Defining moments

Isn't it funny how influenced we can be by the things people say?
A few years back I was in town and I met an old friend. She had gone on to study Art History or Fine Art or something. Anyway I had been painting away doing Lovers paintings and basically Figurative paintings from pictures I'd cut out of magazines and posters etc. I had photo's of my latest work with me and was really proud of them, so I showed her. She looked at them and she said:

"yeh they're really good but would you not use your own pictures to paint from? your just copying someone else's Art."

It was like a steam train hitting me.
I never thought of it like that before.
That's how I'd always made pictures. That's how I'd learned to draw, from copying another picture.
I went home that day on a downer.
What was I to do now?
It was true what she said. The pictures I was using were someone else's Art. Photographic Art. then I started to think about the photographer and maybe they'd be pissed off if they knew I was "copying" their Art. After all they had taken the time to come up with a concept, set up the shot, found the right angles, lighting etc to get that perfect shot. And then I come along, like what I see and just "copy" it.
So I decided I wasn't gonna copy anyone else's Art anymore.
But the pictures I'd been painting were of things I didn't have access to. I'd have to hire models and I didn't have the money for that.
I felt like I'd come up against a wall.
So I started taking lot's of photo's. I brought the camera everywhere with me. I had a dummies head and I took photo's of that from diffen't angles. I got some good shots and painted pictures of a few of them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waekEwXsYZ4

Then I was asked to paint a picture from one of Anne Geddes photographs. I had actually seen the picture before and wanted to paint it, but didn't because it was "someone elses Art." So at first I was like oh no, I don't want to. But it was for a friend and it was a present for her daughter who'd finally conceived after years of trying. The picture really meant a lot to her, so I did it.
It turned out to be an Amazing painting, one of the best I'd ever done. She liked it so much she ended up keeping it herself and asking me to make a print of it for her daughter instead! I did and sold a couple more to others too. It seemed to really hit a note with people. I put a picture of it on my business card and got a lot of work from people seeing it. One girl loved it so much she even got a tattoo of it! She had lost a baby and felt it was her baby in God's hands.
Anyway a few years down the line and I have a different view about this whole "other peoples art" thingy.
I was obviously meant to paint that picture. And maybe Anne Geddes would feel flattered that I was so impressed by her photograph I felt inspired to paint it?
Anyway It's taken me a long time to get to this point.
As much as I respect other peoples views and like getting differen't opinions, I do what I want now. I'm not put off by what another person thinks it takes to make an Artist.
I know who I am and I know what I like doing and what I enjoy doing.
I will not let myself be defined by other peoples opinions. I'm gonna do what makes me happy and enjoy making Art whatever way I feel like it! :)
And if people like it great, if not. who cares? I'm not painting to suit them, I'm doing it for me.