The definition of authenticity is ‘not a copy; genuine’, which is what we, as artists, should strive to achieve. Although authenticity should come to us naturally, it’s getting much harder to become truly authentic, as, with every day, new ideas are being thought up.

So is it possible to be truly authentic? I think yes and no. On the one hand, you could believe that you are being authentic by creating an ‘original’ idea, but, on the other hand, someone else may have already thought up that idea – be it days, weeks or years ago. It is possible to be authentic to yourself, but to be authentic in your approach to all art is a different matter, I think.

True authenticity is even harder to achieve now because of the internet, as things are shared all over the web. Art is a lot easier to see now than it was centuries ago, and we now draw inspiration from any artist we see. Even artists that were alive centuries ago are on websites and archives such as Wikipedia, and their work has been uploaded for anyone to see, write about, or copy.

In conclusion, I think that, whilst not impossible, it is difficult to be truly authentic. It’s hard to know if your work has already been created somewhere else, however, I believe that, if not copied purposefully, it is still authentic, as well as it can be authentic if you draw inspiration from the work of others, but still stay true to your own style, or add your own unique flair.