Uniqueness in itself is becoming increasingly less valuable. Take the “storyfication” trend. Every platform has them now. When one social media platform came up with the idea, others followed suit. Shamelessly.
Training as a painter in the east means years of copying works of the masters. In the Western world, originality is more encouraged. Some consider imitation the greatest form of flattery. Others consider it to be piracy. Yet, copying has gained momentum. During the rise of the pop art movement, artists such as Warhol and Lichtenstein embraced the concept of printing, and consequently, reproduction.
Copying is an art form. As the old saying goes: speed trumps perfection. Today, copying speed trumps perfection, as well as originality.