Is it better to practice calligraphy by imitation or copying?

In the early stages of learning calligraphy, it is okay to copy with zero foundation, but you cannot copy for a long time. After you have a certain foundation, you will switch to copying, and copying will take a long time or even a lifetime. If there is someone to guide you, you can copy it directly. In addition, be sure not to copy the enlarged version of the copybook. The distortion is serious. Start with regular script as the orthodox one, and you can choose Yanliu