There Is No Such Thing As Original

"Creativity comes from without not within" - Kirby Ferguson

One of the things that was stopping me from writing a blog was that I wouldn't be able to come up with something original. Someone else would have said it before me.

But by reading Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon I came to the realisation that there is no such thing as original. Everyone has developed something using what has come before them.

When you watch a musician, artist or writer being interviewed, often one of the questions they get asked is "Who are your inspirations?". I don't think I have ever heard anyone answer that question with the answer "No one". That is because everyone is inspired by someone or something that has come before them.

That just shows their work isn't original. It is built on what has come before them. Yes they put their own spin on it and "make it their own" which is why they're successful but it is not 100% original as they have been inspired by something/someone else.

So I have come to the same conclusion as Austin Kleon - All artists steal.

This is great news for me as it means I don't need to be a genius to start a blog!

Mark Twain has also touched on this subject saying there isn't such a thing as originality but there is authenticity. This makes perfect sense. Just saying there isn't such a thing as originality does not give you the right to plagiarise someone else's work. You can use it to inspire you and then use your thoughts and ideas to make it authentic to you.

So the moral of the story is, don't let anyone tell you that you can't come up with something original. If you give a past idea some serious thought you could put your own spin on it and make it authentically yours.

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Thanks for reading,

Gav