The Importance of Originality in Fine Art

As a student you know I became pretty well versed in copying the work of the people that I loved. After a few years I had a set of paintings that seemed to be something that I wasn't really seeing in all of the other galleries or  painters who had made such an influence on me. It looked like my work and it looked like it was you know well done and I felt like well at least now I can probably apply for graduate school.