Authenticity and Imitation. Many popular slogans instruct us to be authentic by refusing to imitate others: Be yourself, everyone else is taken; You were born an original, don’t die a copy. etc. What these sayings incorrectly imply is that the less influence one allows others to have on oneself, the more authentic one will be. It assumes that self is an independent entity that needs no-one else to be itself. But humans are by nature reflective and imitative. My intention is to show that it is the human capacity for imitation, ironically, that makes us unique. To be original is not the capacity to draw on some inner genius that needs no model, but rather, it is genius to understand the influences that form self and how combining such influences can result in a truly original reflection. Few areas of recent research have shed as much light on our understanding of human nature as those that address with fresh insight the unique and foundational properties of human imitation. Far from being the simple and mindless act that we typically associate it with (“monkey see, monkey do”), imitation is now understood as a complex, generative, and multidimensional phenomenon at the heart of what makes us human. In fact, imitation may very well be the basis for not only how we learn, but also how we understand each other's intentions and desires, establish relational bonds, fall in love, become jealous, compete with one another, and violently destroy each other, all the while operating largely outside of our conscious awareness. 1 The concept of imitation often carries negative connotations. Why? Let me illustrate with a personal example. For me the negative association began at an early age. My grandad was an artist and visits to his studio instilled an appreciation for painting in me. Although my dad did not pursue it as a career, he was also an accomplished painter. So drawing and painting was part of the fabric of our family. All the paintings in the house were originals - prints were simply not allowed. By the age of thirteen I was enrolled in an art school. As I studied the great masters of art, it seemed to me that each of them had a style uniquely their own. And some of them, like Leonardo da Vinci, openly spoke against imitation. In this context, imitation became the very opposite of creativity and authenticity. “I don’t want to imitate, I want to be authentic!”, I thought to myself while studying with great interest the styles and techniques of the masters. The artists I enjoyed most were those whose brush strokes seemed bold and spontaneous. They were obviously comfortable with their own style; it seemed as if they painted without hesitation, drawing from an unrestrained source within them. I practiced this kind of spontaneous painting. With each repetition my technique improved and eventually I produced a painting with which I was pleased. It was an oil painting, produced within a few hours, with bold brush strokes and vibrant colors. It gave me such a sense of satisfaction because it felt as if I was true to myself. I painted without hesitation, drawing from a boldness within. There was a sense of an undiscovered self being released. The very formation (2011-10-31). Mimesis and Science: Empirical Research on Imitation and the Mimetic Theory of Culture and 1 Religion (Studies in Violence, Mimesis, & Culture) (Kindle Locations 189-194). Michigan State University Press. Kindle Edition.