can't look at only one source of inspiration -- you look at several, and then you add to what you already have inside. This generates something that is unique and creative. This is called research, and good stealing.

And that is how we grow as a society. Think about this -- for millennia, humans have improved upon previous humans' ideas. They do this by looking at something, adding to what they know or imagine, and creating something new. If all we did was copy each other, then human progress would stagnate.

Looking at many ideas and taking a little bit from each one is a form of inspiration. Artists have historically been the most creative and inventive people around. Having the capacity to hold on to your artistic self will make you a better professional, no matter what path you choose in life. The same portion of your brain that works hard to solve an open problem in art class is also responsible for coming up with a quick, creative solution to escape a difficult situation, save a life, or fixing something that is broken last minute. Creativity gives you stronger life skills and makes you better in any profession you choose.

Let's watch the two videos below to understand more about stealing the right way.