Regarding Malcolm Gladwell's latest book, Outliers ,

While there is some truth in any thoughtful theory espoused by Gladwell as to why we can’t, won’t or are unable to succeed due to being born without wealth or being in the “right “ time and place, it goes without saying there are at least 10,000 examples to the contrary.
In a world as complex and varied as ours, examples of every kind can be found to show successes and failures that are contradictory to Mr.Gladwell’s yardstick. If we speak in generalities his findings will be more on mark. There are at least 10,000 reasons as to why these successes and failures came to be. Talent alone won’t guarantee success nor will being born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Without overstating the 10,000 hours theory, I would estimate that amount of time as a good starting point for learning any skill but won’t guarantee a successful outcome. While I do agree that success of any kind would not happen without the help of others, public worthiness does not offset the personal inner success only you can achieve whether you were born poor or in money.
A definition for true success is as varied as those striving to achieve it. The trick is to decide for yourself what success means to you amd then strive to reach that. Some may have already found it and still don’t measure up to Mr.Gladwell’s standard. Many can be successful without notoriety or monetary gain. Many can be considered successful and still be considered poor. 
For the most part I think this whole idea is an exercise in futility and also to sell a book. If we start to think in this manner while trying to measure up to any standard other than our own, we will prove Mr.Gladwell correct.
I will concede this, if I were to judge success by his standards, I would not get out of bed in the morning for I fall into all the areas for reasons not to be successful.

There will always be those untalented who ride the skirts of the inspired. Copying doesn't go to the root of the problem. Morality is the issue. While artists relate the world through their eyes, there will be those with no vision, who try and encase another’s vision and will create an empty shell of the original.
I feel sorry for those who copy. Theirs is a second hand experience and will lack the intimate, personal satisfaction achieved by the original artist. In life the greatest thing is the doing of an original thing. Nothing can replace the feeling and personal satisfaction.
To have no vision is a travesty. To benefit from the vision of others is the greater travesty.
“If you lack the enthusiasm, curiosity, suspicion, invention and a willingness to tackle the difficult, you will be missing the greatest part of the painting process.”

There is a difference with "derived from" as opposed to "copying" another’s work.
It would be foolish and arrogant to assert that any artist today is so because he or she figured it out all on his or her own. Even an art form/style that may not be the in vogue or viewed as worthwhile is derived from what has come before. The simple fact that the tools we use are the same is more proof that we learn from others who have come before. I'm sure I've picked up more than my share of "tricks" from every artist living and dead.
If you live on this planet you are influenced by what has come before. Even if you were secluded away without television or newspapers I believe your art would reflect the world you live in and resemble some form we’ve seen before.
The underlying fact here is that we take this information, sift it, absorb what works for us and use what God given ability we have and try like heck to use these techniques to say something worthwhile. Even art that is not informative and just playful says something. Art is a way to communicate whatever it is you wish to communicate. It's a way to touch others. It's a method of speech, similar to film or writing. The better your ability to translate your expertise, the better you convey your message. It is one fundamental way humans have tried to outlive their existence from the cavemen and cavewomen who left behind their impressions of their world. We are doing nothing more than they. This should be at the heart of all art.
When you add into the equation – commerce, then everything changes. Selling is important on many levels but the underlying issue for most artists is fundamentally to communication an idea of what they see or believe.
This is what I try and do every day of my life while creating “original” work.