Stop Trying to Be Original

Literally nothing is new, there are no original ideas. Even King Solomon wrote, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Someone will have the same ideas as you and you may execute an idea that you find later already existed before you made it. Being genuine is worth much more than being original. Steal ideas.

Steal ideas from everywhere: paintings, movies, street signs, overheard conversations,  children’s books, magazines; but make them your own, this is what brings authenticity to your work.

It’s not where you steal your ideas from, it’s what you do with them (paraphrased quote from Jean-Luc Godard). Steal ideas, combine them in interesting ways—make them yours—this is the best path to create work that is genuinely you. Being original is a myth, be authentic instead.

No Responses