Don't worry, everyone starts off 'drawing what they see' (basically copying). You do that for a while before being able to create your own original work. You'll feel better after reading the New York Times Bestseller, "Steal Like an Artist".
From a neuroscience perspective:
After some time, the brain circuits that have formed from you copying things (i.e. taking in sensory input, and outputting your attempted accurate version of it) will start allowing you to start putting your own twist on things. This is because 1) the circuits are being influenced by all the different things you've copied, and 2) the circuits are never perfect.
Thereafter, when you see new things your brain will put its own twist on it, and your 'original output' will start coming out. It will be, like your brain circuits that produce it, influenced by a combination of 1) all the things you've seen and copied in the past (i.e. the things that have influenced you), and 2) have some unique twists put on it due to your unique and personal brain circuits. That's what original work is.
One of the old sayings about art goes something like this "Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal" - I believe that was Pablo Picasso. Basically - all artists are influenced by another, by what we see around us. It is a good artist's job to change a few things and call it something new... a GREAT artist's job is to create something you THINK is new, by taking influence and turning it into a new approach - for example from sculpture to illustration, or a book to a film, etc. Something I learned in my early days as an illustrator is that everything is constructed from geometric shapes... sometimes it's HOW you look at something that gives the different result. 20 people in a room drawing a life model will all come away with sketches of the same person - but each from a slightly different angle, in a different style. Same but different. I always remember that when creating. Good luck! Feel free to contact me to discuss further. -Jeffrey Pittle
