At its most broad one could say that everything is derived from something else. That there is no original work. However, it is perhaps more accurate to say that there are principles of learning that support the concept of derivation; yet there is also a need to move toward differentiation.
I think it would be helpful to consider that in learning derivative is neutral and impossible to avoid.

I know where I am in my own development as an artist. I can trace my history from a child surrounded by women who sewed because they could not afford to buy clothes for their family. My mother was both frugal and creative. She encouraged me to learn to sew and I was so captivated by the process that I took a major in Home Economics in university.

When I was in graduate school at the University of Kansas I met Barbara Brackman who introduced me to quilting. Interestingly, she knew about the history of quiltmaking and I knew about sewing. It was an fortuitous collaboration. I read books by Michael James and Jeff and Beth Gutcheon that shaped my early views of quilting. With those books I taught myself how to quilt. I made my first group quilt in 1971.

Without ever having made a quilt by myself I began teaching quilting classes when I moved to Edmonton. Kathy Faryon owned the first quilting store in Edmonton. She generously made space for me to develop my skills as a quilting teacher. I taught techniques but did not really make quilts. When Kathy closed her store I stopped thinking about quilts. In fact, I stopped sewing.

I began seriously making quilts when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. and following my own bout with cancer. It became a vehicle for my personal healing. I shared with my hair stylist Hanif Virani my desire to make quilts to describe my experience with cancer. Bless him, he suggested that I have a show at the Makasi Hair Salon. In  eight short months I made work for my first solo exhibition. Graphic artist Gina Goldie helped me to begin to express images that coursed through my brain.  All of the work was motivated by my personal experience with cancer. These quilts were my first efforts at original work. The year was 1995.

From that exhibition came an invitation to be an artist in residence in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta. In that role I exhibited my work, consulted with students and gave lectures. I collaborated with Cynthia Dunnigan on a study of women who made breast cancer quilts. More experiences unfolded.

Over the years I have taken classes from many famous quilting teachers. I learned some important things, but I am aware of two teachers who significantly influenced my work. The first was David Walker and the second was Nancy Crow. David encouraged a free expression and experimentation that has served me well. My most famous quilt was derived from his teaching. Similarly, Nancy urged me to find my own line; yet she also demanded an increasingly rigorous approach to producing contemporary art quilts. Initially my work resembled hers but has time has gone on I have become confident in my own voice.

I don't think it is possible to avoid a developmental form of derivation. In fact, I believe it is useful. Another word for it might be practice which is an essential element in mastery. However, I believe that the quilt industry has fostered a notion that it is acceptable and desirable to claim as original work that comes more or less directly from techniques developed and/or promoted by others.

For those who genuinely aspire to make original work I think there is a need to make work that will be viewed solely as practice. This means using precious materials for experimentation with no intention of showing or selling the work. It requires discipline and integrity as well as a willingness to work independently. I suspect that this is the primary process for developing an artistic voice.