REASONS TO STEAL, NOT COPY... Lacking inspiration today? Trying too hard to come up with unique ideas that the world has never seen? Heres an angle for you: steal other peoples and put them together in a way that you and only you can. Im a true believer that nothing is really new in the world, its just a constant rehash of old or existing ideas. Whats new is how those old ideas are put together, mixed, mashed and clashed, and that is what makes things entirely new and special. Steve Jobs didnt invent the mouse, the graphical user interface, the digital music player, the phone - none of them. He just reinvented the way they were put together, and the contexts in which they were inserted into popular culture. To be clear - its not plagiarism were talking about; and its not the stealing that gets you in jail or a reputation as a fraud - its basically seeing things and saying, I love that. And Im going to use it. But Im going to put it here instead, and Im going to do it this way and not that. According to jim Jarmusch (An Indie film-maker): NOTHING IS ORIGINAL... Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to. Picasso is of the opinion: Good artists copy. Great artists steal. Credits: Derek Handley.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 12:00:16 +0000
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